Any idea why it would take outdoor lights over 10 seconds to turn on. They are simple porch lights with incandesce bulbs activated by an ordinary light switch (not a two way). It seems to worsen the colder it gets.
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Quite possibly a loose connection somewhere...as it heats up, it improves contact and passes enough current to light the lamps. Could be on a switch, a socket, or even in a breaker or junction box.
Do they flicker, or come on gradually? If flickering then probably a bad connection. If coming on gradually I'd suspect there's a photo sensor in the loop somewhere.
No flicker. Photo sensor in loop? What is that?
Someone somewhere in the past probably put the lights on an "electric eye" sensor to turn the light on at night and off at dawn. The sensor may have since ceased to function, or someone put a piece of tape over it, so you don't notice the lights going on and off with the sun. But some such sensors cause the lights to come on gradually, over a period of a few seconds.
Look outside near the lights for a box with a little window thingie sticking out.
Are you sure that you don't
Are you sure that you don't have compact fluorescent bulbs? That type behave exactly as you describe.