Ghosts in my shop!!

I recently am getting a Christmas Ghost visit my shop!! and no I am not Ebeneezer Scrooge LOL
I installed a motion light under my new carport for when we come home late. Well occasionally one of the shop led tube lights decide to turn on by itself!!
Last night after bingo I see the one fixture light on again!!
Egads I hope I turned off all the lights.
Opened the door and the light switch is OFF but the one fixture light is still on??
I flip the switch ON and all the lights come on. Turn OFF and all the lights turn OFF.
Got to be Christmas Gremlins as the fixture does not come on in conjunction with the one fixture all the time so being it's Christmas season, it has to be Christmas Spirits.
All the lights are controlled by one switch but only one fixture comes on pretty much full brightness and only when the motion light gets activated.
Thinking some sort of eddy currents or ?? real spirits
The shop has only one circuit.

loose connection some where or overly crowded junction box, I would open the junction box for the light and for the night lite and just do a check.

Do those happen to be "linkable" shoplights like this:


Mine are Hykolity brand, but I assume the same thing is sold under different brands. They are connected to each other by 2-prong plugs.

When you say "one circuit," I assume you mean one, 110V feed from a single breaker and there are no feeds from other breakers in the shop. Correct?

I don't believe in ghosts. But I do believe in ghastly wiring and unintended shorts.

the fixtures are similar as per picture, all daisy chained using Female plug to next fixture. 4 fixtures with the culprit fixture as the last in the chain (need to check this today anyway) and being different brand fixture. could be the male plug just needs to be turned around??

Exactly!

Is it possible the whole chain has a switched common, and the last one has an intermittent short to ground through the lamp. Are they metal framed? (mine are). Do you have a known ground in the shop -- like a good 3-prong socket? If so, and being very careful, I would test voltages frame to ground.

There are certainly other ways to draw it.

John

ghosts nah, gremlins, you bet!!!

MrDEB said:

4 fixtures with the culprit fixture as the last in the chain

Click to expand...

Move the suspect fixture to the front of the chain and retest.

ak

Light switches can leak enough current when off to light an Led lamp, however nothing like full brightness.
Looks like you have a ghost then.
Seriously though some basic electrical checks would be a good idea to prevent yourself or someone else who touches said light from becoming a ghost.