How Do You Feel About Leaving A Light On When You Are Away?o

[Jennykenny]

I live alone, and like to go away a lot.
How do you feel about using these plugs that turn lights on and off while you are away?
I have an irrational fear of fire being caused by them.
And when and where do you use them? And what type?

[sunny-dave]

I'm very happy with LED lights being on when I'm away - either permanently or on a timer/activator.

I'm less happy about conventional light bulbs, purely because of the heat they put out (and the cost too).

[bhg481]

We've been using them for at least 20 years.

We have two types. One type plugs into a mains socket and turns on a reading light when daylight fades - we combine this with a timer which turns off the light at a given time, rather than leaving the light on until dusk.
The second type replaces a normal light switch and has a timer and a daylight sensor. The light is allowed by the timer to switch on at, say, 3pm but doesn't until the light fades. It switches off at a pre-set time.

[Peter Pedant]

erm I have a burglar alarm, actually .....

[jno]

who hears it when it goes off, PP? Is it one of those ones you can follow on your Ipad?

[bhg481]

I should add that some of these switches will not work with low-energy bulbs. The reading-lamp types are OK but the ones switching the room lights rely on leakage current through the bulbs (because there is no neutral on room light switches) and low-energy bulbs have too high a resistance to enable this. You need about 15watts for the switch to operate so tungsten/halogen bulbs are fine but for LEDs you will need a chandelier type fitting with the total wattage above 15 - we have a chandelier with 3 x 6watt LEDs and it works fine.

[jno]

jk, yes, I've used a couple of them for years and had no trouble and no burglaries. They're called Kingshield.

[Minkyme]

I use these plugs all the time, I have the tv, radio and the lights controlled, I’ve also put large human shaped cut outs so you can see the shadows from outside and it looks like there are people by the window. I’ve never had a fire and never worry about the 21 pence a year to run these items, I also have ip cameras all over the house and outside so I can check my home, garden and even have 2 stealthy cams watching either side of the streets which I can check 24 hours a day and also alerts me whenever someone comes to the front door with an image of them. Money well spent I say.

[Jennykenny]

Mindy, I assume you are sending us all up.

[Jennykenny]

Sorry Mindy.

[Jennykenny]

Dear God, this spellcheck thing is driving me mad.
Sorry Minky.

[douglas9401]

Minky may be Macaulay Culkin.

[Tilly2]

We use the plug in ones whenever we go away. No problem with fires.

[Mamyalynne]

I use timer plugs too, always been ok.

[douglas9401]

[Captain2]

We lock the doors, close the windows, if we remember, and go away. No point in worrying; we are insured.

[Arrods]

As well as plug in light controllers I also use a fake TV device (also on a timer). Positioned carefully in the house, it looks realistic with random changes of colour.

[Minkyme]

//We lock the doors, close the windows, if we remember, and go away. No point in worrying; we are insured.//

Does insurance help with the trauma of being burgled or can help with the theft of irreplaceable and priceless sentimental items?

Probably not so much.

[Captain2]

I'll take the chance Minkyme, I prefer the less-Fort-Knox route; got to 65 and never been burgled.

[Minkyme]

Well good luck with that.

I’d also like to get to 85 without being burgled and have found the fortnox approach using every available technology to my benefit to be the best avenue one can take as safety and security should be our number one priority.

I’d just like to add for the benefit of the op that I also have a motion detecting unit that barks like a large loud vicious canine whenever it’s set off and it’s even scared me on many occasions as well as door knockers, postmen and couriers so you know it’s good.

[Mamyalynne]

I find the electrified door furniture and the trained cobra in the hanging basket on the porch is useful if away for more that a few days.