Arrowhead wall fixture in 70's house?

March 2, 2014 2:52 PM

We had a home inspected today that included two of these fixtures (below cut). They say "Arrowhead" on them but even our inspector had no idea what they were. Home was built in 1972. Any ideas, old home lovers?

Here's a picture of the fixture. One was on the first floor, one on the second. It sort of looks like a cross between a nightlight and a tiny strobe light, but there were no switches in the house that seemed to make it turn on, and the tiny thing under the word "Arrowhead" that looked like it might be a switch moved from side to side if you slid your fingernail in there but did not turn it on. Home is in Chicago, if it helps.

posted by juniperesque to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

It's a motion detector. Here's the same brand/idea on eBay.
posted by kmennie at 2:54 PM on March 2, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yeah, looks like a motion detector, we have them in our house.
posted by amro at 2:55 PM on March 2, 2014

By the way, a 1972 house is not an old house!
posted by amro at 2:56 PM on March 2, 2014 [13 favorites]

It kind of looks like a nightlight that was in my house when I moved in. It doesn't work on a switch but has some sort if sensor so it comes on after dark. The light isn't very bright. I've never looked at it that closely but I'll see if it has any writing on it when I get home.
posted by Sabby at 2:57 PM on March 2, 2014

Also came here to say motion sensor.
posted by random thoughts at 3:07 PM on March 2, 2014

Does your house have an alarm system? That's what the motion detectors in my house are for.
posted by cecic at 3:14 PM on March 2, 2014 [1 favorite]

Similar on ebay.
posted by Yorrick at 3:33 PM on March 2, 2014

Maybe get another home inspector? Even if he wasn't 100% certain that that is a motion sensor, to have "no idea" what it was is kind of bizarre. Almost all motion sensors look like that, then and now.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:38 PM on March 2, 2014 [9 favorites]

I cam in to say what AH said. If your home inspector doesn't recognise a motion sensor, I'd be very concerned about what else he or she isn't aware of in a given house. Very concerned. This is about one step removed from not being able to recognise a trash compactor.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:51 PM on March 2, 2014 [7 favorites]

Arrowhead is also a bottled water company, but this doesn't look like their 70's era logo.
posted by brujita at 4:08 PM on March 2, 2014

And the slide-y switch thing is likely to change the shape of the detection window between "wide and short" and "narrow and long".
posted by Pinback at 4:12 PM on March 2, 2014

That is a motion detector. Your home inspector is a bad person.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 4:56 PM on March 2, 2014 [4 favorites]

Yup, passive IR motion detector.

I can't imagine a competent home inspector that wouldn't be able to at least make an educated guess about what it was based on appearance.
posted by Good Brain at 6:52 PM on March 2, 2014 [1 favorite]

By the way, a 1972 house is not an old house!

Median age of US homes is 36 years. So yes, it's old. Or if you prefer, older.
posted by dhartung at 12:25 AM on March 4, 2014

That information is from a 2009 census so adjust for that; and they are in Chicago, read what your article says about the number of pre-1919 homes there.
posted by amro at 5:02 AM on March 4, 2014