this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2025
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That's the question. When cooking and then pouring the water into the sink, for 10 seconds the lights on the counter turn on. These lights are usually broken and refuse to turn on manually. The lights are a strip of little LED bulbs glued on the cupboard .

i have a theory but i am not an electrician

EDIT : case solved by GIGACHAD (that's his nickname)

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[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 97 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

You’ve got an IR sensor somewhere that is supposed to turn the lights on when it senses a person’s presence. The heat from the boiling water is tripping sensor.

I have a similar sensor in my faucet. It always turns the faucet on when I pour boiling water into the sink.

That’s my guess anyway.

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 63 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Of the answers I've seen this is the one that makes most sense.

Of course, the real answer is that the sink is haunted.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 7 points 1 day ago

Shhh, we're not supposed to talk about it

[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

since the light only turns on after introducing a warm inanimate object , this means op is cold blooded lizard people

[–] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 22 hours ago

nah. OP is just too cool for light.

Probably even wears sunglasses at night.

[–] wizzor@sopuli.xyz 6 points 23 hours ago

Some LED strips intended for kitchens have a feature where you can place your palm on the strip to turn it on or change the brightness. This sort of thing is usually achieved with backscatter IR, which may also be triggered from water vapor. Try pushing your hand against the ends of the strip to invalidate this hypothesis.

[–] gigachad@sh.itjust.works 24 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I have an led strip installed next to my oven at a similar place. There is a larger "button" that reacts to touch, you can also dim it. When I am cooking, the steam of the boiling water turns dims that light on and off, it's pretty annoying but also kind of funny.

[–] kSPvhmTOlwvMd7Y7E@lemmy.world 15 points 15 hours ago

oh. damn, you kinda took out the fun & mystery lol You are right I just found that button and yes it does dim lights on/off. So this is the final explanation

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago

Holy shit that sounds like a good setup to get electrocuted.

Please don't.

[–] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 15 hours ago

I have had problems with the drain plumbing downstream of my kitchen sink, because the heat causes the pipes to expand slightly and be longer. My theory is there is some loose wiring in the walls, and your drain pipes press on the loose wiring until they cool down again.

[–] kSPvhmTOlwvMd7Y7E@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago
[–] j4k3@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The number one rule of all electronics is thou shall check ground. Sounds like a grounding issue somewhere.

[–] hddsx@lemmy.ca 7 points 23 hours ago

You should still check ground, but if it’s repeatable with hot water and not cold water, it’s probably because of the heat. To remove water from the equation, you can probably use a heat lamp.

[–] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 3 points 20 hours ago

You are living in a Alfred Hitchcock movie.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 6 points 1 day ago

Stop angering the disposal troll

[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Is the sink stainless?

Do you have garbage disposal?

[–] kSPvhmTOlwvMd7Y7E@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago

I'm guessing you have an issue with your neutral loop and/or maybe a junction box fastener touching a water supply with a bad wiring job.

You can use a meter to get a better idea of what is happening, but I would suggest you seek a licensed electrician because this sort of issue could be indicative of a big dangerous problem.

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago
[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago

I suspect the vibrations of the pouring water are making something make contact with something else and that is turning on the LEDs.

Test this hypothesis with the same pot full of cold water.

When thee red bulbs in My under cabinet lighting are staring to die I have found the need to be tapped to turn on. I replace them and the new ones work fine.