Found a weird fix for a stubborn motion sensor in an old house

I was getting false trips on a PIR in a 1920s craftsman with plaster walls. On a hunch, I aimed it away from the old radiator pipe running inside the wall, and the problem stopped. Anyone else had sensors act up because of heat sources inside the walls?

3 comments

3 Comments

mitchell.wade2mo ago

Wait, so you're saying the heat from the pipe was enough to set it off through the wall? That's wild. I wonder if old plaster holds heat differently than drywall and makes it worse. Might have to check if any of my sensors are aimed at plumbing now, lol.

rivershah1mo ago

Did the cardboard interfere with the sensor's detection range or just block the radiant heat? I've heard mixed things about putting anything between a sensor and the room it's watching. Curious if you noticed any dead spots or missed triggers after you put that shield up.

luna_jackson282mo ago

My old apartment had a sensor that kept turning the lights on at 2 AM. The HVAC duct in the ceiling was right above it. I put a piece of cardboard as a heat shield between the sensor and the drywall, and that finally fixed the ghost triggers.