Erico
Member
I'm heading up to Michigan to this weekend to help out with a few projects on my buddy's vacation home - one project is to tackle an issue he has with outside flood-lights. There are approximately 18 floods (CFLs) affixed to his eves. Everything is working properly. The issue is that he rents the home from time to time and guests/tenants tend to leave the lights on 24 hours a day out of ignorance or plain old inconsiderateness. He'll come out, a week after the home being rented, to find the floods have been on for a week straight.
We are looking for a solution to time these lights out. Motion detectors are ruled out because he doesn't want to have the lights on at all when he is there. It kinda spoils the ambiance when you are trying to enjoy the stars and the place is lit up like a prison compound. He figures the guests get a little nervous and turn the lights on at night because they are new to being out in the woods for the first time. The problem is they never turn them off.
I didn't pay any attention to the switches last time I was there but I assume the lights are on a 20amp circuit. The house looks like it was either built by someone with a lot of money or a builder. I've never seen so many circuits - all (most?)20 amp - in a residential building. I never counted the breakers or service but the box in the basement is huge and there is a sub panel upstairs. The HVAC system is equally impressive with two conventional systems and an outside boiler for firewood heat. The structure is totally over built with tons of steel in the 10 foot high basement. Pretty much how a lot of us would build if we had our dream design and budget. It was built in 1970.
The issue is the lights are switched at 6 or 7 locations in the house. Each bedroom has its own switch - as does the living, family room and even the kitchen. All lights can be switched on or off from anywhere in the house.
Ideally the switches would be replaced with a timer. Never having touched a 7 way switch I'm wondering/guessing that the switches are a combination of 4 way and 3 ways??? These are two button switches. If that is the case, can we change them out for a 3 way timer. Somehow I'm thinking that can't be done. Either way, we wants to at least change the switches out as the old ones are showing their age.
I would never attempt wiring a setup like this but I am competent enough to change out the switch or switches mirroring the existing configuration IF we can find the right product.
One of my other thoughts was breaking the service to the lights if, as I assume, the lights are on their own circuit. And installing some sort of timer that only allows the lights to be operated at a certain time - say 9pm to 2am. This would be better than having the lights blaring 24/7.
What am I missing here or am I over thinking it - as usual.
We are looking for a solution to time these lights out. Motion detectors are ruled out because he doesn't want to have the lights on at all when he is there. It kinda spoils the ambiance when you are trying to enjoy the stars and the place is lit up like a prison compound. He figures the guests get a little nervous and turn the lights on at night because they are new to being out in the woods for the first time. The problem is they never turn them off.
I didn't pay any attention to the switches last time I was there but I assume the lights are on a 20amp circuit. The house looks like it was either built by someone with a lot of money or a builder. I've never seen so many circuits - all (most?)20 amp - in a residential building. I never counted the breakers or service but the box in the basement is huge and there is a sub panel upstairs. The HVAC system is equally impressive with two conventional systems and an outside boiler for firewood heat. The structure is totally over built with tons of steel in the 10 foot high basement. Pretty much how a lot of us would build if we had our dream design and budget. It was built in 1970.
The issue is the lights are switched at 6 or 7 locations in the house. Each bedroom has its own switch - as does the living, family room and even the kitchen. All lights can be switched on or off from anywhere in the house.
Ideally the switches would be replaced with a timer. Never having touched a 7 way switch I'm wondering/guessing that the switches are a combination of 4 way and 3 ways??? These are two button switches. If that is the case, can we change them out for a 3 way timer. Somehow I'm thinking that can't be done. Either way, we wants to at least change the switches out as the old ones are showing their age.
I would never attempt wiring a setup like this but I am competent enough to change out the switch or switches mirroring the existing configuration IF we can find the right product.
One of my other thoughts was breaking the service to the lights if, as I assume, the lights are on their own circuit. And installing some sort of timer that only allows the lights to be operated at a certain time - say 9pm to 2am. This would be better than having the lights blaring 24/7.
What am I missing here or am I over thinking it - as usual.