Motion detect sensor causing dim lights

[green.bubbly]

So the boss man complained about employees leaving the warehouse bathroom light on. Service Manager goes out and purchases a motion detection switch and installs it in place of the light switch in the bathroom. The small vent fan and 60 watt light now come on when a person enters the bathroom. Problem solved and life is good.

I go in there later on and notice that the fan is unusually quiet and the light is a little dimmer than normal. The SM pulled the switch out of the box and sure enough, it is only outputting about 105 volts. We also noticed that if the switch is put in the "on" position, the light and fan is normal but when the unit is in "auto" mode, the fan is slow and the light is dim.

I am assuming this is not normal operation???

It is a Leviton PR180.

 

[rockchucker]

I would say it is a faulty switch.

I only use the Lutron Motion Detector Switches and I have never had an issue with any of them. I use all of their Dimmer Switches also which I have only had one failure out of a 3-way that could have been my fault too.


Here...


http://www.lutron.com/Products/Stan...ch/MaestroOccupancySensor/Pages/Overview.aspx

 

[mrb]

it probably doesnt like the motor load.

 

[MrMark]

You need something motor rated. Lutron devices will handle the motor load for a bathroom fan.

 

[mrb]

You need something motor rated. Lutron devices will handle the motor load for a bathroom fan.

those levitons are like $12 so likely not motor rated.

 

[green.bubbly]

Motor rated.

I will pick one up in the morning. Is it the fact that it can not handle the current draw of the motor or the fact that it is a motor?

 

[lametec]

That fact that it's a motor. It's an inductive load.

 

[mrb]

fact that its a motor. when switching a motor with a thyristor you need additional circuitry to deal with the back emf and other such things from the motor.

 

[Greatbear]

You'll need a three-wire (line and load, plus a neutral) device with a relay rather than triac for load switching.

 

[ddawg16]

Are you sure it's not one that has a 'dim' feature? I have a motion detector that puts the light on dim until it detects motion.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I ran into a problem with motion sensor switch, when I finally got into checking the circuit/wiring out I found the motion detector switch requires a neutral to the switch itself and on a three way circuit the neutral is what is switched at the other switch. Check the wiring diagram of the motion sensor switch it may not have that neutral wired to it. It was causing a dim light problem also. I thought it was a bad switch turned out to be my fault in not wiring a neutral to switch. Most normal switches do not require a neutral and so I had not run into one needing one before. Mo

 

[CitadelBlue]

So what happens when you sit on the 'can' for a while ..... does the light and fan turn off and you are stuck sitting in the dark?

 

[nehog]

So what happens when you sit on the 'can' for a while ..... does the light and fan turn off and you are stuck sitting in the dark?

Mann, that would stink...