Author Topic: lighting solutions  (Read 5207 times)

aneel

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lighting solutions
« on: January 09, 2015, 08:44:57 AM »
I'm hoping someone can suggest some help with lighting solutions.  We live in an 1830s house that lags behind in the electric department.  Most of the rooms in the house do not have any switch controlled  lighting which is just disappointing.  Short of getting a "clapper" we found wireless light switches (they send a signal to plugin device that can turn on/off whatever is plugged in to the device).  These worked well (once we realized we needed to have a different wireless frequency for each room), but now all the switches are breaking!  Does anyone have any brand suggestions for wireless light switches or other solutions?  We are not going to rewire.

Greg

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2015, 10:11:29 AM »
Cooper and Leviton are reputable electrical device brands, but I don't know if they make what you need.  Might have to source them from an electrical supply house.

aneel

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2015, 10:20:43 AM »
Thanks for the brands - I'll look those up

Jack

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2015, 10:24:43 AM »
We are not going to rewire.

"Could you help me do arithmetic? I don't want to use numbers."

Sorry for sounding harsh, but I think you just need to bite the bullet and fix the problem properly.

James

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2015, 10:27:30 AM »
For some rooms a motion activated light or switch might work well. Also might cut down on power use if the light tends to be left on.

Wiring a new light in the ceiling also doesn't cost much if you do it yourself and can be pretty basic. I have put in 3 or 4 in the houses I have lived in over the years, the materials don't cost much, but the labor depends a lot on the access to the ceiling and how it goes. I know you said you won't rewire, just saying I was glad I did in the years after.

Greg

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2015, 10:36:41 AM »
I think be "rewire" they mean run switch legs to wall switches from the overhead light locations.  In some older homes, the overhead lights just had pull chains.  Running switch legs can be difficult, depending on the construction and owner's DIY abilities.

Scandium

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2015, 10:41:38 AM »
For some rooms a motion activated light or switch might work well. Also might cut down on power use if the light tends to be left on.

Wiring a new light in the ceiling also doesn't cost much if you do it yourself and can be pretty basic. I have put in 3 or 4 in the houses I have lived in over the years, the materials don't cost much, but the labor depends a lot on the access to the ceiling and how it goes. I know you said you won't rewire, just saying I was glad I did in the years after.

Could you do that without a permit/inspection? I was considering moving some outlets and tried to figure out whether I'd need an inspection, or even a professional to do it. But looking at state and local codes for a while I couldn't figure out what was needed. I plan on changing/rewiring some lights and have no idea what I'm allowed to DIY

aneel

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2015, 01:27:14 PM »
I like the motion sensor idea a lot!  I'll have to run it by the Mr.
We're not going to rewire because we have knob and tube, and we don't plan on living there long enough to justify the cost.  Sadly the people before us re-did the drywall, and didn't choose to rewire, so we're stuck for now, but have learned a lesson!  Also its a 2 story, so ceiling access on the main floor is none.  I appreciate all the suggestions and agree the long-term solution IS to rewire.  It just doesn't make sense for us in this house.

sheepstache

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2015, 03:22:33 PM »
Check out Lightning Switches?

Battery-less, they use a piezoelectric reaction to send the signal to the receiver. They come with a 10-year warranty.

It looks like the receivers can be programmed to respond only to unique switch codes but it's not super clear; you would want to contact them directly to be sure maybe.

aspiringnomad

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2015, 06:36:24 PM »
If you have a smartphone check out Philips Hue lights. You can use your phone to set scenes, dim or turn off individual lights, set them to timers, or use geofencing so that they turn on when you get home and off when you leave. Not really mustachian at $30 per bulb but they last 15 years and they're awesome.

former player

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Re: lighting solutions
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2015, 08:46:13 PM »
In my living room I had a lighting circuit run around behind the skirting boards with a switch at the door so that my 3 lamps are all controlled with one switch.

Is your existing electric wiring safe?  And do you have good smoke alarms?