Attic Motion Light?

[steveo1o9]

So the previous owner of my house turned a closet in the living room into a built-in entertainment center. It was actually a good idea and whoever did the carpentry did a pretty good job. Now that being said... An outlet was installed in the built-in for the TV, ect. and they ran the wiring down from the attic above. Turns out that outlet was branched off of the circuit for the attic lights so the light switch now controls the TV .... Obviously now the switch needs to be left on at all times so I put in cheap pull chain fixtures so I didn't have to keep unscrewing the bulbs as the previous owners did. I am tired of going up in the attic (pull down steps) and then having to shuffle around in the dark to find the pull chain in the center of the room. Any ideas for a simple affordable fixture to install that has an occupancy/motion sensor? I think that would make my life a lot easier.

Has anyone had any luck with the bulbs with motion sensors built in? Some reviews were hit and miss last time I looked at those.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Put a longer string on the light, tie it to the stairs. Problem solve easily and cheep unless you have to buy a roll of string.....

 

[steveo1o9]

Put a longer string on the light, tie it to the stairs. Problem solve easily and cheep unless you have to buy a roll of string.....

I like your simplicity but I fear pulling the chain from any angle other then straight down will rip the entire fixture down, let alone 25 feet of string.. The existing lights aren't the sturdiest, so if I need to swap them out I might as well upgrade.

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

Is the fixture fed the hot or the switch? That would determine my next step. Not knowing how often you go up there, I would add a pull chain light above the stairs. Just thinking out loud.

 

[steveo1o9]

Is the fixture fed the hot or the switch? That would determine my next step. Not knowing how often you go up there, I would add a pull chain light above the stairs. Just thinking out loud.

The hot goes to the switch. Honestly the only reason this came up is because I have been going up there quite frequently lately and its pretty annoying. Sometimes it could be a month or more without going up there and other times I find myself up there once or twice a week. Our house is smaller and limited on storage so a lot of stuff comes and goes up there rather then cluttering up my garage. I understand it's a minor annoyance but still annoying in the moment.

I have an older T8 fixture laying around that I have thought about putting up there since I have it, and the single bulb isn't the best when you're going through boxes. But I would need to address the on off situation first if I do that.

 

[rlitman]

Put a longer string on the light, tie it to the stairs. Problem solve easily and cheep unless you have to buy a roll of string.....

That's what I have. My one and only light in the attic is around 6' from the stairs, and the string is just past the top step. It works well, even at that angle.

I like your simplicity but I fear pulling the chain from any angle other then straight down will rip the entire fixture down, let alone 25 feet of string.. The existing lights aren't the sturdiest, so if I need to swap them out I might as well upgrade.

Ah, multiple lights. Sound like you've got some rewiring in your future. It's in the attic, so super simple. Just cap off the existing wires and close up those boxes once you've put a new string of boxes next to the old ones.

Yeah, I too would be concerned about a 25' string. You could put a pulley under the light, or you could weight down the chain that comes with the light, and then attach the string to the chain. That would work like an anchor rode, and would keep the pull from the light end more straight.

 

[Marctrees]

Put a longer string on the light, tie it to the stairs. Problem solve easily and cheep unless you have to buy a roll of string.....

That's what I would do also.

Mason line.


That's how it was done before "Apps" came along.

Marc

 

[steveo1o9]

So I suppose I could remove the switch and just have a blank plate (or leave it) and wire in a new switch after the existing one to control the lights. That would only cost a few bucks and the switch could be mounted closer to the stairs. That way I could replace the lights as needed in the future. Maybe Ill just go that route instead of messing around with the pull chains. Is it against code to feed a switch by pig tailing off of an outlet? I don't want to cob job a cob job.

 

[cybrdyke]

You can get a wireless switch & lamp combination. The lamp would screw into the socket in the attic and the switch will only operate that lamp. Simple.
CD

 

[danfromsyr]

I'd just put a LED bulb up there and forget about it..
the good is it's always lit when you come up..

I have 2 in the basement (old house dirt floor) and the worse they do is collect spider webs see the old house bit.. but there'll always be spider webs and I don't have to reach thru any to see them with a light.

 

[lakeroadster]

Put a longer string on the light, tie it to the stairs. Problem solve easily and cheep unless you have to buy a roll of string.....

I like your simplicity but I fear pulling the chain from any angle other then straight down will rip the entire fixture down, let alone 25 feet of string.. The existing lights aren't the sturdiest, so if I need to swap them out I might as well upgrade.

Screw an eyelet to the bottom chord of the truss directly under the light fixture... thread the long string through the eyelet. Then you'll be pulling straight down as the fixture was intended.

 

[Git]

I have a couple of those motion/led lights. For $15 = what do you have to lose?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LBPFUF8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Last i looked, Home depot had a couple choices of motion detecting lamp socket inserts.
Like the kind that let you put a plug between the bub and the fixture.

 

[akpingel]

I recently bought this and I think it would work for you... you get 2 for 15 bucks and control them through an app.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07281FCP8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[CJ7VFR]

I had a very similar situation to the OP's when I lived in my townhouse years ago. I had a single screw in lightbulb fixture in the attic that you turned on and off via the pull string/chain.

It worked ok, as I had put in a longer string that came over to where the pulldown door was to get into the attic. But I wanted something on a motion sensor because my wife would constantly forget to shut the light off up there whenever she would go up into the attic to get holiday decorations.

So I bought a simple screw in 360 degree motion sensor from Home Depot. It was made by First Alert, and it worked great. As soon as you entered the attic the light would come on, and it would stay on as long as you were up there because no matter where you were in the attic the 360 degree sensor would see you.

Once you left the attic the light would go off in a few minutes. It worked great! They still sell it at Home Depot for less than $20.00.

Jim

 

[sberry]

Piece of wire and a switch.

 

[ambenz]

I would plug in a remote wireless switch to a socket outlet converter(you screw it into the bulb socket) and plug in 4 foot LED shop lites to the switch box!

Here's the socket outlet converter...

And the remote wireless switch...

You can remove the switch you have to keep on, wire it direct, and use the wall box to mount this remote switch!

 

[Shawn S]

Store your nudie magazines in the back of your closet instead of in the attic.
Seriously though the remote switch shown above looks like a good solution.