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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Somebody is using my tumble dryer at night...

494 replies

RaisinBread · 22/02/2018 09:18

I’m convinced of it.

I have a new smart meter it’s been installed for about a month. My resting house uses 9p of electric between midnight and the time we wake up. Always.

So I’ve woken up today and the meter is on 48p.... I went to bed past midnight last night, which is very unusual for me but got hooked into 24 hours in AE and ended up making the kids packed lunches at 12.30. At this point from several lights being left on and the tv running the meter was already on 8p so I knew it would be around 20p at most by the morning.

So I wake up to find it double what I’m expecting and then hear the dryer going. It’s in a building attached to the main house, sort of a boot room. When I rented the house there was no lock to that room (old house with old doors and I think the key was lost at some point) but there was to the main house which has a heavy door, locks and bolts. It didn’t bother me as in a sleepy village. My landlord lives behind me with his family in a converted barn and someone is usually home as they are renovating it.

Even weirder than my tumble dryer being on when I hadn’t turned it on is that the tray that collects the water was bone dry! My washing load in there was bulky cottons that hold a lot of water so it should have been half full/full after my load drying.

I put my load in the day before and due to the pre mentioned tv binge, forgot to take it out before bed to fold.

This has really weirded me out as this is now the second time this week that the tumble dryer has been on in the morning and the meter has been above 9p. The last time was I think Tuesday morning but I live with three kids so just shrugged it off that one of them had put it on by accident when looking for clean uniform. Although thinking about it logically now they wouldn’t have been looking for clean uniform on a Tuesday morning as we have enough sets to last until Wednesday before they need washing and drying....

So do you agree with me is someone sneaking into my house unloading my washing. Drying theirs. Emptying the tray of water and then putting mine back in to fully dry?

OP posts:

TroysMammy · 24/02/2018 09:16

Wouldn't it be lovely if the OP put down flour and found woodland animal's footprints in it. Mrs Tiggywinkle fed up with unable to dry clothes in the winter using a tumble drier

strawberrisc · 24/02/2018 09:42

My tumble drier is out the back as well. I'm interested to see how this turns out!

CatP22 · 24/02/2018 10:13

All signs point to landlord! Def intrigued...

Biblio78 · 24/02/2018 10:44

Take the fuse out of the plug when not using it. If you hear someone cursing in the night you'll know . Simples lol

Original poster

RaisinBread · 24/02/2018 11:13

Morning.

My smart meter definitely doesn't add an overnight standing charge. The day after the 48p incident it was back to 9p.

So nothing unusual again this morning. The dryer was off and clothes were as they were left last night.

The unusual goings on would have been early Tuesday morning and early Thursday morning. So just twice in a week.

I'll see if anything else happens over the course of one more week. Just because I'd like to have some conclusion. But for those concerned I will definitely be fitting a lock.

There's always the chance that landlords wife is a mums-netter (if that's what has been happening) she could have seen the thread as it made the mumsnet e-mail . If that's case I may never know as I guess the'd put a swift stop to it to avoid any embarrassment.

I'm also getting DP to have a look in the loft tonight. It's huge and I've never been up there. We were chatting last night and he reminded me that when I met DP I told him the story about the man who had noticed food going missing from his fridge.

He set up a camera and it turned out there was a woman living in his tiny loft storage area. She was sneaking out at night, taking food and also peeing in his sink....

He obviously didn't believe me until I showed him the video on YouTube.

Now I'm really hoping it's nothing as creepy as that because I have kids in the house but why not eliminate all the bases.

OP posts:

Cambiarelnombre · 24/02/2018 11:28

@raisinbread contact your electricity company and I’m sure they’ll be able to give you a reasonable answer.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 24/02/2018 11:29

contact your electricity company and I’m sure they’ll be able to give you a reasonable answer.

Wouldn't explain the water tray emptying, though.

User3billion · 24/02/2018 11:30

Oh no, 17 pages and still no closer to solving the mystery?!

*Not place marking

BluePony · 24/02/2018 11:31

This is kinda like the people who thought someone was using their toilet and not flushing

LabradorMama · 24/02/2018 11:46

Omg - where was she doing, er ... ‘number twos’ ???

Original poster

RaisinBread · 24/02/2018 11:54

Haha that came up in last nights discussion. The conclusion was that whilst he was at work she must have used the facilities as normal. And at night she used the kitchen sink to avoid flushing noises.

OP posts:

MiffedMummy · 24/02/2018 11:56

Not sure if it was true but a MNetter posted that someone was urinating in her toilet whilst she was out. Turned out someone was in her loft eating crisps, urinating in a bottle until she went on the school run and they'd had builders next door that could have accessed the terraced loft. Never did get an update on that

I'd check the loft too. In fact when I buy my next home this will be on the agenda, how easy access to the loft is!

Butterymuffin · 24/02/2018 12:13

Just get a padlock!

Ellyess · 24/02/2018 13:38

Definitely get a secret camera!

Hidingtonothing · 24/02/2018 14:51

Fairly sure the OP of that thread had to ask for it to be deleted because the situation developed into a police investigation Miffed. Fingers crossed she comes back and updates when it's all over, I've never felt the same about my loft since reading that!

Ginburee · 24/02/2018 17:15

I am fascinated by this and have spent a long car journey reading about squatters in lofts. Who knew there were so many!!

tumpymummy · 24/02/2018 17:28

Oh troysmammy I so want it to be Mrs Tiggywinkle now! That would be so cute and such a good outcome!

snewsname · 24/02/2018 17:54

I moved into a house once and the first thing we did was to fit a lock to the loft hatch, as anyone from the other houses in the terrace could come down if they were so inclined, as it was one huge area up there.

iheartmichellemallon · 24/02/2018 17:58

Just saw this thread - very intriguing but a bit freaky thinking about people living in your house without even knowing! Hope you get to the bottom of it Op.

FlippingFoal · 24/02/2018 19:43

You don't have a parrot do you?

Somebody is using my tumble dryer at night...

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 24/02/2018 19:54

Why is DP still your DP?! He’s let us all down!

Talkingfrog · 24/02/2018 20:05

Just picturing Mrs Tiggywinkle trying to empty the water tray.

BunloafAndCrumpets · 24/02/2018 23:24

Just thinking. It's proper cold here at the moment. Could someone be sneaking in from outside to sleep, and using the dryer to keep warm?

IrritableBitchSyndrome · 24/02/2018 23:28

That's what I suggested Bunloaf.

IrritableBitchSyndrome · 24/02/2018 23:33

Does your drier make the room warmer when it runs, OP?

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