# The Haunted Switch, or, has anyone seen this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** tools-electric-diy\ **Created:** [July 31, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054 "2026-07-31T16:14:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/1 "2026-07-31T16:14:47Z")
I have several outdoor “water features”, controlled by a double paddle switches. Purely mechanical. old skool. They are behind outdoor waterproof covers. Similar to this > **[Leviton Decora Combination Wall Switch (Dual Switch)](https://www.homecontrols.com/products/leviton-decora-combination-wall-switch-dual-switch-lv5634x)** > > Shop for Leviton Decora Combination Wall Switch (Dual Switch) () at Home Controls. Enjoy shipping specials, no-hassle returns & free tech support. Twice this week, my wife was working out there and one turned on all by itself. Last night I was out there at midnight, turning off the other pumps, not standing near this switch at all, and it turned on. I tells ya, it can freak you out! The switch seems fine, it doesn’t feel “soft” like a broken spring or anything. So, ruling out ghosts, has anyone ever seen mechanical switches activate themselves? Or turn themselves off? I don’t believe it could happen, but it did. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/2 "2026-07-31T16:22:21Z")
Is it only one switch doing this? Do the paddles have the same amount of play? Maybe it’s never getting fully turned off, due to bugs or debris behind the rocker. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/3 "2026-07-31T16:22:31Z")
So the switch actually shifted from the off to the on position? That would be very strange indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/4 "2026-07-31T16:28:48Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > That would be very strange indeed. YES! I can’t imagine how it would happen. Beowulff might be on to something with debris inside the case. While it is in a weatherproof cover, it’s still outside in AZ. It’s been in service nearly 20 years. I may just replace it anyway, and not disassemble it to see. ---
**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 1, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/5 "2026-08-01T15:13:08Z")
I would check the connections on the switches and clean or replace the switches. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/6 "2026-08-01T15:49:22Z")
Is it possible that water has gotten inside the switches, despite the waterproofing, and is sometimes shorting out the switch? ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/7 "2026-08-01T16:18:49Z")
I don’t find it that surprising. My wife and I have a couple wall switches in our house that we can turn “on” or “off” without QUITE flipping the switch entirely up or down. Closing the adjacent door roughly will sometimes cause the switch to move. Depending on the internal mechanism, I can certainly imagine a switch being “on the cusp” and then slipping one way or the other. Or they’re haunted. I can go for either one. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/8 "2026-08-01T16:53:28Z")
Is the switch housing out in the sun? It can expand & contact, like any other material, which could throw the switch. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/9 "2026-08-01T17:37:32Z")
Take the cover plate off the switch and see if there are ants in the electrical box. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/10 "2026-08-01T17:57:20Z")
Ooooh, that’s actually a good idea! As far as switches failing, my grandfather once had a '56 Ford ex highway patrol car. They were in front of a restaurant at a wedding reception when the car began cranking its starter and slowly pulling out into the street (manual transmission). He ran over, popped the hood and then gave himself a pretty good burn yanking the battery cable off. In the end, the solenoid (a magnetically actuated switch) had failed. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/11 "2026-08-01T17:57:34Z")
Not sure if this has anything to do with it or not; it’s just an FYI. But standard switches are rated for 15 A, and are designed with the assumption that they’re controlling lights. If a switch is to control something _other_ than lights (e.g. garbage disposal, power to a receptacle), I _highly_ recommend using a switch rated for 20 A, especially if a motor is being powered. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/12 "2026-08-01T18:28:57Z")
To address all the comments: the switch is actually in the on position. So not a short (though we did check for that). Until I replace it,w e are making sure (push extra hard) that it is in the off position and so far we haven’t has a recurrence. But that would still mean it was moving from (almost) off to on without any input. No animals, no birds, no intense ground vibrations. Still weird. While the switch box is outdoors, it is not getting direct intense Arizona sunlight. Nothing looks distorted. And yes there are ants there. But they have not exhibited any evidence of rapid evolution or aggressive anti-human behavior. > **[Phase IV (1974 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_IV_(1974_film))** > > Phase IV is a 1974 science fiction horror film directed by graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass. It was written by Mayo Simon, who used H. G. Wells's 1905 short story "Empire of the Ants" as inspiration. The film stars Michael Murphy, Nigel Davenport, and Lynne Frederick. Interiors were shot at Pinewood Studios in England and exterior locations were shot in Kenya, though the film is set in the Arizona desert in the United States. It was produced by Alced Productions and Paramount Pictures. T... ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/13 "2026-08-01T19:13:26Z")
Just fix it with duct tape. It is what we used for everything at work. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/14 "2026-08-01T20:21:06Z")
The OP is in Arizona, USA – not Canada! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/15 "2026-08-01T22:17:56Z")
I was using duct tape at work (in the US) long before I ever heard _quando omni flunkus moritati_. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/16 "2026-08-02T05:40:56Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > outdoor waterproof covers Are you really, really sure that your waterproof outdoor covers are really really waterproof? No heavy, windy, thunderstorms? ---
**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 2, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/17 "2026-08-02T18:35:27Z")
Ants invaded my well pump. They were crawling inside the pump relay so that the pump would not turn on. They are apparently attracted to electrical current, like the relay closing. If your switches do not close a relay, I don’t believe ants will be the cause. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-haunted-switch-or-has-anyone-seen-this/1032054/18 "2026-08-02T19:13:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > While the switch box is outdoors, i Ahh- Raccoons or similar.