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Electrical Wiring

Need Wiring Help to Install Overhead Light Garage Sensor

11 years ago

We recently bought a home which was built in 2007 and has five overhead garage fluorescent fixtures. Trying to install an occupancy sensor to turn lights on when vehicles enter the garage. Since I plan to have a shop in the garage at a later date, I purchased an occupancy sensor which also has an on-off switch to enable me to switch the lights on for long periods of time. It is a Cooper Wiring OS310U Auto On Sensor (Single Output) which works as single pole and 3-way, and it works with fluorescent fixtures.

A contractor set up the wiring for this new sensor switch, but he's gone and I can't reach him. He left one 3-way switch which we won't need. This unneeded switch has 3 White tied, 3 Ground tied, 1 Red wire, and 3 Black wires tied. The Red wire is tied to the 3-way switch and the 3 Black wires are tied and have 1 Black leading to the 3-Way switch. My assumption is that I need to connect the two wires (1 Black and 1 Red) which now connect to the 3-way switch so that it will be always-ON, then cover these wires and wire nuts with a blank plate.

I'll attach a file which shows the existing wiring in the desired occupancy sensor 3-way switch location. It has 4 wires: 2 Black, 1 White, and 1 Ground.

Should I use a voltage tester to determine which is the hot black wire at the new occupancy sensor location? If this is the case, then the wiring diagram from Cooper Wiring shows the switch's wiring connections for a switch in one location, and I can make all of the connections. Just didn't want to blow up a new switch, and very much appreciate your guidance.

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Comments (6)

jeepdrvr101
11 years ago
Looks to me like you have 2 black, 2 white, and somewhere the grounds have been tied together, if this is your sensor wiring, you will have to meter for the black (hot), and white (neutral), normally the whites would connect together with the neutral connection of the sensor, the hot would go to the input side, and the other black would go to the switched side, so when it triggers, it would close the circuit between the black wires. So check that out, and see what you get from those wires, I would bet one set is hot, and the other is dead, and feeds the light circuit.
Syd.1
Original Author
11 years ago
I'll try this, and thanks!
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Syd.1
Original Author
10 years ago
You are correct that one wire is hot. Still don't have it working since I have only 4 wires and Cooper Wiring's diagrams all have 5 wires. Their advanced wiring diagram which is for the lights located between the 3-way switches shows two sets of 3 wires (this is what I have in the garage), and I only have 2 wires other than the ground wire at one of the switches. Tried to reach their tech department twice, but received no response. I'll attach a diagram of the wiring. One of the black wires in the earlier photo should be red since it's connected to a red wire in the junction box. To see their wiring diagrams, Google: Cooper Wiring OS310U, then click on each of these selections: Single Occupancy/Vacancy Sensor Instruction Sheet (English), OS310U & VS310U Advanced Installation. Hope you can help me find the right way to install the sensor.
brickeyee
10 years ago
You need a junction box also.

Either recessed into the surface or mounted on the surface.

I am not going to even winder if the cables are secured adjacent to the junction box, you can pretend they have been fished into place and do not require fastening at the J-box.
Syd.1
Original Author
10 years ago
Sorry, but I don't understand. I have purchased a surface mounted box for the sensor, and there is a junction box with the wiring as shown. I didn't show the surface box since I need to get the wiring to work with the sensor before I install it. I noticed that I did fail to show the green ground wire from the 2nd 3-way switch in the diagram.
Syd.1
Original Author
10 years ago
I continuity tested all of the wires in each switch location and marked them. Then did the same with a ceiling fixture. Found the feeds to the panel. This enabled me to wire it correctly, and the sensor is now installed and works fine.

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