Ghost Lights

[MMHagler]

Why would my spot light suddenly turn on in the middle of the night. I have it hooked to a three way switch to make it go from side to side and a separate toggle to turn the light on and off. Works fine but looked out the other night and my backyard was lit up. There is one power wire running both and one ground wire hooked to both.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Ghost Lights

I will assume you went out and turned it OFF.
How did you turn it OFF?
Switch or Fuse?

 

[Grub54891]

Re: Ghost Lights

If ya have a battery switch shut it off,then the light shouldnt come on if some kids were messing around. Lol mabe the switch is going south.
Had a bilge switch that would go off on its own when unattended,sitting in the yard,drain plug out,bow up,it was the switch.
Grub

 

[gm280]

Re: Ghost Lights

Why would my spot light suddenly turn on in the middle of the night. I have it hooked to a three way switch to make it go from side to side and a separate toggle to turn the light on and off. Works fine but looked out the other night and my backyard was lit up. There is one power wire running both and one ground wire hooked to both.

Maybe it's time to call in the Ghost Hunters for their investigation...

Sounds like somebody is pranking you... Set up a trail camera and see...

 

[JoLin]

Re: Ghost Lights

Your boat's afraid of the dark. Just check the bilge and storage lockers before you leave her for the day, and let her know there aren't any monsters hiding there. She'll grow out of it.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Ghost Lights

a water ground in a switch

 

[MMHagler]

Re: Ghost Lights

Pulled the power cable off the battery and the next day I installed a new switch but it came on again when I was cutting the grass in the middle of the day,water ground sounds like the possible problem,how do I fix it...silicon spray? Thx

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Ghost Lights

are you buying the switchs with the rubber boots or the cheap made in china auto parts ones

 

[gm280]

Re: Ghost Lights

Are you switching voltage to your light(s) or switching ground? Most setups switch voltage which makes total sense. I ask because I don't see how a "water ground" is causing light(s) to magically turn on for a few reasons. First the water would have to have penetrated the new switch immediately after you installed it. Secondly, while water will conduct electricity, it isn't a great conductor and therefore I can't see how it would carry enough current to light anything with much current draw... So something else is going on...

 

[81_chapparel194]

Re: Ghost Lights

is the switch in the "off" position when the light is on? maybe there is another wire beyond the switch with a naked spot perhaps a connector making contact and energizing the spot light. trace wires from the switch all the way to the light. it has to be in front of the switch.

 

[frantically relaxing]

Re: Ghost Lights

I have to chuckle

When we bought the SkipperLiner we had no keys for the flybridge ignition switches, so I bought a couple of new ones. And I didn't put the rubber covers on... I found out the hard way that I should have, and I'm here to tell anyone that YES, water will indeed wreak havoc with switches-- In the middle of the night during a drizzle, the starboard engine started itself up. Scared the bajezus outta me! Lemme tell ya, the thought of someone stealing your boat while yer sleeping in it is NO fun! When I found the problem, I had to push the stick past neutral to kill the power to the starter, which also stalled the engine. Too bad I didn't do that with the port stick because less than an hour later the port engine also fired itself up!

SO-- not sure if water is the OP's problem, but if there's ANY chance of water being anywhere NEAR the electric connections or switches, that may be the problem...

 

[gm280]

Re: Ghost Lights

I have to chuckle

When we bought the SkipperLiner we had no keys for the flybridge ignition switches, so I bought a couple of new ones. And I didn't put the rubber covers on... I found out the hard way that I should have, and I'm here to tell anyone that YES, water will indeed wreak havoc with switches-- In the middle of the night during a drizzle, the starboard engine started itself up. Scared the bajezus outta me! Lemme tell ya, the thought of someone stealing your boat while yer sleeping in it is NO fun! When I found the problem, I had to push the stick past neutral to kill the power to the starter, which also stalled the engine. Too bad I didn't do that with the port stick because less than an hour later the port engine also fired itself up!

SO-- not sure if water is the OP's problem, but if there's ANY chance of water being anywhere NEAR the electric connections or switches, that may be the problem...

WOW that would have been a traumatic event for me as well if the engine would have started up by itself, especially in the middle of the night like that. However, in your situation it was water penetrating the starter switch(s) making a completed circuit with a starter solenoid. But the OP never stated that rain or sprinkler system came on and caused his problem. So I can understand your situation a lot easier then a "water ground" issue... While your situation makes a little more sense, I was under the understanding that an ignition switch in the "OFF" position shorts the points / power pack to ground and keeps it from firing up... OMG that WOULD have been a very strange occurrence indeed... In similar situations, a little silicone spray around the tiny openings could have prevented such an ordeal...

 

[frantically relaxing]

Re: Ghost Lights

After I posted up about our boat engines starting themselves, I remembered that once many years ago I was driving our Winnebago home from the gas station in heavy rain, the generator started itself up. I was told by the dealer that happens fairly often...