Lights turning on by themselves

donf · Sep 21, 2007, 03:16 PM

Neenie,

Well you know, Halloween is getting closer and closer as we write notes to each other.

I wouldn't get to worried about it especially if there are toy children or pets that like to jump on things.

Is this light tied to two switches? Or is there a timer in the circuit somewhere?

nikki_22 · Sep 21, 2007, 03:46 PM

I had this keep happening with the hallway light. It could just be a power surge or something-weird stuff like that can happen. My boyfriend kept saying it was the ghost of his grandma turning the light off. I don't think so. Are you sure someone wasn't in your house? Do you have kids that might have gotten up for a snack or something? Do you have a cat that could have bumped the switch or something? That's weird. We replaced our light to put a fan in and it hasn't done it since. Maybe it was the wiring or something. Do you have a home alarm? If it keeps happening, set up a camera or something. I wouldn't worry too much if it was just one time. Don't know if that helps or not!

Stratmando · Sep 21, 2007, 05:35 PM

Is it a toggle?, rotary, electronic? Switch?

esquire1 · Sep 21, 2007, 06:50 PM

This is a serious response. I'm not being a smart a@#. I had a 100 + year old house, completely remodeled all new wiring etc. Turned out we did have a ghost in that house. Many other things happened besides lights. And it was not just one light but any light in any room. I no longer live there. Sold it and moved on

KISS · Sep 21, 2007, 08:59 PM

I had an x-10 light turned on sometimes when the furnace ran. Had to install a filter at the furnace.

Yipster · Sep 21, 2007, 10:53 PM

Have you ever had a problem where the light wouldn't come on when you switched it? I don't know if this is relevant, but I would turn off the power for the light and check the connections on the switch (or switches), and also at the light itself.

I had a clock radio that would reset itself randomly, and a light that turned off and on. Both items were plugged into the same outlet. When I pulled the outlet from the box I found that whoever had installed it had pushed the wires in from the back. This type of connection is referred to as a backstab. Some electrical devices are designed with this feature, making it quicker for the electrician doing the installation.

The problem with using these types of connections is that over time the heat generated by the current can weaken the metal strip holding the wire in the device, and if there is some strain placed on it, the wire can back out of the connection. I simply stripped the wires back a little further, formed a hook, and connected them to the appropriate screw terminals.

See, your mother told you that backstabbing wasn't a good idea, you just didn't realize what she meant...

Clough · Sep 21, 2007, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stratmando

Is it a toggle?, rotary, electronic? Switch?

A lot of the switches in my home are toggles and sometimes I will think that I have turned one of them off completely, only to find that later, the light was on. Finding one still on that I thought that I had shut off has mildly freaked me out on occasion. I think that I just didn't completely shut off the toggle switch.

tkrussell · Sep 22, 2007, 04:03 AM

I actually went on a service call, complaint was the garbage disposal would start on it's own, in an empty apartment. Landlord had me there to check the switch, wiring, etc. The switch was new, no splices in the switch box that could short out, good throw on the switch, had to lift handle to turn on. Found no problems.

LL stated then must be his old tenant having fun.

? What? Explain? What was he talking about?

Tenant had been an elderly gentleman, passed away, they found him collapsed and supported across kitchen counter with hand on switch.

I closed up the box, packed my tools, gave him a no charge service call, and directed him to a priest. Not much more I can do here.

As Strat asked, really need to know the type switch. Any kind of switch can fail or get worn and "short out", or close contacts. Not so much with a standard switch, as the handle needs to be toggled up, against gravity. More popular with other types of switches.

On the topic of ghosts, was installing a paddle fan in a bedroom, (love installing fans, made a ton of money for an easy install). Bedroom was 9x12 and only had a twin bed in the center and a bureau in the corner. Dropped my 6" straight blade screw driver while I was on ladder leaning over bed. Figured I would get it once I was done and came down from ladder. Never did find that screwdriver, it was not under bed, I heard it hit the floor. And was not under the bureau. Beat the hell out of me.Had to buy a new tool.

BLS1954 · Oct 3, 2010, 02:07 PM

I can tell you that I've been looking for some answers myself. Appliances are turning on all over my house by themselves lately. For instance, the TV in the middle of the night in my bedroom. Or a massage chair in the next room. And keep in mind that I've been there and nobody else is in the house. I'll be in the kitchen and the chair comes on in the den. I'm wondering if electrical surges can cause this but it's also strange that when I went to turn the chair off, it wouldn't turn back on until I unplugged it. I'd think it was just something with the chair if it hadn't happened with the tv in a completely different room while I was sleeping. And it's also happened with a clock-radio...in fact, two DIFFERENT clock radios that had NOT been even touched in months, much less set to go off. This is getting annoying. I mean...how can clock radios come on? I could MAYBE see the tv or chair if surges were to blame, but clock where an actual switch needs to be pushed? I'm at a loss. Any answers are appreciated.

Lights turning on by themselves

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