Are Your Garage Lights On All The Time?
This is a friendly helper about what to do if your garage lights are on all the time.
Most owners are vigilant about changing their garage light bulbs (especially after a reminder from management), but fewer seem to be aware that their garage lights are on all the time, or don’t know what to do if they are. In a recent count, 17 of our neighborhoods’ 70 units had one or both garage lights on during daylight hours.
While this will not generate a fine, some owners are concerned about excessive electricity use and are not even aware their lighting units have a problem.
Most homes built in Davenport Rim have sensors that allow garage lights to come on at sunset, since there are no street lights in the neighborhood. Sometimes these sensors fail due to simple aging or an environmental problem such as tree leaf shadows. This prevents the garage lights from going off during the day to save electricity.
If you notice that your garage lights are on during the day, there are several things you can do. The first is to find the sensor (usually on the side of your garage, sometimes high up on the wall, sometimes under the soffit – underneath your garage gutter -, sometimes lower on the garage wall above the foundation). These sensors are often gray in color.
1. First look to see if the sensor might not be working because it is in the shadow of tree limbs or leaves, in which case those can be removed to ensure the sensor gets the full effect of a sunny day.
2. If the sensor is clear of limbs and leaves, you might try cleaning the glass in the sensor with warm water and mild soap.
3. If that doesn’t work, you can find a replacement at a hardware store or online. See here, for example: https://www.homedepot.com/p/TORK-120-Volt-Conduit-Mount-Lexan-Housing-Photo-Control-2021/205580534
Notice that sensors are not expensive, usually less than $25. Furthermore, they can easily be removed and replaced, similar to a light bulb, but with two wires.
4. If you cannot find a sensor on the outside of your garage, look at the garage lights themselves. You may wish to check each garage light to see if it is one of the newer ones that contains a daylight sensor on top or inside the light casing. if this is the case, sometimes the entire light fixture will need replacement.
5. If none of the above work, an expert may be called to get yours working. Here is an expert, recommended by a neighbor:
Dario Lopez, (512) 750-3216, delvallelandscaping86@gmail.com
Good luck! Your Board of Directors