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How-To

Installing a Motion-Sensor Light

Learn how to mount and wire an outdoor security light.

By Mike Litchfield, Michael McAlister
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Motion-sensor lights require 120v and must be mounted on boxes rated for outdoor use. The fixture must be listed for damp locations if installed under eaves, or listed for wet locations if directly exposed to weather. Exterior boxes should have flexible gaskets between the box and the fixture base and threaded openings with closure plugs. If the box has only standard knockouts, it is not raintight.

In the sequence shown here, we installed a Defiant® motion security light. Closely follow the installation instructions that came with your light.

If there is an existing fixture, cut power to it and test with a noncontact tester to be sure it is off. Unscrew the mounting screws and gently pull the old fixture away from the box 1. Be careful not to touch exposed wires. Then, using a probe tester, test the wire splices. When you are certain the wires are not energized, disconnect the splices. If the existing junction box is damaged or inappropriate, replace it.

1  Unscrew the mounting screws and gently pull the existing fixture away from the box.
1) Unscrew the mounting screws and gently pull the existing fixture away from the box.

2  Screw the new light’s mounting bracket to the junction box.
2) Screw the new light’s mounting bracket to the junction box.

Screw the new light’s mounting bracket to the box 2. Feed the supply wires through the hole in the wiring plate. Screw the plate to the threaded hole in the middle of the bracket 3. Connect the ground wire from the junction box to the ground screw on the wiring plate 4. Insert the neutral wire and the hot wire into the appropriate terminals 5 and tighten the terminal-block screws to secure the wires. (If the wire ends are not straight, you may want to cut and re-strip them first.)

3  Feed incoming wires through the wiring plate and screw it to the bracket.
3) Feed incoming wires through the wiring plate and screw it to the bracket.

4  Attach the ground wire to the ground screw on the wiring plate.
4) Attach the ground wire to the ground screw on the wiring plate.

5  Insert and tighten the neutral and hot wires to the terminals on the wiring plate.
5) Insert and tighten the neutral and hot wires to the terminals on the wiring plate.

6  Align the posts on the plate to the holes on the back of the fixture, then bolt the fixture securely.
6) Align the posts on the plate to the holes on the back of the fixture, then bolt the fixture securely.

7  Adjust the lamp heads and the motion sensor below.
7) Adjust the lamp heads and the motion sensor below.

To secure the light fixture to the wiring plate, align the posts on the plate to the corresponding holes in the fixture 6. Then bolt the fixture securely. At this point you may want to adjust the lamp heads and the motion sensor below 7. Now you can download the Defiant app onto a smartphone and follow the prompts to pair the light to the app, adjust the light settings, and test the sensor.

 


Wiring Complete, 3rd Edition

Excerpted from Wiring Complete, 3rd Edition (The Taunton Press, 2017) by Michael Litchfield and Michael McAlister

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