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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 22/02/2018 13:17

Excellent diagram OP.

Huntinginthedark · 22/02/2018 13:18

this is batshit!

Ariela · 22/02/2018 13:19

I'm with AtomHeart - take the fuse out when you're not using it. I'll bet the landlord thinks it's Ok to use your drier.

SusannahL · 22/02/2018 13:23

Love Steamy's comment!!!

InappropriateUsername · 22/02/2018 13:26

Does your dryer have a moisture sensor? If I leave mine on and forget then it will spin every now and then when moisture builds back up (my dryer is in an outdoor room like yours and the temperature drops so it happens)...did you leave it plugged in? Although this does not explain the water tray...

Hissy · 22/02/2018 13:27

My kids are 4, 8 and 10 so not old enough to do their own washing

Yes but this....small enough to curl up inside tumble dryer with a pillowcase over your head and go BOO OOO! when door opens

So wrong, but it works... :D

Hissy · 22/02/2018 13:28

This is SO the landlord or someone connected with them

Like hell has that key been lost!

PattiStanger · 22/02/2018 13:29

The most likely explanation imo is that your supplier has wrongly started to add the standing charge.

Have you rung and checked, I've heard quite a few stories of the meters being wrong

margaritasbythesea · 22/02/2018 13:29

The thing I really can´t understand if someone is sneakin gin is the drier being on when you wake up with your clothes in it, although I suppose this could be a clumsy way of covering tracks.

What would I do? Probably some sort of seal that would get broken if someone came through the access door.

Smarmydrippings · 22/02/2018 13:31

I'm impressed by your diagram skills.

sirlee66 · 22/02/2018 13:35

Love the diagram! Very interested to find out what's going on!

Dougthepug · 22/02/2018 13:35

Can you just get a lock for the door yourself? Would be interesting to see if your landlord protests. If so, it's possibly them that's using it.

MachineBee · 22/02/2018 13:38

I would just take out the fuse.

Elementtree · 22/02/2018 13:40

Well, as a starting point, you can rule out the majority of mnetters who only use a dryer if they are stood next to it primed with a fire extinguisher.

GnotherGnu · 22/02/2018 13:43

Scatter flour on the floor and see if there are footprints in the morning.

misskatamari · 22/02/2018 13:44

I haven't rtft yet but wanted to say, if you have any old phones knocking about, you can get surveillance apps that record stuff when motion happens. My dh set this up when we discovered a potential rat in our basement, and it was useful to see what was going on. I can't remember the name but he used his iPhone for it, and it worked well. Might be an option if you don't want to invest in cctv but want to figure out what's happening

Laiste · 22/02/2018 13:53

PattiStanger - The most likely explanation imo is that your supplier has wrongly started to add the standing charge.

That doesn't explain the OP hearing the drier running at funny times and the water tray emptying itself!

Birdshitbridgegotme · 22/02/2018 13:53

I would set a trap!

clippityclock · 22/02/2018 13:58

How do you manage to use so little electricity between during the night. By 07:00 mine is already on £1:90!!

Off point I know!

MrsWombat · 22/02/2018 13:59

I used this app with a spare phone :
itunes.apple.com/bh/app/cloud-baby-monitor/id432791399?mt=8

Can you take the lightbulb out so they can't see?

I'm guessing/hoping it's someone from the landlord's family being a CF.

dustarr73 · 22/02/2018 14:03

From the diagram and how close the landlord is.Im betting its someone close to him.

Could you knock off all the lights tonight and lie in wait.See who it is.

ToadOfSadness · 22/02/2018 14:05

Someone coming in to sleep there and putting the dryer on to keep warm, using the water to wash with?

eddielizzard · 22/02/2018 14:09

set a trap that if they open the dryer door they'll break an artfully glued on hair like what they do on the james bond films.

2rebecca · 22/02/2018 14:17

I would lock the wooden patio doors so no-one can get in.

Original poster
RaisinBread · 22/02/2018 14:24

Hissy- that made me laugh out loud! Finally they can pull their weight!

The only thing actively running at night is the fridge. So I guess that's why it's so cheap?

I turn the room heaters on manually and hot water heater as and when I need it. So nothing is set to come on before we wake up.

DP who doesn't live with me has told me he has a wildlife motion sensor camera. He's the first person I messaged but he's jut got back to me as he's at work. I won't see him until Friday as we don't live together. So Friday is trap day....

I will turn the dryer off at the wall after this load just to reset any possible miss set timers on the machine. But I don't think that's what it is.

OP posts: