Light activated lamppost switch
 

We have a CYV in Hadley & our front lamppost light activated switch seems to have lasted only 6 months. ACE Hardware mentioned it could be todo with lightning & surges. We don’t want to have to keep replacing the switch every time we visit. Any suggestions? Thank you.

I don't agree with the ACE Hardware opinion. Mine is 5 years old and still working fine. If you really think it will only last 6 months, I would remove the switch and install a timer inside the garage.

We put in a whole house surge protector via SECO that might help. Have not heard that these are victims of lightning before

If lightning strikes the lamppost, a whole house surge protector won't prevent the light switch from being damaged. The surge protector will only protect against a surge on the main incoming power line. It also won't do much to protect against lightning at all. But, if you have a surge on the main power line, the lamppost will be the least of your problems.

you may have had a defective switch initially installed....swop it out with a high end manufacturer's switch

the little light sensor on our lamppost didn't last 3 months before we had to have that swopped out

Lamppost switches should be on a Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI). The GFI can be tripped by plugging in an extension cord or power tool to ANY outlet connected to the GFI. All outside outlets must be connected to a GFI. Resetting the GFI on an electrical box is usually done by switching it off and then on again. If you had it replaced by a handyman or you replaced the switch by yourself simply shutting off the breaker and turning it on again may clear the fault. The GFI may be in an outlet in the garage and needs to be reset by pressing the red button on the outlet.

Now you have me concerned.

We had a whole house surge protector put in by Seco and have individual surge protectors on high value stuff.

If we have a surge on the main power line are you saying we are not protected?

What else can we do to protect ourselves?

I think you are as protected as you can be. But, those whole house surge protectors are not designed to handle a direct lightning hit. You may need to rely on homeowners insurance for that.

What about a grounded lightning arrestor on our roof? In my research had no idea how many electrical storms were going to visit.

Yes, that would be a way to channel the lightning to the "path of least resistance" and around your house and into the ground. It would involve installing several lightning rods on your roof and attached to cables that would be connected to the ground. I don't know how much it would cost, but I think it is something that most people consider to be not worth the investment.

go to lows i put one a year ago

Thanks for the info, will contemplate.

A power line surge Protection theoretically will be stopped at meter from going into home.

Edit to clarify for the OP:

There are two causes for a defective lamppost light. The light sensor located in the light pole and the Ground Fault Circuit interrupter outlet (GFI or GFCI).

Both can fail. The GFI is the same as the one in your bathroom. It is designed to prevent shock/electrocution. Because of this they are sensitive to voltage surges. The light detector can also fail but at a lower tate. GFIs are prone to fail after lightening. Your lamppost GFI is located in your garage.

Original post:
A whole home surge protector will not prevent the GFI for your lamppost from failing, mine did

Don't fix a 20 dollar bad GFI problem with a 350 dollar whole house surge or a 4,000 dollar lightening rod set


Just replace or reset the GFI in the garage and move on.

Oh I have never seen a GFI outlet with a red reset button. So don't zero in on red.

I have had the light sensor in lamppost work for two weeks and sometimes 5 years - easy to change and doesn't cost much at Lowes. Ace guys are pretty good, but not experts on anything. No guarantee on how long they will work.