led floods staying on

[a-z electrics]

Help! Have wired up three outside led floods for a Customer, 10W, 70W and 30W,. The supply to them is fed via a twilight switch which keeps the 10w going all night but the other two are then the run through a timer because not needed to be on all night (second timer we've tried now, first was electronic, then a motor/pin device like immersions) .
The problem is the timer isn't switching the two off, all three are staying on.. The 70w flood was originally on the same set up, on a different suppl and a different type of twilight Sw and worked fine.. I've def got the load and supply the right way round and because this is the second timer I tried have discounted it being faulty, could it be because there are two in series? I don't see how they can be staying on when the switched line supply is being cut by the timer!
Any ideas anyone?
'Im going round there again to do some tests. One complication is supply all comes off an external socket (fed via 5A fuse) which also supplies electric fence, could this have anything to do with it? I'm planing to separate the two anyway..

 

[Darkwood]

Do they work when testing out the timer function.... are you sure you haven't got feed back on the switchwire for LED with twilight function thus all 3 fitting stay on as you have overloaded the dusk/dawn switching relay and welded it closed..... Id be surprised a Immersion heater timer couldn't switch 2 LED floods on of this rating.

 

[Octopus]

Are you saying that the supply to the 2nd and 3rd lights is feed, to twilight switch, to timer, to LED's?


Sounds like operator error to me.

 

[a-z electrics]

Total supply is via twilight, then to 10w which is supposed to stay on, then fed to timer, which feeds the other two. There is no operator, its all should be on auto. Anyway going found there now to check it out. Will keep you posted

 

[a-z electrics]

Could be, but the twilight is working ok, just not the timer!!

 

[Leesparkykent]

What make and model is the timer?

 

[Darkwood]

Draw the wiring plan on paper, it sounds more like a wiring issue than anything else... post if you want but that's the best way to see any feedback issues etc, either that or as Murdoch implies ... someone can't use the timer correctly .... is there an over-ride option on the timer or in circuit thats been left on?

 

[Octopus]

So at twilight the feed from the sensor goes live and feeds the timer - so the timer is now "powered"?

Does the timer have a battery back up? if not each time it gets light the timer will lose its time!

 

[Anthony S]

It should be wired with a volt free pair on the timer.

 

[ian.settle1]

Are you saying that the supply to the 2nd and 3rd lights is feed, to twilight switch, to timer, to LED's?


Sounds like operator error to me.

OY Stop pinching my quote LOL

Don't think the OP realises what you mean operator error

 

[R G]

There could be a switch somewhere with a live supply that over rides the supply connected between the timer and feed out to the lights , this may be in the on position , trace the cable route and check for this...

Could even be fed from another lighting circuit so as it over rides when other lights come on as well,,

 

[ruston]

Not having fitted any LED exterior lighting yet , but I'm wondering if it is possible that they may have that switching facility that some controllers had that rapid switching brought in an override to keep them on to save an extra switching wire. Just a thought.

 

[The Electrician]

My first thoughts on this are that either the timer is broken/switched off, or is the feed is somehow bypassing the timer ie been connected to an incorrect terminal.

 

[a-z electrics]

Its ok guys, sussed it! Sometimes its the simple things that throw you ..
Yes, the timer has battery back up but what was happening is there wasn't a lot of room in the waterproof box and the stupidly designed timeguard timer has the programmer buttons on the front face, on the extremity. So with the cover off it was testing ok, but the lid when closed was just catching the button on the front and confusing the programme. Only a mm in it.. When the timer is fitted without wires behind etc it is Just clear.

Thanks for the feedback anyway, I was wondering if there was an issue with led floods on timers/ switches etc. I have known Led d/lights to power up when turned "off".
I'm wiser now ;-)

 

[Octopus]

I would seperate out the single LED on the twilight sensor and the 2 you want on for a set period.

Leave the twilight sensor for the all night light and fit a Steinel Nighmatic 3000 to control the other 2 units.

The Steinel senses twilight continually and you can set the approx time to switch off - and hey presto no fiddling with the timer again!