2 Replies Latest reply: Jan 28, 2014 10:27 AM by Doug Forkes RSS

VPT24-1PZ, Pro Mode, Sunup/Sundown offset time.

Newbie
Noah Eldridge Mar 22, 2013 9:15 AM

Hi,

 

I installed this timer, and it's working.

 

I have the porch lights come on at 6 am, and off at sunrise, then on at sunset and off at 11 pm.  I like it.

 

My question is on what the offset setting is for?  Is it used to fine-tune your latitude/longitude? (I think so) or to turn the load off after sunrise, and before sunset? (I hope so).

 

What I would like to do, is have the lights stay on for an hour after sunrise, because sometimes on a rainy or cloudy day it's still quite dark when the timer says it's sunup.  Likewise, I would like to turn the lights on an hour before sunset.

 

The offset setting only seems to allow for a single postive or negative offset time, and I think I'd need two settings to add to one, and subtract from the other.

 

The programming instructions state:

 

"0:00" will be flashing to represent the offset time.  Choose the amount of time, if any, to turn the load ON/OFF before or after Sunup and Sundown by pressing▲to add time to the Sunup/

Sundown time and use▼to subtract time from the Sunup/Sundown time. Press "SET"to confirm your choice (up to 3 hours and 59 minutes).

 

So, if I added 60 minutes, would that merely shift the sunup and sundown times ahead 60 minutes meaning the light would come on a 6am, and go off 1 hour after sunrise, but then come on an hour after sunset?

 

Or is this exactly the setting I want, meaning it adds or subtracts time before or after sunrise/sunset?  Have I got it backwards?  I should subtract an hour?

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  • VPT24-1PZ, Pro Mode, Sunup/Sundown offset time.
    Adventurer
    Eric Cohen Aug 29, 2013 3:29 PM (in response to Noah Eldridge)

    The offset is for both sunup and sundown and can only be used in PRO mode.  Setting the offset to 60 would allow the sunup and sundown event to occur one hour after sunrise and sunset.  Setting the offset to -60 would allow the function to occur 60 minutes before sunrise and before sunset.

  • Re: VPT24-1PZ, Pro Mode, Sunup/Sundown offset time.
    Newbie
    Doug Forkes Jan 28, 2014 10:27 AM (in response to Noah Eldridge)

    What I wanted was to have "sunset" and "sunrise" be defined as when the sun was still somewhat below the horizon. I did this by changing my latitude from 43 degrees north to 28 degrees north, so that these events occur when the sun is 15 degrees below the horizon. The "offset" that Leviton provides is essentially a correction to the longitude (where 1 minute of time corresponds to 15 seconds of arc) which could be used to improve the precision of the longitude setting if you needed astronomical precision.