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**Rain Man** · 02-15-2021, 06:03 PM

Our laundry room is in our basement, and the light switch to the room is located at the top of the stairs. However, you can also access the laundry room via another route in the basement with a different outside entrance, so we needed a way to turn the light on if you were already in the basement.

We discovered this need when we moved into the house 25 years ago. After a moment of thought, a cheap and easy solution presented itself. We got one of those motion detectors that screws into the light fixture, and we always leave the light switch on. That way, the light comes on whenever anyone enters the room from any direction. Once in a blue moon someone will accidentally turn off the light switch, but for the most part it works great and it was a $10 solution.

Now, if you go to the laundry room, it's got a big storage room adjacent to it. We access that storage room regularly for everything from WD40 to spare Dr. Pepper to tools to toilet plungers. It's got a separate light that is a classic pre-1950 style where the bare bulb hangs down from a wire and you turn a little thingie on the fixture to turn it on.

So the other day I had to go get a tool out of the toolbox. I went down to the laundry room, and ... the light didn't come on. I grumbled that someone had turned the switch off, but it didn't matter that much because I was going to the storage room anyway and I had little fear of an ambush. I crossed the laundry room, went into the storage room, and turned the little thingie on the hanging light.

It didn't turn on.

I found that odd, but assumed that the light had burned out. So now I had to go back upstairs to turn the laundry room light switch on so I could get enough light to find both the tool I needed and now a spare light bulb for the storage room. (We conveniently store spare light bulbs in the storage room.)

I went upstairs, turned the light on, went down, nodded a greeting to the now lit laundry room, and went into the storage room. Then I had a sudden thought. I reached up and turned the light thingie in the storage room.

The light came on.

I got my tool and went upstairs. My wife was there, and I said, "I'm really embarrassed to ask this question since we've lived here for 25 years, but did you know that the laundry room light switch also controls the light in the storage room?"

She looked at me and said, "It does?"

Apparently neither of us has ever gone into the storage room when the light switch was turned off.

Jewish Rabbi · 02-15-2021, 06:08 PM

Can I come over and see how this works?

**Rain Man** · 02-15-2021, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jewish Rabbi

Can I come over and see how this works?

Well, usually I only have hitchhikers in my basement, but sure.

mdstu · 02-15-2021, 06:13 PM

Does that mean the bulb in the storage room is original to the house when you purchased it 25 years ago?

**Rain Man** · 02-15-2021, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdstu

Does that mean the bulb in the storage room is original to the house when you purchased it 25 years ago?

We've replaced it at least once since it's one of those spiral-like low energy ones, which didn't exist 25 years ago.

Now I'm wondering if maybe we thought a bulb was burned out when it wasn't, though. We may have sent a bulb to a premature death in the past.

mdstu · 02-15-2021, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

We've replaced it at least once since it's one of those spiral-like low energy ones, which didn't exist 25 years ago.

Now I'm wondering if maybe we thought a bulb was burned out when it wasn't, though. We may have sent a bulb to a premature death in the past.

You probably changed it before you had renters/second entrance.

**Rain Man** · 02-15-2021, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdstu

You probably changed it before you had renters/second entrance.

Nah, those have been there since WWII. (Well, the renter has changed over time, but not the entrance.) We had a renter the day we moved in. I think the previous landlord just had the renter come up the stairs to turn the light on, which was not going to happen on our watch.

mdstu · 02-15-2021, 06:36 PM

Are you going put a motion controlled bulb in the storage room now?
Now that you know it's on all the time.

**Rain Man** · 02-15-2021, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdstu

Are you going put a motion controlled bulb in the storage room now?
Now that you know it's on all the time.

Hmm, that's a good idea. It would save me having to turn that little thingie when I come into the room.

tyecopeland · 02-15-2021, 08:05 PM

Commenting before I read it, I'm hoping that this is as entertaining as the missing sock story was.

**mlyonsd** · 02-15-2021, 08:13 PM

Reading that I have a vision in my head of Buffalo Bill's basement.

dlphg9 · 02-15-2021, 08:13 PM

Found your problem

**cdcox** · 02-15-2021, 08:44 PM

Your story reminds me of the gasoline in the light bulb scene in The Longest Yard. 1974 version. Very pleased that you didn’t catch on fire.

Hammock Parties · 02-15-2021, 08:54 PM

I was thinking this was going to be a lot creepier.

I thought I had a poltergeist earlier this year when I heard advertisements playing from the living room at 3 AM, after I had turned the TV off.

That's what I get for leaving uTorrent running on my laptop.

**cdcox** · 02-15-2021, 08:54 PM

Then there is the scene from The Godfather II, where a young Vito Corleone, played by Robert Deniro, uses the ruse of a burnt out lightbulb to distract the leader of the Black Hand as he assassinates him.

1974 movies have made me wary around lightbulbs.

02-15-2021, 06:03 PM
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Rain Man's Avatar Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house	A minor electrical story for you. Our laundry room is in our basement, and the light switch to the room is located at the top of the stairs. However, you can also access the laundry room via another route in the basement with a different outside entrance, so we needed a way to turn the light on if you were already in the basement. We discovered this need when we moved into the house 25 years ago. After a moment of thought, a cheap and easy solution presented itself. We got one of those motion detectors that screws into the light fixture, and we always leave the light switch on. That way, the light comes on whenever anyone enters the room from any direction. Once in a blue moon someone will accidentally turn off the light switch, but for the most part it works great and it was a $10 solution. Now, if you go to the laundry room, it's got a big storage room adjacent to it. We access that storage room regularly for everything from WD40 to spare Dr. Pepper to tools to toilet plungers. It's got a separate light that is a classic pre-1950 style where the bare bulb hangs down from a wire and you turn a little thingie on the fixture to turn it on. So the other day I had to go get a tool out of the toolbox. I went down to the laundry room, and ... the light didn't come on. I grumbled that someone had turned the switch off, but it didn't matter that much because I was going to the storage room anyway and I had little fear of an ambush. I crossed the laundry room, went into the storage room, and turned the little thingie on the hanging light. It didn't turn on. I found that odd, but assumed that the light had burned out. So now I had to go back upstairs to turn the laundry room light switch on so I could get enough light to find both the tool I needed and now a spare light bulb for the storage room. (We conveniently store spare light bulbs in the storage room.) I went upstairs, turned the light on, went down, nodded a greeting to the now lit laundry room, and went into the storage room. Then I had a sudden thought. I reached up and turned the light thingie in the storage room. The light came on. I got my tool and went upstairs. My wife was there, and I said, "I'm really embarrassed to ask this question since we've lived here for 25 years, but did you know that the laundry room light switch also controls the light in the storage room?" She looked at me and said, "It does?" Apparently neither of us has ever gone into the storage room when the light switch was turned off.
Posts: 141,572

02-15-2021, 06:08 PM	#2
Jewish Rabbi What's up braj? Jewish Rabbi's Avatar Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Placencia, Belize	Can I come over and see how this works?
Posts: 15,603

02-15-2021, 06:13 PM	#4
mdstu Let's get a snack Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Cincinnati	Does that mean the bulb in the storage room is original to the house when you purchased it 25 years ago?
Posts: 1,353

02-15-2021, 06:36 PM	#8
mdstu Let's get a snack Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Cincinnati	Are you going put a motion controlled bulb in the storage room now? Now that you know it's on all the time.
Posts: 1,353

02-15-2021, 08:05 PM	#10
tyecopeland Veteran tyecopeland's Avatar Join Date: May 2019	Commenting before I read it, I'm hoping that this is as entertaining as the missing sock story was.
Posts: 4,514

02-15-2021, 08:13 PM	#11
mlyonsd Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Spink, SD	Reading that I have a vision in my head of Buffalo Bill's basement.
Posts: 38,882

02-15-2021, 08:13 PM	#12
dlphg9 MVP dlphg9's Avatar Join Date: Oct 2010	Found your problem
Posts: 16,943	4 0

02-15-2021, 08:44 PM	#13
cdcox www.nfl-forecast.com cdcox's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2000	Your story reminds me of the gasoline in the light bulb scene in The Longest Yard. 1974 version. Very pleased that you didn’t catch on fire.
Posts: 45,543

02-15-2021, 08:54 PM	#14
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Hammock Parties's Avatar Join Date: Nov 2002	I was thinking this was going to be a lot creepier. I thought I had a poltergeist earlier this year when I heard advertisements playing from the living room at 3 AM, after I had turned the TV off. That's what I get for leaving uTorrent running on my laptop.
Posts: 278,327