Occupancy Sensing Switch Wiring Question - No Ground Available

Hello DGray.  Welcome to the Community!

The instructions do say that a ground is absolutely required for the unit to function.  It seems to me that the sensor needs a very small amount of current in order to work.  Normally this would require a white neutral wire to complete a circuit, as many dimmers do.  For some reason this neutral is not required, but a ground is.

Click on the above picture to read the instruction sheet.

You may well have a grounded switch box.  Since you mention trying to fish wire, then I assume you have wiring through conduit, which may be grounded.  Try using a multimeter to test for ground.

If you indeed do have a grounded box, simply attach the ground wire to it with a ground screw. 

I hope this helps,

Newf.

.

As I stated prior the sensor WILL work without the ground::

Wiring Directions for this sensor stated below

3.

When no “grounding means” exist within the wallbox, then the NECR 2008,

Article 404.9 allows a dimmer without a grounding connection to be installed as a

replacement, as long as a plastic, noncombustible wallplate is used. For this type of

installation, twist a wire connector onto the green ground wire or remove the green

ground wire on the Electronic Dimmer and use an appropriate

wallplate such as

Claro

R or Satin ColorsR series wallplates by Lutron.

Thanks for all the help guys.  I tried installing the sensor last night and it wouldn't work.  I reinstalled the regular switch and everthing worked fine. 

Could it be that the sensing switch is bad? 

Thanks.

anything is possible, its very easy to instal as you can see.  Just return it to the store, get a new one and try it again.

I'm having the same issue, and have tried several differnent occupancy switches within this brand. A regular switch works just fine, but the occupancy switch does not. I do not have a ground wire (though the conduit should act as a ground when properly done) and no neutral (as this sensor does not have one either). I only have a wire to the light and to the breaker.

So - what do I do? The instructions say that the ground MUST be properly connected for the switch to work, but I don't know why or how that is. Please advise!

I was having the same problem.  My lights were working, but they would not turn off.  In my switch box, I had two black wires and two white wires that were tied together.  I spoke with a licensed electrician who advised me to take the ground wire and bare wire from the Maestro sensor and tie them together with the existing two neutral white wires.  PROBLEM SOLVED!

I was having the same problem.  My lights were working, In my switch box, I had two black wires and two white wires that were tied together.  I spoke with a licensed electrician who advised me to take the ground wire and bare wire from the Maestro sensor and tie them together with the two neutral white wires.  PROBLEM SOLVED!

I was having the same problem with this sensor switch. I had the thing hooked up correctly but the light was on and would not go off, and the switch would not respond to manual on/off.

After trying everything and even reading this thread, I called the company. I didn't want to tie ground into neutral without getting the OK from them.

The tech was very helpful and immediately knew what was wrong. He said the device didn't "like" the ground attachment and that I could just connect the green wire in with all the other white wires. He said to just cut off the bare wire on the device. I did this and it worked!

Lots of frustration but problem solved.