Ask Me Help Desk - My electrical equipment keeps turning itself on...

For the last few years without fail at least once a week my TV would turn itself on and this happened at about 1.50am every evening. I unplugged my TV and this seemed to stop the problem. Then the problem started with my printer which started to turn itself on at least once a week again at around 1.50am and sometimes it would do the same thing at 3am - it would sound as though it was printing a big document but it was not printing anything. Last year this problem seemed to stop for a short while and I also unplugged my printer. Anyway since I have met someone and we are living together, every night without fail my printer turns itself on and starts to make the same noise, I then unplugged it and believe it or not my laptop started to turn itself on so I unplugged it and then my iPod would turn itself on. What can this be? Please advise me on this. Also, my room gets very cold some nights even when the heating is on. And, I sense a presence and both my partner and I have seen shadows in my room. Please let me know your thoughts. I am serious and this is not a prank. Thanks.

I take posts on this forum very seriously so rest assured I do believe you. I had other suggestions when it was just your TV turning on... those things have a habit of finding their way ON, usually due to neighboring signals. I have dealt with this problem myself. Unless you live by something that deals with an extremely high electro magnetic field... I am very curious as to how all these other devices are finding themselves on at about the same time. This does not rule out natural explanation, but adding that you have seen shadows and feel a presence, I am inclined to believe this could have spiritual sources. Many suggest that a high EMF can make people feel paranoid, watched and even hallucinate... I am very skeptical of this. Well, at this point you just wanted to know thoughts... and those are mine... it sounds to me to have the POSSIBILITY of a spiritual issue. What you want to do with it is up to you. Feel free to ask if you have further questions.

Sometimes there can be power surges that can cause a spike to go down the line. Some equiptment is more sensetive to it then others. Are you using anything like a conditioned power strip with any of these items ?

While power surges have the possibility to do something like what is happening with his printer... the laptop and iPod aren't going to turn on like that with a power surge. We're not talking a one time thing. A 1:50 am power spike for several years is odd... especially only affecting the TV. Electrical issues can shed some light on these situations, however they rarely cover all the issues (i.e. shadows, being watched... ).

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntinghelper

While power surges have the possibility to do something like what is happening with his printer...the laptop and iPod aren't going to turn on like that with a power surge. We're not talking a one time thing. A 1:50 am power spike for several years is odd...especially only affecting the TV. Electrical issues can shed some light on these situations, however they rarely cover all the issues (i.e. shadows, being watched...).

If you read what the OP had written they mentioned that those devices were plugged in at the time it occurred.

Op had said...

Believe it or not my laptop started to turn itself on so I unplugged it

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntinghelper

Many suggest that a high EMF can make people feel paranoid, watched and even hallucinate...I am very skeptical of this.

EMF fields can have many effects on the body. Its science fact.

EMF Health Effects Research - History and Status

WHO | What are electromagnetic fields?

I didn't mean I was skeptical that EMFs CAN effect the body... I meant I was skeptical about the degree of which they do. I know some people can be more sensitive than others to them... it's just not something that "seals the deal" for me. I know she said they were plugged in... but turning on is not a common thing for a power spike. While surges can do all sorts of things to items that are already ON... turning them on is another matter.

Ladymar, best thing to try right now is throw that kind of stuff on a surge protector... see if that does the trick. If they are still turning on, we'll figure something else out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntinghelper

I didn't mean I was skeptical that EMFs CAN effect the body...I meant I was skeptical about the degree of which they do. I know some people can be more sensitive than others to them...it's just not something that "seals the deal" for me. I know she said they were plugged in...but turning on is not a common thing for a power spike. While surges can do all sorts of things to items that are already ON...turning them on is another matter.

Ladymar, best thing to try right now is throw that kind of stuff on a surge protector...see if that does the trick. If they are still turning on, we'll figure something else out.

What you have to understand is we don't know how other people set up their electronics and what else may be occurring around the OP. For example living in a town with industry can have an effect as electrical usage is cheaper at night and the industry runs then to save money. Or the neighbors coffee maker is set to come on and it somehow causes a spike. For most hauntings its best to rule out the normal things so you can concentrate on the abnormal / paranormal. You need to stop pushing fear on this board.
Just because someone uses science as part of the equation it doesn't mean they don't know what they are doing as implied by an earlier post of yours. Once something is identified for what it is then it is much easier to deal with.

I'm not pushing fear on this board. I'm using science to tell you power surges don't turn item on like that. I didn't say her house was haunted... I said it is possible. Don't get so offended. It doesn't mean there isn't another natural explanation. What I am saying is that with what they described is going on... a power spike doesn't cut it.

I am not here to get into the discussion of a haunting or not. Here to discuss the issues of power and devices coming on.

While I have a interest in the paranormal, and a believer, I am always skeptical of reports of electrical devices being affected. Unless of course when/if something comes on if unplugged. Even then, lights and possibly other devices can be affected with no apparent power source.

Power "spikes" are often misunderstood. Technically, a "spike" is a voltage swell, voltage increases to an abnormal level, a low voltage event is called a voltage sag.

Above a certain level, voltage swells are called transient voltage. Certain conditions in a home can cause a voltage to increase to an abnormal level, but never more than the highest voltage in the system, typically 240 volts. Other conditions can cause much higher voltages to be impressed onto a circuit very briefly, less than a cycle.

Nearby large motors starting, capacitor banks switching, lightning strikes, even miles away, static electricity are the popular reasons for spikes. They all invariably do damage when they occur.

Often someone will see lights blinking and call it a spike, actually the voltage sagged, went lower than normal, the light went off briefly due to a low voltage condition and came back to normal when the voltage rose to normal level. We actually have a value called Flicker that we can record and measure when doing power quality investigations.

A true "spike", or voltage swell, can happen, not as often as one would think, but can do damage to the device when it does happen, as a true spike is very high voltage for a very brief period. We can record and measure these events for both level and duration.

Now I am not exactly sure how switches in electronic devices are arranged, but there needs to be a physical open connection to be spanned to complete a connection and cause something to come on.

With electronic devices, I can imagine this open connection space is very small, and a spike perhaps can cause an arc to span this space and cause something to come on. However, if a spike is large enough to jump an open connection, damage will occur, so it may happen once, and that it, the damage is done, the open connection is fused or welded together, and will not open again.

I have done power recordings at many locations, heavy commercial and industrial locations, and looking for the suspected "spikes", and almost never find them. I have systems in place with permanent transient suppressors that will record any event, most have not seen any events happen.

So, I am not saying spikes are not the issue, just they do not happen often, and when they do, permanent damage occurs. There is equipment available to find these events, and suppressors to eliminate any damage if they do occur.

Something coming on at a specific time leads me to believe there is a physical normal reason. RFI, Radio Frequency Interference is a popular reason. Strong radio signals can cause equipment to come on. RFI can cause a fluorescent lamp, and other HID lamps, to glow, even while being held in your hand.

Here is a tester that uses a radio signal to induce a lamp to glow:
Greenlee Products - Greenlee A Textron Company

Magicians have used this technique to make a lamp glow while being held in their hands while on stage, and no wiring going to the lamp.

TV's with remote controls can be affected by random IR and RFI signals.

Then the issue of EMF, Electromagnetic Field, and the EMF Fear Cage, and the affect on humans.

Since I agree that a spirit is some form of energy, I could agree that detecting EMF could be an indication of a spirit, however, all other normal sources of EMF must be eliminated first before coming to that conclusion.

I get a kick out of a paranormal team detecting a small amount of EMF coming from an outlet, wiring, a small doorbell transformer, and calling it a EMF Fear Cage. They use apparently sensitive equipment, that can detect small amounts that truly exist, and pass it off as a possible spirit. Considering the fact that there is so much electrical devices, wiring, appliances around, plus RFI from nearby or even far off radio and cell phones towers, and the fact that the earth is a large object with a magnetic field, leaves me to be skeptical of this phenomenon. Metal objects can retain a normal magnetic field indefinitely.

I personally, along with many other people, have been in rooms surround by metal conduits and wiring, large transformers, switchgear, using an EMF detector would cause the unit to go off the scale due to such high levels of EMF, and never have I, and others, felt any effect whatsoever of this EMF.

I did have a service call once where the landlord reported a garbage disposal would be found running in an empty apartment. I checked it out, not much to check out, simple wall switch on the counter backsplash, seemed to be fine, no definite shorts in the switch box. He then tells me the previous tenant was found dead from a heart attack slumped over the counter with his hand on the wall switch. I changed the switch, as it may have been defective, and told him to let me know if it occurred again I would suggest calling in a priest. He never reported a problem again, and I had worked for him many times at other locations for this customer.

I would be thrilled to join a paranormal investigation. I have the opinion that at least one person on the team should have complete knowledge of building construction, mechanical systems, etc, as there are so many systems, switches, automatic devices running that can cause noises, bumps, clicks, EMF fields, breezes, etc, to explain most if not all apparent "experiences".

I am of the opinion that all power should be turned off in a building, all heating and cooling allowed to get to room temperature, eliminate all normal possibilities of noises, EMF fields, etc. before an investigation.

I even have at my disposal an Infrared camera. And I would say a good one, cost $50,000.00 made by the Flir Corporation. So many teams I seen using one on TV have no idea how to use it, adjust or focus, adjust the color palette, etc. and look at existing mechanical systems or respond to normal reflectance and be mislead or come to incorrect conclusions.

Just my two cents on the topic. And I have had my own personal experiences to lead me to believe in the possibility of the paranormal, just need to be careful with assuming when normal conditions are involved.

I very much appreciate the time you put into that response. I am a member of the IBEW however I work in communications systems. I too have been around situations more times than I can count where the EMF was massive. The only thing I have ever found was maybe a slight "static" feeling. I'm just not sold on the "fear cages". I can agree some people may be very sensitive to this field and possibly those symptoms of paranoia, hallucinations, skin irritation and nausea might show up... but not to the degree that they pass it off on Ghost Hunters or any of those other shows. Like power surges, EMFs are just not a simple quick fix answer that should be laid on the table as proof.

I have experienced power surges in my own home. If Ladymar's printer going off was the only problem... I'd buy into that, even if no damage was done. Luckily in my own home the only thing that was damaged was my CO detector. The way she describes it as "printing a large job" sounds like a voltage surge pushing the motor harder. But that's not her only issue. I have also dealt with the mystery TV turning on. IR and RF can do wonders in your home. But again... we have the "same time" every night. We have other devices that WOULD be damaged by a power spike. Motors can handle power spikes all right... but items with circuit boards tend to fry very very easily.

I am a firm believer in science. It is how we measure and understand the world in which we live. I was a biology major in college. I deal everyday with technology and wiring. However, there are other things that go on OUTSIDE of the world we can measure and put laws on. In Ladymar's situation it very well could be natural... and I'm fine believing that. However it is also EQUALLY possible for this problem to have other origins. I don't want to sell her short by making it sound that either of those situations are not possible. The shadows and "being watched" feeling concern me... but could be from paranoia caused by the electrical situations. Time will tell. Not once did I say be afraid. I believe in the bible just as much as I believe in science. Not ONCE in the bible does it tell us to fear spirits. They are to be taken seriously... very seriously... but when you follow the bible's guidelines for dealing with the spirit world we have nothing to fear.

I want to thank everyone for getting back to me. I do appreciate your time and advice and ideas. I want to add that the reason I unplugged my laptop is because I have taken the battery out of it and plugged it into the plug socket. I have a surge adaptor that I connect all of my electrical equipment too. I am a broadcast technician so familiar with power surges and how to reduce/avoid them. I have also had an electrician check out my wiring at home and he has said everything appears to be absolutely fine. Furthermore, my partner had no idea of my experiences until she had experienced it herself in my room. Also, she had told me a few months after we got together that she doesn't like being left alone in my room and felt a presence, after that I shared my experiences with her. I have told her that I have written on this forum and we have been reading through the replies. She also pointed out to me that this also often occurs at around 3am every evening that the electric appliances will turn themselves on including my iPod which is not plugged into anything. She often wakes up at 3am for not apparent reason and notices that something has turned itself on. Also, sometimes they turn themselves on then off again a short while later. To be honest, I am not afraid of the presence, only once was I afraid and that was the first time that I had experienced it which was a years ago.

Why don't you set up a video camera and try to see what is going on ? It may give you better clues as to what is going on. Since this is an every night occurrence then it should be easy to catch.

Even if all you're planning on doing is catching something turn on... you never know... something else may be going on as well that you're never awake for. It's worth a shot.

There is something about that period between 1-3 a.m. where paranormal activity spikes. My personal experiences were always between these times as well. Next time I meet a ghost, I'll ask. Curious, but is the main source of those being watched feelings in the bedroom or is it throughout the house? Has it been like this since you have lived there or did it start afterwards?

Actually, hauntinghelper, that's a good question "Has it been like this since you have lived there or did it start afterwards?" to be honest with you my mother has heard footsteps in the house every since I moved in here back in 1989. She used to come visit me often and spend time here, she used to ask me when I would return from work whether I had ever noticed footsteps from upstairs when I was downstairs. My youngest sister also asked me on several occasions after coming to spend time with me why I had chosen to clean the dishes during the night, I had not been clearing the dishes or cleaning them I had been fast asleep and the room she slept in was above the kitchen. My father and other sister have stayed over and never heard any footsteps or the sound of someone washing up in the early hours of the morning. When my partner and I watch TV downstairs sometimes we both catch a glimps of a shadow passing by the room from the hall way. I had noticed the footsteps but not the dishes. I had put the footsteps down to heating pipes or something like that. My mum always used to sense a feeling of being watched and she was so afraid she used to close all the windows and lock the main doors when she was at home alone thinking it was a neighbour watching her.
CalifDadOf3 that's a good idea, I will get my partners camcorder and set it up and see if it captures anything. I will let you know. Thank you everyone for taking time to respond.

What do you think it is about the 1-3am time that seems for unexplained things to occur?

What do you think it is about the 1-3am time that seems for unexplained things to occur?

It is thought that it is because it is the equinox of the night. That is the half way point between waking and darkness when the night is its blackest.

Exactly... and paranormal phenomena being what I believe it is, deceptive demonic spirits, I have no doubt that they enjoy that time the most. I've yet to come across a better reason. It certainly doesn't hold them to that time of night... there are just some things we probably will never know about the spirit world.

This problem very well could have been in your house well before you moved in, and it certainly sounds like the situation, unless you can remember other homes you have lived in with peculiar instances. In such case some spirits do follow individuals and families around. Ladymar, the funny thing about spirits is for some reason they will manifest differently to different people. While one person can live in a house and have no reason whatsoever to believe there is anything else there, someone of the same household can go almost insane with the phenomena that manifests to them. At the very least you can look at these spirits somewhat like humans. Not that they ARE human spirits (which I do not believe they are nor have been), but they possess a will and personality just as we do. They possess varying degrees of strength and wickedness. Just as we may or may not like someone over another, the same may be said of them... however I used the term "like" rather loosely as I do not believe they like any human. I believe some instances they may act a certain way to divide a family... other times it may simply be to induce fear. Sometimes spirits will use a person to perform their will and will treat this person with some protection as he/she is their tool or apparatus. Some reasons we may just never know. I don't tell you these things so that you may fear the unknown, but rather you may understand a little of what you may have in your home.

I choose my words carefully here, but since you haven't had any harm done... you're most likely safe from any physical problem... however I feel that at the core of any haunting/paranormal experience is a degree of deception that very well could be as harmful as any other attack.

Thank you so much for explaining this to me.

No, hauntinghelper, I have never experienced this in any other house that I have lived in both in the UK and overseas. I think this is why this particular experience is starting to bother me. My partner travelled yesterday afternoon and I am going to see if this settles during her absence since it started to occur more regularly since she moved in with me. I will keep you posted on whether I notice anything happen. Again, thank you kindly for taking the time and making the effort to get back to me. Everyone has been very helpful and I sincerely appreciate your kind efforts.