Electrical question on house spotlites

[crxshooter]

We have spotlights on each end of the house that work off of the same switch. This switch, the porch lite switch and the inside front door switch are side by side and in a single three position face plate. The spots on the south side of the house will turn themselves off and on like their on a motion sensor, which they're not. The spots on the north end of the house stay on as normal. I would think if the breaker is bad, then the other lites would react in the same way. Replace switches, replace breaker, or pour 2 fingers of Crown Reserve and live with it? Any help freatly appreciated.

[BlackHogDown]

Are you certain the fixture itself doesn't have a motion sensor? I'll admit I had a similar issue and felt very silly once i realized. In my defense, it was new home so they were installed by someone else.

[Walker]

Option 3. Just kidding, need to find out what's going on. A short somewhere can burn your house down.

[Killer]

Had a porch light that was on a motion sensor that was on the same circuit as the ceiling fan in the living room. Sometimes when you turned on the ceiling fan the porch light would come on. I think those motion sensors can be very voltage sensitive sometime. Replaced the porch light with normal light and eliminated the problem.

Now from what you said your lights are not motion sensor and only work on a on and off switch? If that is the case, I would definitely want to know what is going on.

[RonRon]

Assuming those lights are not on a 'fixture mounted' motion sensor, which you confirmed, you have a loose connection. It's either at the switch, or it's at one of the southside spots. The wire should run from the switch to the closest light, then from that light to the other light. The loose connection would be at the closest light.

[crxshooter]

Thanks for the replies. No motion sensor, so it's ladder time to check out the wiring itself on and lites and then the switches.

[db@100]

Have you replaced the bulb? What type of bulb is it? It's not the switch if they both operate on the same switch and one of them operates correctly.
Your problem could be... bad bulb, bad socket, loose wire.

[Greenheadless]

You have a relay, whether motion or photocell, wiring in parallel somewhere/somehow. You just haven’t found it yet. I’m guessing it is integral to that fixture.

What type lamps? If halogen or incandescent and oversized for the fixture, could be a thermal protector in the fixture.

[Rick]

when they blink off or on do both go on or off at the same time?

[hpdrifter]

I'm in the RonRon camp. sounds like a loose wire in the first fixture of that switchleg.
I didn't catch if those South side lamps have a switch of their own or on the same switch as the North side.

[Greenheadless]

Based on this comment “We have spotlights on each end of the house that work off of the same switch.”, I assume both north and south lights are on the same switch leg.

[crxshooter]

Both ends of the house spots are on the same switch and each end has two spots each. Both spots on the south end turn off at the same time. They were installed by the builder years ago and the issue has been going on for a while. But hey, like I tell her, I b getting to it shortly.

[crxshooter]

Slap me silly and call me ignorant. Apparently the knothead, who shall go unnamed, replaced the original spotlights with "Ecosmart MOTION SENSOR SPOTLIGHTS" that I guess require no external motion sensor device. The north end of the house has regular spots. I guess I, uh, the knothead needs to read the boxes before purchase. Some little chinaman is laughing his azz off saying "got another one". Thanks for the responses.

[Greenheadless]

lol….. glad you figured it out.

99% of the time, K.I.S.S. is the answer.