Homeowners spent years chasing a rogue floodlight, then uncovered baffling kitchen wiring

A couple in a 1980s home spent more than three years puzzled by a backyard floodlight that turned on and off without any apparent pattern. 

By accident, they eventually learned the outdoor fixture was connected to an under-cabinet kitchen switch, even though the light was on a different exterior wall, out of sight.

Here's what to know

Posting to Reddit's r/homeowners forum, the original poster explained that they had spent years trying to pin down why the backyard floodlight kept turning on and off. None of the usual explanations fit: the light had no motion sensor, no solar panel, and no identifiable wall switch that seemed to operate it.

After testing every breaker in the home, they had determined that the exterior light was on a circuit that also served parts of the kitchen and living room. However, even with that knowledge, they couldn't find a switch that controlled the exterior light.

Finally, after they had all but given up on solving the mystery, the OP was "messing with the under kitchen cabinet light switch" and their husband, who was elsewhere in the house, noticed the exterior light turning on and off. Since the floodlight couldn't be seen from the kitchen window, the connection had gone unnoticed for years.

In the comments, many Redditors were as dumbfounded as the OP and their husband. 

"Are your floodlights on the same switch as the cabinet lights or are there two switches there?" asked one user. "Just curious what ridiculous wiring someone did."

Commenters shared their stories

After solving their own mini-mystery, the OP wondered whether other homeowners had experienced similar situations. 

"It seems so simple now, but has anyone else ever discovered something about their home years after living in them?" the OP asked.

Commenters quickly shared their experiences. One Reddit user explained that they also ran into a problem involving outdoor lights. Their father, a general contractor, spent several days tracing a string of outdoor lights and got only two of the five sets working.

"The other three are a mystery," the commenter wrote. "I'll probably die without ever knowing." 

Elsewhere in the thread, one homeowner shared how, in their home, two living room switches operated a lamp outlet but also affected the doorbell "in the opposite way."

"My doorbell only works if my lamp is off," they added.

Another said their pantry switch also controlled the backyard lights, so "when anyone goes for a late night snack we know!"

Where can I learn more?

When it comes to wiring-related mysteries, the risks go far beyond wondering which switch controls each light. These stories included scorched walls, costly rewiring workarounds, phantom electricity use, and other electrical oddities. 

• One homeowner shared how aging wiring scorched their wall, showing how old electrical work can turn dangerous.

• ConnectDER introduced a device that could prevent costly rewiring for EV chargers and solar.

• A baffled homeowner faced a new neighbor's choice of outdoor lighting flooding nearby yards.

• One family tracked down devices they hadn't turned on in years that were still draining electricity.

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