Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - Post light with photocell won't go off

My house is eight years old and I have a post light with a photocell. Recently the light would stay on almost all the time. It would go off for about an hour or two when it got hit with the most sunlight during the afternoon. Thinking the photocell was going bad, I replaced it but it is doing the thing with the new one. I wired it up the same way so I don’t think that’s the problem. Could it be the fixture itself? I don’t undertand though how that could be if the photocell is controlling the fixture.

Any ideas?

This definatley sounds like a bad photo cell.

It is possible that you got a bad one out of the box.

Just to be sure double check the color wires that you wired on the photo cell. white is to white or neutral. Black is to the source and red is to the light.

Another thing is that some photo cells will turn the load on for about five minuts before going off again when power is first applied. More time on a darker day, less time on a brighter day.

As someone who has sold these types of fixtures for quite some time I second the idea that you have a bad photocell from the box.Virtually all of these are imported and are very cheaply made.Quality has been a consistant problem with the photocells and the fixtures with them for years and we regularly have defective returns as well as premature failures of them.

If you still have your receipt and depending on where and when you bought it as well as policy you have a good case for replacement or refund.

Before getting another new photocell I decided to check the wiring again. I thought I wired it up like it was but I mixed up the red and black, dumb mistake. I followed your directions and the light went off after a minute. Let's just hope is goes back on when it gets dark! Thanks for the help!