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Photo cell for bay lights

M

mac

Well-known member
I am having the darndest luck just turning on my bay lights. Had a mechanical timer that died. Got tired of it anyway adjusting for the seasons, and some of the storms that come through really make it dark. So put a photocell on instead a week ago. Tested it today and it don’t work. I’m not opposed to buying quality. Anyone found a phhotocell that works reliably?
 
Back in about 2003 with my 17 year old nephew who later became a degreed electronic control engineer ... worked with me. We found the preset "differential range" on "off the shelf" photocells from our local wholesale electrical warehouses to be not precise enough!

If I remember right you have plenty of experience with PLCs. The following Kele link was spendy for us but we never regretted going that route that required a PLC or a similarly capable control. We can toggle our lights to go through what all the electricians use in town but the there is no comparison when it comes to better precision. I have heard about some ultra modern time clocks but I was also thinking about cloud cover & not just time adjusting to the daylight. I appears my new competitor leaves his lights on 24/7 at his two large brand new $$$ facilities. Should I make a phone call to Greta Thunberg?

Here is the link: https://www.kele.com/lighting-controls/mk7-b-series.aspx

BTW the above PLC driven transducers or sensors have been "like forever" durable & 100% reliable!
 
MEP001 said:
www.homedepot.com

Intermatic 30 Amp 7-Day 2xSPST 2-Circuit Astronomic Time Switch ET8215C - The Home Depot

Visit The Home Depot to buy Intermatic 30 Amp 7-Day SPST 1-Circuit Astronomic Time Switch ET8215C
www.homedepot.com
Click to expand...



I was going to post that same one. If you have more than two circuits then instead of buying another timer you might consider a lighting contactor bank. These days with the lower power draw of LEDs you could probably consolidate some circuits which would help. We like having our bay lights come on about a half hour earlier than the lot lighting and that is an advantage of that timer.
 
Mac I have a photo cell that controls all my lighting. It’s been install 20 plus years with no problems. The key is to have the photo cell control a relay so there is little or no load on the photo cell.
 
OurTown said:
I was going to post that same one. If you have more than two circuits then instead of buying another timer you might consider a lighting contactor bank. These days with the lower power draw of LEDs you could probably consolidate some circuits which would help. We like having our bay lights come on about a half hour earlier than the lot lighting and that is an advantage of that timer.
Click to expand...
I used one at another wash - I had the front row of bay lights come on 20 minutes before sunset and the rest at sunset. Worked really well that way, if they came on at sunset it was too dark in the bays. I messed with a photocell for years and never got it adjusted right. If I had it set to turn the lights on before it was too dark in the bays, the lights wouldn't go off if it was overcast in the morning or if it rained all day.
 
Much thanks for sharing your knowledge. With all the crap out there today it's just difficult finding the good stuff.
 
When my local utility offered a substantial rebate to install an Astronomic timer.....I did. They caught me on a technicality and I didn't get a nickel rebated.

My point?

It still was worth EVERY PENNY.

I haven't messed with adjusting/replacing photocells. It's been hands off for years. The lights come on 20m before sun down, and off at sunrise.....regardless of the time of year or if it's cloudy outside.

Cheapest peace of mind you can get for $200.
 
Mac & others,

Two of the previously linked Kele light transducer sensors are hooked up to 2 distinct PLC programs & to a 3rd computer software program (24/7 computer). This made more sense for us. The reason being the areas needed to be triggered differently because of different lumen requirements. One of the sensors is in our polycarbonate dog wash. That one also shuts off a bank of lights by our windows within our laundromat anytime the outdoor light is not bright enough such as no or less sun etc. Another one for our car wash bays works great just by having it inside close enough to a glass window. Another area is just the outside parking lot lights. We have the electrical set up so 2 "run of the mill" photocells are available for use via toggle switches. If PLC &/or computer is down the photocells provide rarely used backup light controls. We use time related controls some ... but that is only for some of our LED signs.

If an operator is not comfortable depending on a DIY programming within a PLC or other even more DIY type of electronic control ... it probably is not a good fit for them. Rudy's approach being more dependent on a potential gov't or utility rebate could make the most sense for some. BTW ... I am not familiar with the Astronomic Timer Model so I am clearly not knocking that & other approaches.
 
Rudy said:
When my local utility offered a substantial rebate to install an Astronomic timer.....I did. They caught me on a technicality and I didn't get a nickel rebated.

My point?

It still was worth EVERY PENNY.

I haven't messed with adjusting/replacing photocells. It's been hands off for years. The lights come on 20m before sun down, and off at sunrise.....regardless of the time of year or if it's cloudy outside.

Cheapest peace of mind you can get for $200.
Click to expand...
Where do you get this Astronomical timer? What all does it do?
 
My old photocell system ran a lighting contactor.

I simply connected the astronomic timer to run the lighting contactor (in place of the photocell).
 
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