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Playing With Knobs

 

I'm a bit rushed, it's almost time for me to leave work, but I just read a story here that reminded me of an incident from a week or two back and I forgot all about it as I had to rush out shortly after it occurred, too. And that reminded me of a second incident.

A couple of weeks ago I went to get my son's Tae Kwon Do gear for his class only to find my wife had washed it, but left it in the machine. I figured I had maybe 20 minutes before I really needed to leave to pick him up from school, so my wife tossed his uniform in the drier and turned it on. I automatically checked the temperature control and saw the dial was set to Whites-Hot (as opposed to the Colored-Warm & Delicates-Low settings) then we both went back upstairs. My wife went down to check it about 10 minutes later and called out that it was still damp and I was going to be late, so I went downstairs.

When I looked at the Drier I got angry and asked her why she'd changed the temperature Dial to Warm. Yes, it was now set to Colored-Warm. My wife looked at the dial and looked at me. I didn't touch it, she said. She even noted that she had also made sure it was set to Hot before she'd come upstairs after me. And as one we both thought of exactly the same thing.

"Leave the dials alone!" she practically yelled, and then she got embarrassed for yelling at a "ghost".

And that reminded me of another incident which occurred shortly after I'd been working out. I was taking a shower, and after washing the sweat off I wanted to cool off so I turned the temperature knob about 1/8 of a turn from where I normally set it. From off to my normal setting is about 1/4 of a turn so this new setting was about halfway between, and should have resulted in a cool but not cold shower. When almost 30 second had gone by and the temperature hadn't changed I turned and looked at the knob. Even though I'd just moved it, it was still set to exactly where I normally have it.

I changed it again then spoke up, and like my wife, I felt a little sheepish about "telling off" a ghost.

"I want to cool off," I said. "Thanks for trying to help but please don't change the knob."

Now maybe I hadn't moved the shower knob as much as I thought, but the Drier's knob? Both the wife and I noted that it was set to Whites-Hot, yet when we came back downstairs it was on Colored-Warm. With nobody else in the house I have no explanation for how that happened. The knobs are at the back of the machine. Impossible to bump, and my wife had already started the Drier when I noted the temperature. I have absolutely no logical explanation for how the Drier's temperature knob could have changed settings on its own... And maybe it didn't)

P.S. I apologize if the grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc, are not up to my usual standards. As I said, I'm a bit rushed, but I'm about to leave work where I'll pick up my son and take him to Tae Kwon Do, then tag team with my wife where my daughter's getting her hair cut, then it's home to prepare dinner, so there's a good chance I'd forget all about this if I didn't get it down and submit it Right Now!

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, Kwazimoto, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

whitebuffalo (guest)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-04)
I appreciate the extra info, Kwazi. I was HONESTLY not suggesting that your children, nor your wife physically switched the dial on the dryer. Truthfully, (and just about anyone here would have to agree with this) IF I had thought that a possibility, I would have straight out posted it.
I am wondering at the ages of the children for kinetic energy. Even if they were not in the home at the time, some young minds have strong enough properties that their "pranks" can reach across the miles. Have you noticed any other instances in which there MAY be the possibility of one of them having stronger brain waves than what is considered "normal"?
I used the word prankster so that you would not associate the issue with a poltergeist. This would be a minor prank for such an entity, but I find that a rather large stretch at best. Not only do the children's age not correspond with the stereotypical activity, but the "noisy ghost" syndrome really would appear to be absent.
I appreciate your willingness to discuss this. I am not saying that the water issue IS natural, and I am not saying that it is paranormal either. What I AM saying is that it is worth checking into, and maybe changing out a seal or two. If you do not mind, I think I would rather enjoy checking out your other situations and see what is there.
Thank you.
Kwazimoto (5 stories) (18 posts)
-1
15 years ago (2009-06-04)
Whitebuffalo - I've personally witnessed faucets adjusting themselves due to the water pressure, so I was prepared to write that one off as water pressure changing the setting on its own, or me not turning it as far as I thought, or a combination of the two. I know I adjusted it to cooler than my usual setting which is why I was surprised to see the knob was back where I normally set it.

Regarding the Drier, while we do have two children - a son and a daughter - both were still at school/after-school and they cannot come home on their own (they're too young and the distance is too great) so my wife and I were the only ones in the house at the time. When my wife put my son's uniform in the Drier I'd taken cognizance of the temperature setting and noted it was on Whites-Hot, then I went upstairs and my wife followed me. And while my wife does have a sense of humor there's no way she would have adjusted the Temperature Setting as a prank; we had very limited time to get my son's uniform dry and wasting half that time on a prank is not something she'd do. Too often she chastises me with "This is NOT the time for joking" so there's no way she'd pull such a prank at a time like this.

Tonith - I encourage you to read my other contributions as to why I think we're living with ghosts. This was not an isolated incident and actually fits in with other goings on around our house. I suspect we live with either a prankster-ghost, or one that's trying to be helpful but accidentally does more harm than good.
Tonith (1136 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-06-04)
Sounds like you have a very hectic lifestyle.I'm not saying this is the cause for the dryer mix up but it is possible. These things seem to happen when we are very distracted by too many things to do in not enough time. That said, the thing with the shower controls could have been due to just too much hot water build up and it took time to regulate to a cooler setting. I'm a bit confused as to why you think you have a ghost? I'm sure there would have to be more reasons than this to assume so.
whitebuffalo (guest)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-03)
Say Kwazi.
You may find it interesting that there was actually a research done on water faucets due to the assumed haunting in a hotel room. What was interesting (to me) was that it is sometimes possible for the build up of pressure in the pipes to CAUSE the faucet to FLIP itself on. Even if the water had not been in use for quite some time.
There was another situation in which a company tried the theory out. In a house. Right before the water TURNED (notice the different types of faucets. One FLIPPED on, and one TURNED on) on, there was a sound quite similar to a sigh.
Ghost Hunters did a bit on it as well. I am not sure, but it MAY be worth checking into whether it is possible for one to readjust on it's own, too.
As for the knob on the dryer. IF you can eliminate the possibility of human error in judgement (hold up, think about it. Process of elimination going on here. It really sounds as if you can count that out), I would say it sounds remarkably like a prankster. Is this son that you speak of your only child? The OLDEST child in the home?

As for the rest of the comments on here. You all KNEW this one was in the works. 😉 Ignore the "eggers" before it becomes an issue, and deal with what needs to be done. Do not sweat the small stuff. This is not an issue of "my dad can beat up your dad because he is taller and has more tools." Let's deal with the questions at hand and forget about that which has no import to the experience. In ALL things, let us try to appear in Honor.
Thank you.
ParanormalReality (35 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-03)
What an immature website fight, lol. Whatever, thanks for posting. Maybe your home is somehow haunted. Maybe you should research.
Kecoughtan (1 stories) (211 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-03)
Kwazimoto and hobbyholly, when it rains on this site, it might as well be the rainy season. All this reminds me of the line from Johnny Cash's Five Feet High and Rising: "Looks like we'll be blessed with a little more rain!" 😉
hobbyholly (11 stories) (572 posts)
-1
15 years ago (2009-06-03)
Kwazi:

It isn't worth it. You don't want to be the one adding fuel to this fire... Trust me.

I'm totally for you defending yourself, but trust me... There isn't any reasoning or maturity that is going to come from this. Just a headache and probably a scolding from someone. Know what I mean?

Lets just focus on your story and helping others on this site. Its tough... But this site needs mature/reasonable posters. We both are and can perhaps really help someone.

I sent you an email. Take a deep breath... Have some coffee... Hell have a smoke (I can't tell you HOW many smoke breaks I've had due to this site lately)
Kwazimoto (5 stories) (18 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-06-03)
Look at myself? What is this, 3rd Grade? So is this where I reply, "Oh, yeah? Says you!"

So you have a company. Wow. Could I be any less impressed? Do you have any idea how many posers claim to have their own company? And even if you do, so what? It's not like having a company is a big deal, anyone can have a company. You fill out a few forms, write a check, register a fictitious business name with the Secretary of State or appropriate agency, and you've got a company.

So you have a company but you don't have a website? So there's no web designers employed by your company? No tech support? Interesting. What does your company do? Mow lawns for your neighbors? Deliver the local newspaper?

I already pointed out that changing the temperature dial on the drier as a prank is the act of an immature person, and only an immature person would make that suggestion. We had 20 minutes to dry my son's uniform, which is not really long enough, and you seriously think we wasted half that time on a prank?

I'm not saying you're immature, Zoajest, you ARE immature. Your own words condemn you.
hobbyholly (11 stories) (572 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-03)
Kwazimoto:

I had a chance to read your other encounters. Clearly there is something in your home. It doesn't sound threatening... But annoying. Do you think any of this is connected with the face you saw a child?
zoajet (2 stories) (276 posts)
-1
15 years ago (2009-06-03)
Kwazimoto, yeah you calling me not mature? Ha, look at yourself. What do you do? I don't know, maybe noting? While I have my own campany of my own. I'll tell you the website when I find some one that can actualy do a good job on a site and make it. I waill not fall into your catagory and call you a name again like you did.
Kwazimoto (5 stories) (18 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-02)
We bought the washer & drier when we moved into our house so they're several years old, but it's unlikely that a vibration "bumped" the knob from Hot to Warm as it requires a good, firm twist to turn it from one setting to the other.

Zoajest...your name seems familiar... Do I know you? Aah well, not important.

I'm not sure why you'd think my wife or I would try to prank the other by changing the drier's setting; that's something fratboys or irresponsible teenagers might do, not mature adults. Maybe when you get a little more mature and have kids of your own (I really hope you're more mature before you have kids) you'll realize that while enjoying life and having fun is important, there's a time for fun and pranks, and when a young boy's uniform needs to be dried Fast! That is NOT the time for playing jokes.

And who would the joke be on if my wife had done that? Me? How, exactly? On my son? Yes, great joke there. Send an 8 y/old to practice in a damp uniform so he gets sick. Or send him in sweats so he's forced to do extra push-ups for being out of uniform. Or have him skip practice so he'll be forced to do extra push-ups next time for missing today's practice.

No, I'm not seeing the humor there, then again, my name is not zoaJEST.
hobbyholly (11 stories) (572 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-02)
Kwazimoto:

If you don't mind, do you have an email address I can contact you at? I don't mean to be intrusive, I just I'd share something you might find interesting.
zoajet (2 stories) (276 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-02)
yah this is really strange. It all dealt with knobs both times. Maybe you turn the knob the second time and who knows you or your wife could of turn the knob on the drier to joke with the other person. I do not think this is the work of a ghost and could be one of you or your wife or its was vibration (defaulty at that time)
hobbyholly (11 stories) (572 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-06-02)
hmmm

Let me say this: My fiance' and I live in an old house. We have a doozy of a time getting our shower the right temp. We have radiators (gas hot water heat). I don't know what your situation is... I can sympathize with the unpredictable shower.

As far as the drier handles. That is just annoying! Is the drier relatively new? It sounds like whatever entity is in your home wants to help out with chores.

Also: Don't worry about your grammar and spelling on here. TRUST me I've seen a lot worse on this site. For someone in a rush, it sure looks like you took your time... And for that I'm appreciative

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