[texmaster]

Ok I have to share this here because I wont admit it to the wife

So each year when we put up our decorations I have been making a make shift fence to really keep the kids from touching the props on the lawn after a few were damaged. Over the years I've added the dancing lights to give them some character but this year I decided to replace all the pumpkin lights for the fence with rope lights. So I go online, find what I thought was a really great price and buy. Get them this weekend, plug them all in and they work! For about 20 minutes. Then they shut off. ? Check the breaker....all good. So I go to the switch and turn them back on. Took a while but I got them back on! For about 2 minutes.

Now the switch is totally dead. And I just put it in! Its one of those new fangled Z wave switches you can turn on with your phone! (those with electrical knowledge are probably laughing and realized what I did)

So I'm really confused. No issue with the breaker and the lights work fine when I plug them in to a regular outlet. Think more and more and more then look at the rope light box. Not LED as I intended but incandescent rope lights. So basically I was throwing over 1000 watts at a switch that can handle 600 max not including the rest of the props. Not only that, the LEDs are a WHOLE lot more expensive. So I call the company back, get an RMA and ask if I can pay the difference in cash They agree, I tell the wife I'm returning them for a better deal which is essentially true since the new switch I had to buy can handle the LED rope lights

But we are back up and running. yay!

If you've made it through this far congrats. And if it made you feel better about yourself then success!

 

[Wolfman]

Glitches are a fact of life for the Haunter...

 

[GobbyGruesome]

That's the kind of thing I'd likely end up discovering October 31st at 2 in the afternoon. Everything is relative - in my book you're a genius for getting it solved early!

 

[Bruzilla]

Someday, someone will create a reality show about haunters. It will be called Trial and Error because that is the nature of our existence. I think this every time I'm in Home Depot or Lowe's and the cashier asks "did you find everything you needed?" I always have to tell them "I'm making a such and such prop from scratch, so I have absolutely no idea what I need, so expect me back again soon."

 

[UnOrthodOx]

People are always asking how it is I am so good at immediately switching to a plan B every time something bad happens. "Halloween" as the answer really confuses them, but this is just a case in point. Adapt and overcome.

Someday, someone will create a reality show about haunters. It will be called Trial and Error because that is the nature of our existence. I think this every time I'm in Home Depot or Lowe's and the cashier asks "did you find everything you needed?" I always have to tell them "I'm making a such and such prop from scratch, so I have absolutely no idea what I need, so expect me back again soon."

"We both know I'll be back tomorrow for whatever I forgot" is my normal response. Doesn't help that the hardware store is practically across the street now.

 

[Grey Lady]

I told my husband just yesterday that I wished I didn't have to learn everything by trial and error, I should have a little Halloween elf sitting on my shoulder and guiding me. My Husband said "You will remember the lessons better this way", I hate it when he's right.

 

[Windborn]

reminds me of the year we had plugged all our lights into a new solar multi-plug thingie. Got everything hooked up, turned it on and it looked great! Well, for about 30 second when everything went dark... followed by 30 seconds of lights... and then dark...

yup - the lights were affecting the solar element! they lit up, the adapter thought it was daylight so it turned off, making it dark and thus "night" again! Took us a while to figure it out - we kept looking for faulty wires and lights!

 

[ZombieRaider]

My best electricity story revolves around Xmas time in 1981...I was about 9 years old, in the attic, alone with a flashlight rummaging through boxes of Xmas decorations when I find one of those white, plastic, 5 candle candelabras you stick in your window....I think we got it at an auction for a quarter and thrown in the box so it was never tested....I grabbed it and a hand full of bulbs and off to my bedroom I went....After screwing in the bulbs and plugging it in, I discovered it didn't work so I decided the best option was to rewire it....I cut all the wires and to my best ability wired the mess back together in what resembled a ball....Wrapped some electrical tape for good measure and was ready to test it....Even at 9 years old, I knew better than to just plug it in....Our bathroom had those florescent tube fixtures on either side of the mirror at the sink with a plug outlet in the bottom and it only had power to them when you turned the light switch on....I decided that was my best option so I excitedly ran downstairs, flung the bathroom door open, mom is sitting on the toilet yelling something, I just told her to hold on a minute I wanted to test something, turned the light switch off, plugged the candelabra in, then stood outside the door in the hallway, stuck my hand around the corner and flipped the switch.....I've never heard electricity explode like that in my life!!!.... Sparks lit up the entire room bouncing off the walls (like Star Wars I thought) and I don't think I've ever heard mom scream in terror that loud before!!!......Yeah....I'm sure of it....She never screamed that loud before.... (2 good things) 1- She was still on the toilet so I didn't get a beating and 2- The fuse blew pretty much right away so no real damage beyond the blown fuse....Dad wasn't even mad he had to go to the basement to change it....He kind of chuckled at the whole thing......ZR

 

[matrixmom]

Like having to dry all the electrical connections after the sprinklers come on (notice sprinklers!! not rain - nothing happens when it rains) and then cellophane wrap the connections - I forgot to do this this year!

 

[Frightshow]

My best electricity story revolves around Xmas time in 1981...I was about 9 years old, in the attic, alone with a flashlight rummaging through boxes of Xmas decorations when I find one of those white, plastic, 5 candle candelabras you stick in your window....I think we got it at an auction for a quarter and thrown in the box so it was never tested....I grabbed it and a hand full of bulbs and off to my bedroom I went....After screwing in the bulbs and plugging it in, I discovered it didn't work so I decided the best option was to rewire it....I cut all the wires and to my best ability wired the mess back together in what resembled a ball....Wrapped some electrical tape for good measure and was ready to test it....Even at 9 years old, I knew better than to just plug it in....Our bathroom had those florescent tube fixtures on either side of the mirror at the sink with a plug outlet in the bottom and it only had power to them when you turned the light switch on....I decided that was my best option so I excitedly ran downstairs, flung the bathroom door open, mom is sitting on the toilet yelling something, I just told her to hold on a minute I wanted to test something, turned the light switch off, plugged the candelabra in, then stood outside the door in the hallway, stuck my hand around the corner and flipped the switch.....I've never heard electricity explode like that in my life!!!.... Sparks lit up the entire room bouncing off the walls (like Star Wars I thought) and I don't think I've ever heard mom scream in terror that loud before!!!......Yeah....I'm sure of it....She never screamed that loud before.... (2 good things) 1- She was still on the toilet so I didn't get a beating and 2- The fuse blew pretty much right away so no real damage beyond the blown fuse....Dad wasn't even mad he had to go to the basement to change it....He kind of chuckled at the whole thing......ZR

That's the funniest story I've heard all week! Mom on the toilet, sparks like Star Wars - you're killing me! Absolutely hilarious!

 

[ToddandMelissa]

This is starting to freak me out! My husband and I have been stuck at work with a large job going on so we have not taken anything from "THE SHED" yet. We are taking next week off to power through getting the yard up and running. Cannot wait to see what is not working. Thanks for the early SCARE!

 

[TosaTerror]

Someday, someone will create a reality show about haunters. It will be called Trial and Error because that is the nature of our existence. I think this every time I'm in Home Depot or Lowe's and the cashier asks "did you find everything you needed?" I always have to tell them "I'm making a such and such prop from scratch, so I have absolutely no idea what I need, so expect me back again soon."

I know the feeling. Over the past two weeks I've lost track of how many times I've told my wife "I need to run to Lowes for one more thing..." I've probably been there a dozen times (no exageration) this month.

It's a sickness, I can't leave well enough alone.

 

[RCIAG]

You must not have read my signature line:

"There are no mistakes, only happy little accidents." - Bob Ross

So you had a "happy little accident,' but NEVER a mistake!!