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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? Confused

OP posts:
TheDailyMailIsADisgustingRag · 22/02/2018 12:04

@thegreatbeyond

That made me laugh! What would you say when they opened the door and found you lying in wait?

thegreatbeyond · 22/02/2018 12:07

Just a guttural laugh and a swig from a handy hip-flask!

Original poster
RaisinBread · 22/02/2018 12:07

Diagram as requested....

Somebody is using my tumble dryer at night...
OP posts:
MiffedMummy · 22/02/2018 12:14

Get a chair and wait in the toilet. My money is on your landlord or someone who lives with them.

TheDailyMailIsADisgustingRag · 22/02/2018 12:15

@thegreatbeyond

Yes! Perfect. They’d run for the hills.

maddiemookins16mum · 22/02/2018 12:17

Ours has increased too. They put the standing charge up.

AddictedtoSnickers · 22/02/2018 12:18

I love the idea of a trap but the easiest thing to do is to just take the water reservoir out overnight and hide it. Then check readings in the morning to see if meter is still jumping up.

StormTreader · 22/02/2018 12:24

Is it every night? I wonder if there might be some kind of weekly standing charge that is applied overnight.

Original poster
RaisinBread · 22/02/2018 12:24

The dryer isn’t leaking water as someone suggested. I’ve put in a fresh load of wet clothes in and the water container is nearly half full as expected at half way through a cycle.

Also my meter doesn’t add a daily charge over night. Every morning for the past month it’s been 9p. Bar Tuesday and today. I don’t have gas so it only reads electricity.

The handheld reader is in the kitchen, I can easily can keep up with what my usage. In the same way you just glance at a clock.

And for the poster that asked I’m not sure how much it costs to run my dryer as it’s rarely used in isolation. The tv, cooker, lights, washing machine, kettle etc are often on at some point during a cycle.

But it is an energy efficient one as I upgraded to one with a heat pump when mine broke a year ago. So it is supposedly cheaper to run.

My kids are 4, 8 and 10 so not old enough to do their own washing. But the older two are old enough to rifle through the dryer if they can’t find a clean school jumper in their drawer.

OP posts:
Waddlelikeapenguin · 22/02/2018 12:27

I think i would lock that door if i thought someone was coming into my house Shock

But if you want to know can you run skype from one phone to another or something?

SunnySeaShell · 22/02/2018 12:29

Well, this is fascinating. Please set some sort of a trap OP and report back!

QuimReaper · 22/02/2018 12:38

Aaaah, so the unlocked door only gives access to the boot room, not your actual house. That's made me feel better about your home security.

OP just to clarify, this has only happened twice? Or just twice this week?

insancerre · 22/02/2018 12:39

Do you want us all round for an all night vigil?

Fletchasaurus · 22/02/2018 12:39

Shamelessly placemarking as this is genuinely intriguing. Can't wait to hear the outcome of any trap you may set!

SteamyBeignets · 22/02/2018 12:41

Does it vibrate? Maybe someone's enjoying it a little too much!

Laiste · 22/02/2018 12:43

Wait, hold on.

You've woken to hear the drier running. It's full of clothes you dried the day before, but the water tray is empty.

You recon someone's coming in, taking out your dry stuff, running their own drying, then emptying the tray and putting yours back in.

How long was left on the clock? Does it automatically switch back on when you close the door or do you have to press start again.

I'm wondering why someone would turn it back on after putting your clothes back. If the machine just restarts as you shut the door that might explain it. Mine doesn't. You have to press start again.

Details details.

Littlechocola · 22/02/2018 12:47

I love your diagram. Very well drawn.
Borrow a baby monitor.

thenightsky · 22/02/2018 12:51

So its not every night. They are random. Tues and Thurs so far. This makes them harder to catch.

Love the diagram.

AtomHeart · 22/02/2018 12:52

Take the fuse out of the plug when you are not using it.

JenTeale · 22/02/2018 12:55

This reminds me of the brilliant thread about a woman who persisted in using the OP's pool whenever she felt like it because she was friends with the previous owners. I can't remember what happened in the end but I want to know now.

Knittedfairies · 22/02/2018 12:56

I've just skipped through this and may have missed it, but is your dryer on a timer that is set to come on again sometime overnight?

BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 22/02/2018 13:00

Are you small enough to curl up inside tumble dryer with a pillow case over your head and go BOO OOO! when door opens?

phoenixtherabbit · 22/02/2018 13:11

breakfast oh god that made me howl!!!!

how odd op, I would definitely be hiding and waiting (although I am not small enough to get in a dryer) to see who/what it was!

TitsalinaBumSquash · 22/02/2018 13:13

You need a door activated alarm that bellows "STOP USING ME INTRUDER!" Really loud when the door is opened.

We have clients at work who have these on their doors to stop them wandering, the scare the crap out of me every damn time! 😣

wowfudge · 22/02/2018 13:14

My money is on someone connected to the landlord who knows they can access the dryer. They've been moving your laundry into a basket then putting it back after they've dried their stuff and emptying the water out. Set up a CCTV camera linked to your phone or fit the plug lock a pp linked to.

When you catch the person in the act, you can act all surprised and say you expected to find it was one of your kids who wouldn't own up to using it after you told them they couldn't.

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