# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/81 "2012-08-07T16:52:34Z")
You guys are lightweights. The OP needs to pull a Ben Franklin for maximum effect. (just kidding obviously) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/82 "2012-08-07T16:55:29Z")
I really can’t imagine the cops would give two flying figs about this, unless you live in Mayberry and they have nothing else to do. Your landlord and/or the power company _might_ care, but then again they might not. Just unplug the damn cord. Remove any tape that’s on your part of the property and toss the cord aside. Your neighbor will get the message. In case he turns out to be brazen enough to plug it back in, flip the breaker off too. You can flip it back on if you ever use that outlet; not that big an inconvenience. I don’t suppose mine is the most creative solution, but it would surely be effective. Nobody can steal electricity from a non-powered outlet. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/83 "2012-08-07T17:00:14Z")
Every once in a while, the OP could unplug the cord, wait five seconds and plug it in again. Just in case the thief has a powered-up PC plugged in. But I really like the idea of running his cord back to his own outlet. How long will he go using his own power while thinking that he’s stealing it? And aren’t there locking plugs one can put into outlets to prevent this thing in the future? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/84 "2012-08-07T17:00:45Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I really can’t imagine the cops would give two flying figs about this, unless you live in Mayberry and they have nothing else to do. Your landlord and/or the power company _might_ care, but then again they might not. Not if you discount the whole “possibly growing pot thing”. And I suspect cops actually like the WTF? “interesting” calls. Being a cop is probably pretty boring with random moments of terror thrown in. Even if there is no pot it would be a nice diversion for them IMO. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/85 "2012-08-07T17:09:03Z")
Are you sure it’s your outlet, one that you are paying power for? Are you sure it’s your neighbor who plugged that cord in? Could it be building management for some legit reason or even part of some service you ordered - perhaps even a external light fixture that is for your apartment? If you decide to send 1.21 jigawatts into that line first consider if there is a flux capacitor in whatever is hooked up to it and also consider if you set the thing on fire inside your apartment complex. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/86 "2012-08-07T17:48:39Z")
Take some scotch magic transparent tape and put a thin layer on each side of one blade of the plug on the end of the cord. Trim it with an exacto knife, so it doesn’t show at all. In a couple of days, you will find the cord has been replaced. Wash, rinse, repeat. Eventually he will figure out he is spending more on extension cords than he is saving on power. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/87 "2012-08-07T17:59:19Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > Just start pulling it in, really hard and jerky. Yeah, I was thinking along the lines of wrapping the cord around your trailer hitch and driving around the block. Years ago, when we were buying a house in a new development, we went out to see how it was coming along and found that our neighbor (whose house had been completed a month or so before) was using our hose outlet to water his lawn. I just detached his hose and kept it. He didn’t say anything. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/88 "2012-08-07T18:00:06Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Possible solutions: > > 1. have the apartment management come out and see it, so that if it turns out he’s a weird asshole in general I’m already building a case against him. > 2. Figure out how to make the power cable surge and blow up whatever he has connected to it > 3. my friend’s suggestion: climb up on his patio, plug an extension cord into his outdoor outlet, and start stealing his power. Then have a fun time when he comes down to object. Problems: #2 has a serious chance of backfiring - just ask O.J. Simpson how well “self-administered justice” works. #3 might result in, while you are away, your neighbor removing his cord, taking a picture of your cord, and complaining to the management that you are the one stealing his power - and he has the visual evidence to prove it. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/89 "2012-08-07T18:03:54Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I really can’t imagine the cops would give two flying figs about this, unless you live in Mayberry and they have nothing else to do. In Philly, the police instituted a policy of intervening in disputes between neighbors before they become violent. Further, theft of services is a crime. > [@](#): > > Your landlord and/or the power company _might_ care, but then again they might not. Any decent landlord would definitely care that one tenant is stealing electricity from another and has violated the fire code. The power company would absolutely be interested in theft of services. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_Next\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@Girl\_Next\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_Next_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/90 "2012-08-07T18:04:04Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Many years ago, my coworkers and I were having thermostat wars. Working with menopausal women can suck sometimes. I was the department manager and got sick of constantly putting the AC temp back where it was supposed to be. Finally, I got the maintenance guy to put a clear plastic box over it that locked at the bottom. You had to come into my office and kiss my ass if you wanted me to adjust the temperature. Heartless bastard! I would come to your office and use my fat, puffy, emotionally and hormonally unstable hands to wring your neck! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/91 "2012-08-07T18:05:37Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Take some scotch magic transparent tape and put a thin layer on each side of one blade of the plug on the end of the cord. Trim it with an exacto knife, so it doesn’t show at all. > > In a couple of days, you will find the cord has been replaced. Wash, rinse, repeat. Eventually he will figure out he is spending more on extension cords than he is saving on power. Better way, IMHO: clear fingernail polish. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/92 "2012-08-07T18:05:52Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Take some scotch magic transparent tape and put a thin layer on each side of one blade of the plug on the end of the cord. Trim it with an exacto knife, so it doesn’t show at all. > > In a couple of days, you will find the cord has been replaced. Wash, rinse, repeat. Eventually he will figure out he is spending more on extension cords than he is saving on power. I like this idea very, very much. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/93 "2012-08-07T18:13:19Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Every once in a while, the OP could unplug the cord, wait five seconds and plug it in again. Just in case the thief has a powered-up PC plugged in. Why should **SenorBeef** give two shits about whether or not the thief has any PC much less a powered-up one plugged into it. He’s a goddamn thief and doesn’t deserve any, much less that kind of, consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/94 "2012-08-07T18:18:19Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Every once in a while, the OP could unplug the cord, wait five seconds and plug it in again. Just in case the thief has a powered-up PC plugged in. But I really like the idea of running his cord back to his own outlet. How long will he go using his own power while thinking that he’s stealing it? And aren’t there locking plugs one can put into outlets to prevent this thing in the future? > [@Kimballkid](#): > > Why should **SenorBeef** give two shits about whether or not the thief has any PC much less a powered-up one plugged into it. He’s a goddamn thief and doesn’t deserve any, much less that kind of, consideration. He’s suggesting **SenorBeef** unplug the cord at random intervals so the guy’s computer shuts down and he loses whatever he’s working on. A lot of these ideas are really funny, but calling the landlord and the electric company sounds like the smartest and the most effective way to go here. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/95 "2012-08-07T18:21:14Z")
> [@Girl\_Next\_Door](#): > > Heartless bastard! I would come to your office and use my fat, puffy, emotionally and hormonally unstable hands to wring your neck! 😛 Heartless _bitch_. And just try it, honey. 😉 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/96 "2012-08-07T18:21:32Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Further, theft of services is a crime. A few years ago at my business, a neighbor saw someone put stuff into my dumpster when i was closed. He got the license plate number. A call to the local police led to the guy being charged with theft of services. The cop brought him to the dumpster and showed him things with his address on it (at first he denied the crime). ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/97 "2012-08-07T18:47:43Z")
> [@Jimson\_Jim](#): > > Everyone says trip that breaker but if this building was built as an apartment building then the external outlets should be on a separate external breaker that is not in your apartment. The external outlets along with external lights, hallway lights, signs, the central air and heat, washer, dryer and any low voltage items like locks and intercom will be in the circuit panel for the building itself. > > This wire maybe some kludge fix by building maintenance because the upstairs external outlet is nonfunctional. Oh crap—it’s the Voice of Reason, and it’s making sense. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/98 "2012-08-07T18:51:18Z")
Another vote for notifying your landlord and taking pictures/video. Always cover your ass. Then introduce your landlord to some of the suggestions listed here. He might enjoy them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/99 "2012-08-07T18:54:05Z")
I came here to suggest supplying 220V to the extension cord, but I see two others have mentioned it already. I would do it. On a serious note, the utility companies do not fuck around. I had a landlord that had a small light above our garages that was getting power before the meter. This light had run for almost twenty years like this. Long story short, total fines, penalties, etc. cost her $18,000. Call your management company, document on video, and call the utility company. Don’t forget the 220V. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690/100 "2012-08-07T18:58:51Z")
One thing. If you want to get an idea of the power he is drawing but don’t want to tip him off by unplugging the cord to use your meter then carefully feel the cord with your hand. If it is not a really heavy duty cord and he is drawing lots of power the cord and or plug itself will be warm. And if he is drawing LOTS of power, then some shenagins are probably about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-neighbor-is-stealing-my-electricity-in-a-really-dumb-way/630690.md?page=6)