# An Exterior Light is Shining at a Long-Abandoned Building **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452 "2005-12-28T17:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/1 "2005-12-28T17:25:14Z")
A few years ago an old Wendy’s was torn down. It had sat derelict for maybe ten years before it was torn down. Interestingly, every time I drove by there there was one, and only one, exterior light on that building, shining 24/7. Can anyone shed some light (heh-heh) on how or why this would be? Either the power company forgot to turn off the power to that ONE light, or someone paid the bill each month to have that one light continuously shining. I’ve noticed other abandoned commercial properties around town with a still-functioning exterior light, so it wasn’t specific to this Wendy’s. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/2 "2005-12-28T17:36:16Z")
Perhaps the building’s owner paid for it, to discourage criminals/homeless people/squatters from breaking in at night? I don’t know what kind of a neighborhood this was in, but a building sitting empty for 10 years doesn’t exactly suggest bustling economic activity. That’s my theory. Until someone comes along with a better one, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/3 "2005-12-28T17:43:51Z")
> [@jackelope](#): > > Perhaps the building’s owner paid for it, to discourage criminals/homeless people/squatters from breaking in at night? I don’t know what kind of a neighborhood this was in, but a building sitting empty for 10 years doesn’t exactly suggest bustling economic activity. > > That’s my theory. Until someone comes along with a better one, anyway. I’m sure it’s on purpose, surely in 10 years someone would have to stop by from time to time and change the bulb. If I had to take a WAG, I’d bet it would have something to do with making sure the city can’t reclaim (the ‘unused’) property as their own. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/4 "2005-12-29T15:56:17Z")
Could it be used as an easy indication that the power to the building was still on? Power, along with water, would be needed to keep the sprinkler systems up and running. A light burning outside would let someone know at a glance that the power was still on. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/5 "2005-12-29T16:48:30Z")
Even though there’s no longer a business in there, somebody still owned it. The power had to be on to maintain a 55 degree temperature to protect the plumbing ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/6 "2005-12-29T17:07:58Z")
As you passed by, did you ever see somebody wandering around in the back wearing a rubber mask? “And nobody would have been the wiser if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids and their damn dog…” ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/7 "2005-12-29T22:39:27Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Even though there’s no longer a business in there, somebody still owned it. The power had to be on to maintain a 55 degree temperature to protect the plumbing What happens to the plumbing if the temperature drops below 55 degrees? ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/8 "2005-12-29T22:41:40Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > What happens to the plumbing if the temperature drops below 55 degrees? If it’s over 55 it gets a speeding ticket and a welcome letter from the AARP. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/9 "2005-12-29T23:19:05Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > What happens to the plumbing if the temperature drops below 55 degrees? I don’t know who set the standard, but it is common practice to set the temp no lower than 55 to protect the plumbing from freezing, perhaps in parts of the building farthest away from the thermostat. I have to agree that it seems pretty high. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exterior-light-is-shining-at-a-long-abandoned-building/337452/10 "2005-12-30T00:47:22Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > If it’s over 55 it gets a speeding ticket and a welcome letter from the AARP. The welcome letter from AARP comes at 50 now, my wife got hers a few weeks ago, she turned 50 on the 27th. Many commercial electrical customers have business accounts, one billing for multiple properties. It is possible the power bill was paid in this way.