Got a call about a "haunted" strip mall in Phoenix last month

Tenant was convinced the place was cursed because the lights flickered every night at 9 PM sharp. I showed up and found the wiring was chewed through by pack rats right where it hit the junction box. Five minutes with some copper mesh and a new splice fixed the whole thing. Has anyone else dealt with tenants blaming ghosts for what's clearly just bad building maintenance?

2 comments

2 Comments

knight.oscar13d ago

Honestly, I've had that exact same thing happen more times than I can count. Eight times out of ten it's frayed wires or bad junction boxes, especially in strip malls where the build quality was cheap 30 years ago. Copper mesh and a fresh splice is usually all it takes, but you gotta check the whole line from the panel to the fixture. I bet half these "ghost lights" just need a new breaker or a ground rod too.

mitchell.dakota13d ago

Whoa, you really think it's that deep?