Remote Detached Garage Light Control

[L+10]

Anybody know how to control a single light circuit in a detached garage remotely from the house (without running more wires) ?

There is about 60' separation between house and garage. The cable runs from the street to the house panel with a separate cable from the house panel to the garage panel. No breaker in the house panel for the garage. Garage panel has a main 100 amp breaker.

I've tried an X-10 switch in the garage lighting circuit. In the off position the incandescent lights flickers!??

 

[bward76]

It sounds like the X-10 switch possibly isn't closing all the way. You might be able to use it to fire a contactor or relay instead of the circuit itself.

 

[Torque1st]

Replace the defective X-10 switch. It has been my experience that the X-10 switch equipment is short lived at best.

 

[kbs2244]

Get an old garage door opener.
Unplug the motor.

 

[Mr_fixit]

Use an x-10 receptacle. I've had lots of problems with x-10 switches. They don't last long, sometimes turn on by themselves, turn on with fluorescent light noise, sometimes don't respond to the controller, or push button, and more.

 

[jdub63]

Not really sure of your intent...but, I put mine on a 15 minute timer, gives me plenty of time to get from the shop to the house without being in the dark or leaving the light on all night.

 

[jdub63]

Get an old garage door opener.
Unplug the motor.

great idea!

 

[VHF]

I've tried an X-10 switch in the garage lighting circuit. In the off position the incandescent lights flickers!??

The standard X-10 switches were designed to work without a neutral (so they can be installed in place of an existing wall switch where there may not be a neutral in the box.) They pass a small amount of current through the filiment of the bulb in order to operate. Normally this not enough to cause the bulb to illuminate, so your switch may be defective.

If you have a neutral available at the switch location, there are higher quality (and more expensvie) X10 switches which use a neutral for operational current rather than passing current through the blub filiment. These can be had that are rated to switch florescent lights as well.

Probablys still the easiest/cheapest/best way to remotely control a light in a detached structure without running new wires between buildings.

 

[L+10]

Just ordered a replacement X-10 Switch. But I'm concerned that with the way the cable is wired from the house panel to the garage, the signal from a controller in the house won't get to the garage.

Any experience here??? Of alternatives??

 

[Torque1st]

Make sure the controller and the light circuit are on the same side of the power line from the transformer.

 

[Steevo]

What often happens is that an x-10 controller is on one pole of the electrical system, and the receiver on the other, which makes signals difficult to reach the receiver.
They make an X-10 signal repeater that goes in the main breaker box. You install a dual-pole breaker and hook one hot to each pole, and the neutral to the buss, and it regenerates any signal it picks up, over both legs of your electrical panel. This worked for me to get signal from controller to receiver in a house where I used to have about 50% success with them.

 

[hansen1]

You might check out some different technology other than X10. I have been using Insteon for lighting and it works many times better than X10. I won't go so far to say it is 100% but probably on the order of 98% reliable.

The technology has an easy way to bridge across the power line phases.

Check out http://www.smarthome.com/slcsolution126.html for more information.