Weird problem with outdoor electricity!

[Ravenlost]

We use a different power company than our neighbors so this doesn't make any sense at all. Hubby and I were just standing on the porch when our barn light went out. The empty house next door has an outdoor security light and it went off at the EXACT same time our barn light went off. After a few minutes they both came on at THE SAME TIME.

Only thing I can figure is that someone snuck over and wired that light to our barn. Only problem is, there is no sign of this having taken place.

Anyone got any idea how this could be happening?

[moopups]

Just because the power goes off at the same time is not a thing to be concerned with, most power company's are supplied by the same source, usually a much bigger company. Most power company's are little local concerns, supplied by much larger concerns. If the power to the grid goes away it is on a larger scale than is visibly present to you.

[justmyluk]

I agree with Moopups...But one way to find out for sure, is to cut the power to the barn light and see if the neighbors light goes out. This will tell you if you have a power thief...

[Ravenlost]

Wouldn't the lights in the house go off too? The only lights going on and off are the barn and the security light next door.

I think we'll try cutting the power to the barn light off tonight and see what happens.

[moopups]

OK, I was under the impression that all the lights went out, but seeing the clearer picture, yes it appears there is a connection. (Is this an offical pun, do I get points?).

[justmyluk]

Did you or a previous homeowner wire the lights to your barn? Maybe you are pulling power from your neighbor instead of the other way around (any things possible). Also... are both lights on a photocell (do they come on when it gets dark)? If so, was there a flash of light from a nearby thunderstorm or a passing car right before the lights went out? That could explain the timeing of what you saw.

[Ravenlost]

The house next door has been there for over 30 years. I don't know how long the security light has been there, but it was there before we built the barn. Our building contractor had the wiring done to the barn almost three years ago when we had it built. This is a recent problem...just in the last few months.

The security light is on a photocell...our barn light isn't.

The house next door has been empty for almost a year now. The realtor we bought our property from recently came into possession of the house next door (it used to be part of our farm many years ago).

The only plausible explanation I can think of is that he had the power to the house turned off and ran a line to our power source (several hundred yards). However, I've seen no evidence of this happening and, if someone had been in our barn the nine dogs would have alerted us.

I am definitely shutting off the power to the barn tonight and see if the security light ever comes on. I am also going to do some checking at the meter box, etc. and see if I can spot any sort of tampering.

[justmyluk]

Keep us posted and let us know what you find out. You definitely have a mystery on your hands...

[morrowsmowers]

Is your barn feed from the same mains out at the street as your barn? It could be they are on different sides of a three phase feed. Possibly your barn and the neighbors are on one leg and your house on another. If the power co. was working on lines somewhere they may have dropped a phase somewhere in the area causing what would be a small local power outage -- that would have caused them both to go out at exactly the same time.

Ken in Glassboro, NJ

[Ravenlost]

Well, I went out and shut off the power to the barn. The security light came on for a few minutes when it got dark and then went off.

[SmartAZ]

What kind of light? Some lamps, especially street and other outdoor types, have a temperature sensor. Quite often a row of lights in a street or parking lot will all turn off and on at the same time with no connection at all.

[Spinner]

Is the security light wired underground? If so, then you might want to call a locater service to come out and do a sweep around your barn. It's very easy to locate any underground wires. The locater service will paint the ground with orange paint to identify where the wires are. We use a service called "one call" that can locate electric wires, gas lines, water lines, phone lines, etc. They are nationwide and should be in your phone book. If they aren't in the book, pm me, I can probably get a contact number for you if you tell me the town you are near.

We have a locater machine. If DH was in your area I'd have him stop by and do a sweep for you.

edited to add: is there a chance that the security light might be your light that was on your property before the other house was built?

[uncle Will in In.]

Do you hear weird noises at night, or see foggy looking images just between the dark and the daylight???? Do your dogs sometimes run in the house and shiver when you try to make them go outside?? Be very careful!!!!

[Ravenlost]

LOL...Uncle Will, hubby said last night it must be a ghost!

These are the only two lights within a half mile and they aren't that close together. In fact, the one on the barn is on the opposite side of the barn from the security light. The security light is wired overhead. Our barn is wired underground. I did notice this morning that the box down on the ground where the wires come out of the ground has been knocked loose from the side of the barn. The horses could have done that, or someone could have tampered with it. I'm going to have hubby take a look at it tomorrow. The security light is on right now.

[Fire-Man]

Originally Posted by Ravenlost

The house next door has been there for over 30 years. I don't know how long the security light has been there, but it was there before we built the barn. Our building contractor had the wiring done to the barn almost three years ago when we had it built. This is a recent problem...just in the last few months.

The security light is on a photocell...our barn light isn't.

The house next door has been empty for almost a year now. The realtor we bought our property from recently came into possession of the house next door (it used to be part of our farm many years ago).

The only plausible explanation I can think of is that he had the power to the house turned off and ran a line to our power source (several hundred yards). However, I've seen no evidence of this happening and, if someone had been in our barn the nine dogs would have alerted us.

I am definitely shutting off the power to the barn tonight and see if the security light ever comes on. I am also going to do some checking at the meter box, etc. and see if I can spot any sort of tampering.

Is it possible that you are seeing a reflection of the security light off of a window or something at the barn where you were standing when it happened------making it look like they are going on and off together? Just a thought. Randy

[logbuilder]

Seems to be the only thing I would be concerned about is whether the light on the other property is using electricity thru my meter. I'd be flipping my main breaker off and looking at the meter. It should be stopped (wheel not moving). Do this first in the daytime when the other light is off. Then do it again one evening when the other light is on. Your meter should still be stopped. If not, you might have a problem. As long as it is not drawing from your meter, why would you care what they have in common farther upstream?

[KCM]

If your neighbor's security light is activated by a sensor and your barn light isn't, then it hardly seems possible they are using your power source.

A typical security light photocell will trigger an automatic switch that is located between the power supply and the bulb. It can only turn on/off a bulb that already has a live power supply available at the switch. When the photocell sensor in your neighbor's security light times out, it triggers this switch to disrupt the power supply to the bulb side of the switch and turns the security light off. However, the power is still very much live on the power supply side of the switch.
For it to be possible for their security light to be using your power supply and still cause your barn light to switch on/off, the automatic switch activated by the photocell of their secirity light would have to be located between your power source and your barn light. In other words, the photocell-activated automatic switch would have to be on your side of the barn light.

To solve the problem with your barn light, I'd suggest that you forget about your neighbor's security light for the moment. First try to figure out why your barn light keeps going off and on, since it isn't activated by a sensor that can turn it off or on. After you solve that problem, then if you're still so inclined you can go on to solve the coincidence of the neighbor's security light.

[Ravenlost]

I figure our barn light is going off and on because the ground box has been knocked loose. Going to have hubby look at it tomorrow. I did throw the breaker this afternoon, checked to see if the meter had stopped (it had) and the neighbor's light came on anyway. Obviously, they are NOT connected to the same power source. Also, our power source and their's is not from the same main lines. So, it's a mystery. Or perhaps, a multiple coincidence.

[The Paw]

Originally Posted by Ravenlost

I figure our barn light is going off and on because the ground box has been knocked loose. Going to have hubby look at it tomorrow. I did throw the breaker this afternoon, checked to see if the meter had stopped (it had) and the neighbor's light came on anyway. Obviously, they are NOT connected to the same power source. Also, our power source and their's is not from the same main lines. So, it's a mystery. Or perhaps, a multiple coincidence.

It sounds like yours is going on and off because of the loose box, and the security light is going on and off because of a motion sensor. The timing is probably either coincidental or related to gusts of wind or something.

Anyway, it's been fun to track this thread as the investigation proceeded...

[hoofinitnorth]

If the two properties used to be one, it's possible you have a shared power source somewhere.