Bay lights photocell location

[Rtharlan]

Where do you put your photocells for your bay lights? Outside or in the bay? Currently outside pointed down half covered and i still feel like they come on too late. Do i need higher quality sensor?

It seems to me it would naturally be a little darker in the bay, so wouldnt you want to sense the light in the bay?

thanks

 

[PrecisionPyro]

I would cover it a little more. If you have it sense the light in the Bay, it would more than likely trigger on/off every 3-5 minutes as it's picking up the light it's creating.

 

[MEP001]

I've fought with photo cells for bay lighting for years. I have never been able to find a location and adjustment that doesn't let them come on too dark, or stay on too long, or come on if it rains during the day. I ditched them and went with an astronomic timer. A good one is about as much as a mechanical timer, it's pre-programmed with all the sunrise/sunsets year 'round, and you can set usually two separate banks up to two hours before or after sunset or sunrise. I set the front half to come on 20 minutes before sunset and the back half at sunset, all off at sunrise. I used to have the back half go off at midnight, but LEDs are so cheap to run I just leave them on all night now.

This one runs off the batteries and switches the circuit even if the power is out:

https://www.grainger.com/product/30UJ96?ef_id=CjwKCAjwj6SEBhAOEiwAvFRuKKMLxrsBsMBrw-TM42nz1tw7IjN05L6mpU83ONQYEdPU3vPNz-WxFBoCvCwQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!2966!3!264922886802!!!g!439460816581!&gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2293:99F1R6:20501231&gclid=CjwKCAjwj6SEBhAOEiwAvFRuKKMLxrsBsMBrw-TM42nz1tw7IjN05L6mpU83ONQYEdPU3vPNz-WxFBoCvCwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Rtharlan]

Thanks. Im looking into one of those.

 

[Bill Capron]

I just leave the LED lights on all the time. The power consumption is low enough that the security benefit of being well lit is worth the power cost.