Please Share Your Funniest HA Stories

[BraveSirRobbin]

Hello:

This thread is for posting the funniest or most embarrasing home automation story (or in electron's case, stories) that has happened to you or your friends.

Please share some of your mis-adventures with our members so we can all share a good laugh

 

[electron]

Alright, here is one of them ...

As some of you know, I build a little device which allows me to start my car using X10 and my car's remote starter. So I decided to have the car start every weekday, around 06:45am, which is about 10 minutes before I leave. Works great!

Then one day, I got up early, I forgot about the fact I even implemented this system as it's all automatic and transparent, so I ended up leaving around 6:45. I start my car, I slowly exit my driveway, and all of a sudden, the car starts beeping the horn, internal alarms, flashing the lights. I couldn't figure out what was going on till I got to the end of the street, where I realized the house was trying to turn on the car. But as the car was running already, the house was actually trying to turn the car off! I have never felt so wanted before Anyone still awake?

 

[Skibum]

That's easy... It was mid-morning on a sunday, and my mother came over for a visit. She was only here for about 10 minutes when Kate comes on the speakers to announce the email. Unfortunately that was before my spam filter was in place. Needless to say, that was the exact time that about 5 x rated emails came in....from enhancement, to a girl with a horse......

I was more than a bit embarrased, and that was the LAST time Kate announced mail until after the filter was in place.

 

[electron]

lol Skibum, that's a great story!

 

[WayneW]

I was doing some X-10 troubleshooting and feature changes and needed an extra control temporarily. So I grabbed a mini controller off my spare parts shelf and plugged it in in the living room. But then even more weird things started happening! Some things going on & off at totally unexpected times. And the logs from the HA computer system I was using way back then showed a real X-10 transmission, but I had no idea of the source. After a couple days of this, I finally noticed that the mini controller I had grabbed was actually a Sundowner controller! The Sundowner was just doing what it was supposed to, sending X-10 signals based on the room getting dark or light.

So, just be careful that you don't use a Sundowner when you don't mean too.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

This isn't near as funny as anything posted so far (how can I compete with you guys).

I moved to this new house and started installing X-10 switches. I also installed a different coupler/repeater than I was used to.

Started to get weird transmissions and things going on and off with no reason. Wondering what is going on with this new house wiring. FINALLY, I was unpacking some more boxes and noticed two things.

One was a palmpad remote that was in a box with junk laying on top of it with keypads pressed. The other was a motion sensor with the batteries still in it from my old home that was laying on top of the box and responding to motion whenever someone would get near it.

Turned those off and all was well.

(Now everyone is asleep).

 

[electron]

that could be pretty nasty to troubleshoot, how did you figure out it was a remote with a stuck key?

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Pure luck E, pure luck!