Outside light install

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Krich

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I'm wanting to place an outside light on the far side of the house where it's really dark at night.

I already have one over the garage that replaced an old fixture (that is connected to a switch inside the garage) and it works great. It's has the dusk to dawn sensor which is what I wanted.

Here's the link to the one I want to use on the other end of the house:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EIKPNW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

My question is... does a light like this have to be run thru an on/off switch... or can it be wired direct?

I have a junction box not far from where I need this new light to go but I wanted to know if it's OK to wire it direct without including an on/off switch which would have to be up in the attic
 
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If you ever want to bypass the dawn to dusk feature, you will need some sort of switch. You can mount a box outside near the light and install the switch there. But if you are willing to have the light always automatic, skip the switch.
 
I would always want the light to come on at night and go off during the day and I consider it to be a security light so I won't have any need to by pass it for any reason.

I was just wanting to know if there was any safety issues with not having a on/off switch

I use a yellow LED bulb so these lights don't draw quite as many bugs and they seem to work great.

This same company has a decorative light I put in at the back door and the front door that has the dusk till dawn sensor... so I leave the light switch on all the time so they come on at night by themselves.

I like to automate stuff like this so I don't have to remember to turn the lights on and off.
 
The electrical line I'll be tapping in to is already on the circuit breaker...

Actually, after thinking about this further I think I'll get one of those metal boxes that has 2 on/off switches to be my junction box so I can actually have an on/off switch for each light (I'm doing two outside lights now)

That way, if the light fixture ever needed to be replaced, I could turn the switch for that light off so I'm not handling live wires when installing a new fixture
 
Thanks, but I do not work on wires that are hot...
 
There is a way to wire a light and switch such that the light wire is still hot even with the switch off. I learned this the hard way.
 
Keep in mind that in an open unfinished garage, or finished garage, when electrical is amended the conductors below the height of 8' and surface mounted, need to be encased in MC, metallic flex or EMT, even if the existing is in romex.
 
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