New homeowner has another question. Help what is this?

[7th Kahuna]

You mentioned accent lights in the wall out front. I noticed on the site plan you identified them as 12 volt. That would have been my guess as well. Is there any chance the extra switch on the front courtyard powers the transformer for the low voltage lighting?

I'm guessing this house had a number of upgrades. Some may have been by the builder, some may have come later. It may be informative to try to determine what was standard, what was added later, when and by who. That was why I asked earlier what you have that your neighbors don't necessarily all have. It was also why I asked if this might have been a model home. Too often upgrades are just 'slapped on' after the house is under construction as opposed to being cleanly integrated as they would have been had they been planned from the start. I could imagine for instance the light on the wall and / or the low voltage lighting being standard but the posts and BBQ island being an upgrade. The electrician installing the upgrades might have intercepted an existing conduit to the lamp on the wall in order to tie everything together. That could have resulted in an unexpected jog in the line and an abandoned switch. All just part of the fun.

I guess I will go back and read your posts again and see what else I can tease out.

 

[7th Kahuna]

I will add that I have no idea what I am looking at here. Nothing is familiar about it. Hopefully it isn't key to a great mystery. With luck it is a modern pool control center. What ever happened to a simple set of switches and a time clock?

They sure took no pride in installing it.

 

[ajchien]

Well, ok. I had quite a day. Moved a bunch of boxes in the home today. But here's MORE I found out, maybe I'm really close in figuring things out.

Ok, the switch from the pool control center that turns ON the two backyard lamp posts actually also powers up the box next to the front yard lamp post! Since I also previously confirmed that the bulb is working. That puts the potential fault somewhere between the bulb and the box. There's an little access door at the bottom of the lamp post I might try to get open - but the screws are stripped out. There are other screws near the top of the lamp post I could also try too open up.


The lamp that sits on the gate wall ... I pulled it off of the wall ... And the wiring to it is a 12V wire! Wtf! I traced it back .... Lol to a transformer sitting under the BBQ, that's plugged into an outlet, supplied by the left box in the set of 2 boxes. So I guess the next step is to test out that transformer.

On the other side of the house, the light bulbs in the accent light to house numbers is also a 12V bulb. Ergo, that transformer on the inside of the garage may not be for the fire alarm? Could it be for the house number accent lights?

Thanks for helping me out Kahuna. Somewhere in the back of my mind though, says a professional electrician would have figured all of this out in 30 mins rather than days. Lol. But where the heck is the fun in that! This way, I'm learning more about my house

 

[ajchien]

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At this point I have to ask how you are turning them on. You said:
"The lamp posts in the backyard are switched on and off at a remote switch that is wirelessly connected to swimming pool equipment. It's located on the north side of the house."

Where is the switch (transmitter) and where is the receiver? Are you saying there is a remote switch (for example, near the house) which is talking to a receiver at the pool equipment or the other way around?

AND is this the switch you are using to power 'D' black?

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There's a transmitter on the inside of the house, in the family room. It's wirelessly connected to that messy looking 'modern pool control center'. Hit the button 'yard light' and the lamp posts power up. Yes, this is the switch that powers up the dual boxes next to the BBQ - and it also powers up the box next to the front yard lamp post. The mystery garage switch and the mystery courtyard switch are still mysteries now.

 

[ajchien]

Photo sensor. Do you have landscape lights?
It's odd to have an unenclosed alarm bell. Usually they are enclosed so no one tampers with it.
The transformer could be for a lit street number. In my development all homes are required to have them.

Yeah, I'm starting to think this transformer is connected to the non working street number on the side of the house. I changed bulbs to the street number, no good. And it's a 12V bulb! I've never dealt with a 12V transformer. Do these go bad? Or do you think it's the fixture gone bad?

As for the unenclosed alarm bell. It is located about 12 feet up on the wall.

 

[ajchien]

The lamp post now works! Loose wires right in the lamp post under the bulb base.

Onto the gate lamp and the front number light.....

 

[7th Kahuna]

The lamp that sits on the gate wall ... I pulled it off of the wall ... And the wiring to it is a 12V wire! Wtf! I traced it back .... Lol to a transformer sitting under the BBQ, that's plugged into an outlet, supplied by the left box in the set of 2 boxes. So I guess the next step is to test out that transformer.

On the other side of the house, the light bulbs in the accent light to house numbers is also a 12V bulb. Ergo, that transformer on the inside of the garage may not be for the fire alarm? Could it be for the house number accent lights?

I am not at all surprised you found the 12 volt wire feeding the light on the wall. I am a little surprised you were able to follow it all the way back to the transformer. Until you are 100% certain it is the same wire, be careful. If you had asked me I would have expected to find it had been intercepted and that the lamp was wired for 110v. I'm guessing there is not going to be much of that 12 volt system to save. I suggest you disconnect the low voltage wires before powering the transformer up.

You asked if the transformer on the wall in the garage could have gone bad and the answer is yes. They shouldn't, but they do. Do you have a doorbell? It is possible that transformer supplies power for the doorbell. I am reminded of a similar problem I had at a property I used to own. Neither the door bell nor the house numbers were working when I got it. As best I can recall once I replaced the door bell transformer, magically the house numbers started working.

Thanks for helping me out Kahuna. Somewhere in the back of my mind though, says a professional electrician would have figured all of this out in 30 mins rather than days. Lol. But where the heck is the fun in that! This way, I'm learning more about my house

Now if you had offered up all the finer details in the first place , I probably would have suggested it. However, like you, I'd rather spend a week and do it myself. Glad to be of help, but shouldn't you be focusing on those boxes while the weather is a bit cooler. I personally have a long habit of conducting moves during the hottest weeks of the year.

 

[7th Kahuna]

There's a transmitter on the inside of the house, in the family room. It's wirelessly connected to that messy looking 'modern pool control center'. Hit the button 'yard light' and the lamp posts power up. Yes, this is the switch that powers up the dual boxes next to the BBQ - and it also powers up the box next to the front yard lamp post. The mystery garage switch and the mystery courtyard switch are still mysteries now.

I used to live in a property with a mystery switch in the bathroom. Whenever someone asked what it was for, I told them it was connected to the neighbor's lights downstairs. If they got too noisy I could flip their lights off. Of course, I explained, they had a similar switch. That explanation definitely got some funny looks. It was actually just for the fan which had since been wired directly to the lights.

 

[7th Kahuna]

As for the unenclosed alarm bell. It is located about 12 feet up on the wall.

Alarm bells on homes are rare but so are people messing with them. Don't believe I have ever seen one enclosed.

The lamp post now works! Loose wires right in the lamp post under the bulb base.

 

[justsam]

Landscape lighting transformer will be larger than door bell type shown. It is there somewhere if light is now working.

Alarm bell looks like those used for sprinkler systems. Are there little round white circles in your home ceiling, about 2 to 3 inch in diameter? Where your water line comes in is there a gauge and pressure switch?

 

[ajchien]

Hi guys. Sorry, been busy starting to move stuff in while organizing a few trades to do a few things - yikes! where has that bank account savings gone! Lol. Well, I figure property taxes are going to be the biggest shock pretty soon.


In any case, that transformer on the wall - can anyone tell me how to properly 'test' it? Right now I'm assuming that it might control the number lights in the front of the house, as well as a few lights that shine on the drive away.


And for clarification, there's a second transformer - a bigger box, idk 3x10x6" size that I was talking about under the BBQ that seems to feed the gate lamp as well as a bunch of other yard lights. I'm presuming this one is the one that has a few cut wires loose in the yard too.

And as for confirming that the gate lamp
Is connected to a transformer, Hm. Okay, I haven't traced the wire all the way back - I'm missing about 5 feet of tracing, as it goes into PVC conduit into some concrete, so
I'll keep it in mind that I don't 100% know about it yet.


Why yes there is a sprinkler system in the house. Ok, that makes sense if that was hooked up to the alarm. I thought maybe he previous owners home security system
(looks like previously verizon) may have linked into it.

And FYI, if I haven't said thank you guys enough times, I'll say it once more. There are a bunch of things in this home that I didn't think had anything to do with each other until you guys mentioned it, so I'm definitely learning a lot.


I gotta get you guys pics of my bare garage someone....

 

[7th Kahuna]

I figure property taxes are going to be the biggest shock pretty soon.

If that house is where I think it is, even purchased at a discount, I hate to think about the taxes. But the view should help to sooth the wounds.

In any case, that transformer on the wall - can anyone tell me how to properly 'test' it? Right now I'm assuming that it might control the number lights in the front of the house, as well as a few lights that shine on the drive away.

What have you been using as a tester? I would expect most any type of DC voltage tester would work. A simple solution would just be to use some scrap wire and one of your 12 volt lamps and test across the two screws. Detach one of the two wires from the transformer first. I very much doubt that it is providing power to the lights on the driveway. Wrong transformer, wrong wire.

And for clarification, there's a second transformer - a bigger box, idk 3x10x6" size that I was talking about under the BBQ that seems to feed the gate lamp as well as a bunch of other yard lights. I'm presuming this one is the one that has a few cut wires loose in the yard too.

And as for confirming that the gate lamp
Is connected to a transformer, Hm. Okay, I haven't traced the wire all the way back - I'm missing about 5 feet of tracing, as it goes into PVC conduit into some concrete, so
I'll keep it in mind that I don't 100% know about it yet.

I should have asked this before. What type of lamp do you have in the gate lamp fixture, 12 volt or 110 volt?

I gotta get you guys pics of my bare garage

Yes you do.