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Discovered a trick to stop false alarms from motion detectors near AC vents
Last week I had a customer in Phoenix whose system kept tripping at 3 PM every day, and I finally figured out it was the AC kicking on and blowing on the detector. Has anyone else dealt with this and found a good way to redirect the airflow without moving the whole sensor?
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richard_anderson7d ago
You said Phoenix, so I'm guessing that 3 PM thing lines up with the afternoon heat spike when the AC really starts cranking. My question is: did you check if the AC vent is blowing DIRECTLY at the motion detector's lens, or is it more of a general draft hitting the whole wall? I've seen a few cases where the problem was just the cold air hitting the plastic housing and causing a tiny temperature shift the sensor picked up as movement. If it's direct, a simple cardboard deflector taped to the vent can work for a quick fix, but you have to make sure it doesn't block too much airflow to the room. Also, those cheap plastic vent covers with adjustable louvers from Home Depot let you aim the air sideways instead of straight at the sensor. Have you tried that yet or are you looking for something more permanent?
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