Flood lights are an important part of the security for your home, so it is a nuisance when they do not behave as they should. Now that spring is rolling around, it is time to tackle all the repair and maintenance jobs on your to-do list. If you have motion-activated flood lights that are not turning off when they should, head outside to take a closer look at them so you can try to figure out why.

Power Surge Fried System

Power surges are quite common, especially during lightning storms, so during the past winter, it's possible a strong surge cooked the sensor circuitry of your flood lights. Using a handheld electrical circuit tester is one way to determine if electrical current is still running between the sensor and the light. You can purchase the circuit tester at any hardware store. However, if you have never used one of these before, it is wiser to leave this test to an experienced electrician. Touching a live wire will give you an electric shock.

The safer option is to have an electrician test each part of the circuitry for you. When you choose this option, you find out whether you have to replace just one part of the flood light, or whether the whole thing requires upgrading.

Age-Related Problem

If the lights are a few years old, and they weren't the highest of quality when originally purchased, it is possible internal parts have worn out after exceeding their shelf life. For example, if the photoelectric cell of the flood light is burnt out due to age, it is unable to tell the light to turn off during the daylight hours.

If you have a stand-alone on/off switch for the floodlights, it is also worth turning the light off and leaving it off for 24 hours before turning it back on again. Sometimes, the mere act of breaking the circuit and giving the light time to reset itself is all that is required to make the lights work again as they should.

Of course, if nothing you do is fixing the issue, contact your electrician to replace the lights. Having outside lights on all day could be construed by thieves in the area that your home is unoccupied. The last thing you want after coming home from work is to find your home was burgled. Electricians get busy helping homeowners with their spring cleaning chores at this time of year, so don't delay contacting one to help you repair your flood lights.