Lamp post light stays on all the time
 

Our front yard lamp post light does not go off during day. Any recommendations how to adjust? Thank you

The dusk-to-dawn photocell is bad and must be replaced. There is no adjustment.

It sounds like you need a new light sensor on the pole. You can buy them at the Lowes. Make sure you turn off the circuit in the house before you try to replace the sensor.

Or, you can replace the light bulbs with "dawn to dusk" bulbs that have a sensor built into the bulb. These are available on Amazon.

They wont work if sensor is bad still needs electricity

Your sensor is bad, Home Depot for $ 15 gets you a new one.....I have replaced mind several times over the years.

My husband replaced ours recently with the help of YouTube. I think we paid $13 for the sensor at Lowe’s.

If it stays on all the time, as stated originally, it clearly has electricity at the bulb!?!

Agree, photocell bad. Not easy job in some cases. Especially when wire harness won’t come out enough in pole. You have to have some knowledge working around electric. How to cut power to pole, how to check make sure power off at pole, the ability to disconnect photocell from pole and get back in hole on side of pole, after reconnecting wire’s property. As recommend form swimmer watch Utube video see it you can safely do it.

The OP said the light is on all the time, so the dawn to dusk bulbs will work.

Thry only thing that can go bad light sensor portion makes the light stay on all the time cause the sensor can’t detect light anymore to cut power to bulb so it stays on 24-7.

Doesn't sound like the OP has another issue I've seen: sometimes, people have very thick vegetation growing up/around the pole with just the lamp showing through some. This covers up the sensor and sometimes doesn't let enough daylight show through to the sensor. So if someone else has an always-on light AND has thick vegetation around it. . .

Lite
 

I found the easiest way to solve the problem is to replace the bulb with an led light bulb that has a light sensor integrated for dusk to dawn. Simple cheap and long lasting.

My hubs replaced the light sensor in our pole. He is NOT the handiest person around and really doesn't like to mess with electricity. Like another poster, we found a video on YouTube and he was able to install the new sensor easily. FWIW.

kathy

Simple, unscrew the bulb in the morning and screw it back in at night.

You want to go over there and do it for them daily?

I like your style but much easier to just flip the breaker at dawn and dusk unless the garage fridge is on that breaker!:bigbow:

electricity
 

Uh,, if the light's "on" all the time, ya think there may be electricity there? :o)

Sensor
 

On the pole 1/2 way down there is a light sensor which went bad . Shut the power off from the main breaker box in your garage for the pole light and replace the sensor on the pole it just unscrews and is a 3 wire connection . You can buy the new sensor at Lowes for about $10.00.

Breaker
 

Keep flipping the breaker and you'll eventually be replacing the breaker. Fix the problem and replace the sensor .

I had already replaced the sensor inside the pole once, a few years ago, but it went out again recently. I just purchased a screw in socket that has a sensor built in and put a bulb in it. Much easier and cheaper than replacing the pole sensor and it works the same.

I screwed:pray: that one up

Put in a LED and forget about it, it will only cost you pennies.

1. Put a new sensor in from Lowes or Home Depot.
OR
2. Put a dusk to dawn bulb in and never have to mess with the electrical wiring.
:welcome:

I bought a photocell controlled lamp holder at WalMart for about $5, screwed the light bulb into it, and the lamp holder into the pole socket. My light has enough height inside to accommodate the lamp holder. Work well, no electrical work.

Is one way more efficient and cost effective than the other? Eg. A working automatic sensor or the night to dawn bulb?

Try cleaning the sensor it may be dirty

The photo sensor inside the post needs to be replaced I got mine from Ace Hardware for about 18 bucks but couldn’t find a YouTube video that left me comfortable with doing the job myself. So I hired an electrician and $156 later the job was done in 15 minutes.

a new sensor needs to be installed on the post,or you can buy a screw in lite socket that has the sensor built in. Its your choice

There is essentially no difference. You can buy LED "dawn to dusk" bulbs on Amazon for about 5 dollars each. They should last for many years. If you use the bulbs, I would put a piece of tape over the lamppost sensor.

About 15 years ago, we built a new house. It had a yard light with a light sensor. Everything worked fine for about a year or so, then the yard light started acting 'funny'. I forget exactly what it was doing, but it was either not turning the light on consistently or not turning it off. Either way, I decided to replace the light sensor. I bought a new one at the local hardware store and proceeded to remove the old sensor (writing down on paper how the existing wires were connected) and then hooking up the new sensor (using the paper notes). Unfortunately, the new sensor acted the same as the old sensor. So I thought "What are the chances that 2 sensors would have the exact same problem". So I started examining how the sensor was SUPPOSED to be connected to the electrical wiring vs. how it was originally connected. It turned out that the electrician who wired up the sensor had done it wrong, and the original sensor was not faulty at all. So I rewired the connections on the existing sensor, and all was working perfectly again. I returned the new sensor to the hardware store for a refund. The original sensor has been working perfectly for 14 years now. So the 'moral of the story is', it may not be a bad component, it may be how it was wired up. Good luck on your solution!

You are joking, right?

Ace hardware sells new sensor,with instructions on the box. Easy fix

Frank
 

Go to wallmart and and pick up a light censer that you screw into the socket and then put the bulb in that. I've had one for years and they are a lot less expensive than having the censer on the post put in.

It's even cheaper to buy the bulbs that have a sensor built in to the bulb, and it doesn't raise the height of the bulb.

Twist the bulb loose during the day until you can get the sensor replaced.

Ahh,,,,,No