# My neighbor is... stealing my electricity. In a really dumb way. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690 "2012-08-07T03:05:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/301 "2012-08-10T18:19:03Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > That I like, it has a ‘voodoo like’ characteristic taking away his manhood. > > More effective if the person stealing is male, less effective if that person is female, not advised if that person is a voodoo priest 😃 Ooh! I like this idea! Change to female end and wrap a chicken foot on there with raffia. . . He’ll NEVER bother you again!!! :: Mr. Burns fingers :: ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/302 "2012-08-10T20:17:00Z")
Oh my gawd, did you meter him yet?? It’s FRIDAY! Page 7! We only have so much patience! ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/303 "2012-08-10T20:42:24Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Perhaps this isn’t some grand scheme to power up an entire apartment at your expense? Maybe the guys outdoor receptacle is broke and the landlord is ignoring repair requests? Using yours without permission is just rude and tacky. But, there might only be one small device drawing power. > > One indicator is the size of the extension cord. A cheap $5 cord will only power a lamp or radio without getting too hot. Running a space heater or window AC requires an extension cord the size of your pinky finger. Feel the cord with your hands. If it’s warm then its drawing too much power. Hot??? Unplug it immediately before a fire starts. > > My solution? Kill the breaker. Remove the receptacle and put on a blank cover plate. Turn breaker back on. Few months later, reinstall receptacle. My god this is brilliant!! I mean **nobody** in the whole 6+ pages of this thread has thought of any of that much less thought to type it out and post it. You must be some kind of genius! ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/304 "2012-08-10T20:45:01Z")
This thread is frustrating. We need you to do something about this situation. We need closure! What about us? What about _ **our** _ needs?? Seriously, though, we want justice. _Get him_!! ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/305 "2012-08-10T20:49:03Z")
Okay, so the guy was drawing an average of 220w over about 21 hours. Not sure if that’s the full load, since me pulling the cord temporarily might’ve reset some devices into standby that never got turned back on. Talked to the people at the complex office - they’re going to have the property manager come out and take a look at it, but they told me to give them a copy of the power bill and they’re going to make him pay the difference from june and july out of his rent and I guess pay it towards mine. That’s all I have for now. Firebombing stage comes later. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/306 "2012-08-10T20:57:55Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Okay, so the guy was drawing an average of 220w over about 21 hours. At .096 per kWhr in PA, that’s forty-two cents. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/307 "2012-08-10T21:31:10Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > At .096 per kWhr in PA, that’s forty-two cents. Finally! The Ultimate Question has been revealed! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/308 "2012-08-10T21:47:40Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > Finally! The Ultimate Question has been revealed! I was expecting something… more. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/309 "2012-08-10T22:05:06Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > At .096 per kWhr in PA, that’s forty-two cents. But still, that’s about fifteen bucks a month. Not huge, but enough to raise a stink about. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/310 "2012-08-10T22:46:20Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > 220w over about 21 hours. So equal to about a 60w bulb for less than three hours? ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/311 "2012-08-10T22:54:44Z")
> [@Enkel](#): > > So equal to about a 60w bulb for less than three hours? No, he said it was an average of 220 watts over 21 hours; that is 220 watts of continuous load for 21 hours (that’s how it sounds to me), which is 5.3 kWh per day (0.22 kW x 24 hours). ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/312 "2012-08-10T23:01:15Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Talked to the people at the complex office - they’re going to have the property manager come out and take a look at it, but they told me to give them a copy of the power bill and they’re going to make him pay the difference from june and july out of his rent and I guess pay it towards mine. > > That’s all I have for now. Firebombing stage comes later. Probably the best possible outcome of any scenario given. Nice werk. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/313 "2012-08-10T23:04:38Z")
So the property manager said that we’d have to go to the power company and police to get the incident properly documented. At that point I pretty much had to. Power company said they didn’t care/had nothing to do with it, etc. Police stopped by and looked it over. The neighbors weren’t home so there was no one to talk to. They took a statement, took some pictures, and then took the cable and just yanked the thing like I was going to originally. Something went kerplunk upstairs. Now I’m waiting for the neighbors to come home and come down here and yelling me for having the audacity to remove their cable. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/314 "2012-08-10T23:45:06Z")
That sort of sucks. Like letting your sister pop your zit while you look the other way. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/315 "2012-08-11T00:06:22Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Police stopped by and looked it over. The neighbors weren’t home so there was no one to talk to. They took a statement, took some pictures, and then took the cable and just yanked the thing like I was going to originally. Something went kerplunk upstairs. So I guess the cops were worried that your neighbor wasn’t going to be pissed enough at you while you were out of town? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/316 "2012-08-11T00:42:56Z")
My a/c just tipped over and now my bunnies have heatstroke: any chance of a quick whip-round to buy new one? ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/317 "2012-08-11T00:49:36Z")
> [@Beastly\_Rotter](#): > > My a/c just tipped over and now my bunnies have heatstroke: any chance of a quick whip-round to buy new one? I just about choked to death to on my fucking pizza! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/318 "2012-08-11T00:52:45Z")
> [@Beastly\_Rotter](#): > > My a/c just tipped over and now my bunnies have heatstroke: any chance of a quick whip-round to buy new one? Bwahahahaha! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/319 "2012-08-11T00:58:41Z")
I got it covered. Give me your Paypal address. ---
**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:** [August 11, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/320 "2012-08-11T01:35:27Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > I got it covered. Give me your Paypal address. Hold on a minute…first we should see if he _needs_ the money or if he’s just asking for the sake of asking. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690.md?page=17)