LED Motion Security Light Doesn't Work in Cold

VentiMan

I installed a LED (brand cant remember) motion sensor security light on under my deck last summer. Its worked like a pro, turned on and off when it was supposed to, etc..

But, I noticed when I went out my door one cold nite, say in the mid to low 20's fahrenheit, the auto function seemed to stop working and the light never comes on. I can flip the lights off and back on manually and they come right on.
Any clue to what the deal is?

fltdek

Is it possible the switch has been turned off in between the times it was working, and stopped? This would reset the mode back to manual, so you would have to follow the instructions for setting it to auto mode.

I searched several sites pertaining to the cold effecting its operation, I could not find much, other than possibly the lens beeing fogged up.

I see you posted in HD's How-to- Community forum, Patinpaint (username) laeft you a response.

Some typical manuals for such product lighting, the one's I viewed, gave no temp ratings.

If you can't get it to reset to auto mode, I'd suggest maybe taking it back.

VentiMan

Well I know its not switch issue. We just recent hit a cold nap in the teens n digits. Last night and tonight. Sunday was in the 30's and no issue.
Now, the blue sensor light its working well. But the LED's don't come on. Once it warms up all is back to normal.
I may have to take it back or get a new one. I too have not seen anything on the web about this issue. I assume there is a lil relay switch that may be affected in real cold temps

poppameth

I would also guess that it's either fogging or frosting up the sensor. Could also be getting moisture inside and freezing up the actual switch I suppose.

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VentiMan

Ive got two other motion flood sets and they been working for yrs
This is my first LED flood set.

eclark

Any moisture sources nearby like dryer vents, bathroom vents, hwh vents or boiler vents nearby? They might condense in the surface and block the sensor

VentiMan

Nearest Dryer vent 10 feet away. When I installed it I even put silicone around the base ect just to make sure no moisture could sneak in And not used often enough. Its not been used in the cold snap. I remember the brand name (Utilitech) 360-Degree 1-Head LED Motion-Activated Flood Light Model #: ES300L24-10

VentiMan

http://www.utilitechlighting.org/ This is the only place I see anything about this outfit.
And a disclamer This site is for informational purposes only, we can not assist with any product specific queries. This site is not affiliated with the manufacture of Utilitech Lighting. Tis in sane

Oso954

Utilitech is Lowe's. Their item number for your light (based on model number) is Item # 217021. They should be able to help you.

VentiMan

Ya I popped in there today and told a guy in the lighting dept about the issue. Told me to contact the company and he said the cold affects the LED's.
I even read what it said on the box(great for colder temperatures ) He looked at me as if the company put that on there as a joke.

gregzoll

Most companies will RMA you a new item. Contact them, and just be honest and explain what is going on. Most likely the sensor is crap and along with the control circuit board, is why it is not working like it should.

The great thing about LED lights outside, is that bugs do not get attracted, but you have proven that they are not best in areas where the temp gets down to sub-freezing.

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VentiMan

I will RMA it.IF I can find how to. This company is all but rare to find on the web. There is a company with same name. But unrelated.
Which makes one ponder about copyright.

electures

Can you say "Made in China"..

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DexterII

Fogging can be a problem, but I doubt that's the case here because that will typically cause them to stay on, not off. Possible that they are on a 3-way switch, and the other switch got flipped at some point, making this one work just the opposite of what it used to? I know that you said that they come on when you flip the switch off then back on, but just something to confirm. I assume that there are adjustments that you can make on the light itself, i.e. "always on", "on for 2 hours", "4 hours", etc? If so, one more thing that I would try would be to swich the power off to that circuit, switch the adjustments back and forth a few times, then flip the breaker back on, and see if that eliminates the problem. Those are pretty small switches, most likely made in a sweat shop overseas, and sometimes it doesn't take much for a little corrosion to set in.

VentiMan

Gee how did you know