Submitted by: coyotehills via Submit a Kludge!
Favorite Comment: Fixer Rizz Rustbolt says, “They always say, “You can’t build a better mousetrap.”
But you can build a better way to accidentally electrocute yourself.”
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Is the mousetrap protecting the light switch or grounding it?
lightswitch is broken requiring tension to stay in the up (on? off?) position?
its actually pretty sweet…when the mouse trap goes off, the light switch turns on, så that you’ll se when something triggers the trap, the light goes on/off….awesome
This is just the last step in his Rube Goldberg contraption to turn out the light. Behind the wall is the candle that burns the string that drops the plunger that knocks the bowling ball down the pipe that breaks the stick that releases the mouse. Poor little mouse.
My money is on this being a remote controlled garage door, to be triggered by a thrown tennis ball.
My first thought too.
He hits it with a stick from the driver’s seat on the way out and the garage door shuts. He resets the trap every day.
Is his grandson Stuart Little?
No, but grandad’s name is Rube Goldberg.
I’m trying to figure this one out. It looks like the mousetrap has already been tripped, which moved the switch into the ‘up’ position? I think eliterrell is on the right track.
Okay, the mousetrap is the centerpiece but what’s with all the plugs? As far as I can tell, they’re both completely unnecessary unless maybe you want to hook up a (sharp but poorly-maintained) power tool to the second outlet and have it start running as soon as the door opens.
Since we can’t see inside the box the switch is mounted in, we dont’ know if the switch controls one or both of the outlets. I’m guessin’ power comes in from behind the switch box and the switch controls just pigtailed outlet.
I think you are seeing the pigtail backwards. My read is the power comes in through the yellow cord, through the pigtail into the switch’s box, where power is controlled by the lightswitch / mousetrap combination, and the duplex outlet is where the controlled device plugs in.
Power is supplied by the yellow extension cord. Switch interrupts power supply from extension cord to to outlet. As for the mousetrap, it’s in the “tripped” position and there’s no tension on the string so its purpose doesn’t appear to be flipping the switch.
The mousetrap’s spring acts as a return, so the switch doesn’t remain in the “on” position without pressure being applied. Probably attached to the door opener with a faulty shut off switch.
The mousetrap definitely isn’t doing anything to the switch with the lever set the other way. I think its purpose must be to flip the switch. The mousetrap only needs to apply enough tension to pull the switch past the halfway point. You wouldn’t want it under constant tension. Or else, the string would stretch/break/detach and the gadget would fail.
Granddad’s garage has an infestation of those elusive spidermice. They crawl everywhere and get into everything! He has apparently figured out a way to be notified when he catches one. The spidermouse triggers the trap, and the light comes on. Wanting to be as humane as possible, Granddad rigged the whole contraption to the electrical system. The arachnid rodent doesn’t suffer but for a fraction of a second that way.
Actually, I understand that the mousetrap wasn’t getting the job done in the kitchen, but once granddad found a new placement strategy for the brewing of that awful coffee of his, the mice never again stood a chance in the house.
P.S. I’m pretty sure from my own experiences with them that every mouse is an elusive spidermouse!
After granddad’s last electric bill, he decided it was necessary to use a painful reminder on all lightswitches to conserve electricity.
Which one of the power cords is the incoming power?
The one you always touch first.
If it’s a garage door, then the vibrations from an automatic opener would set off the trap and turn on the light.
Or he just hits the wall in the secret spot to open from the other side.
It worked with the TV, why shouldn’t it work with everything else?
Please. If he was really serious, he’d use a bear trap.
Well, if “up” is also the “off” position (as it is in my mother’s basement), then it may be an auto-shutoff feature.
I think VelmaDinkley is right – I’d assume it’s a manual created of a momentary spst switch.
I don’t think it’s reasonable to assume that the switch is oriented properly for up/down on/off..
Then again, you have a 50% chance of being right…
The mouse trap is just a common wood mounted spring used to apply tension to the normally on/off switch to convert to a “momentary” on/off switch used as a garage door opener button.
or a hoist of some type.
Maybe it’s a safety switch to cut power to the automatic garage door opener? That’s my guess but what would trigger it?
It’s a poor man’s security system.
To arm the trap, you first close the garage door, set the mousetrap, and flip the switch down (to “off”).
If anybody opens the garage door, then the rumbling motion will trigger the mousetrap, which flips the switch on, thus turning on a light or siren or something.
I think you’ve got it, but maybe the light in the motor unit is broken or just doesn’t exist and the setup is just to turn the overhead light on in the garage when coming home at night so the owner can find his way out of the garage once parked.
Seems like a lot of effort to go through for setting the mousetrap when you leave every morning. Especially since the garage door must be already closed when setting it.
One thing’s for sure- the mice are really smart. I mean, honestly, would you go anywhere near all those kludged electrical connections just for a measly piece of cheese?
All the damn LOLcats (myself included) certainly hope so.
For those days that you’re not totally sure that you turned the lights off all you would have to do is look at the nice welt across your knuckles.
After having found his wood bundle again disturbed, Jimmy decided to go Taliban on those damn hooligans
I think Wally and VOR are closest to being right.
Heh, I was thinking it was some kind of poor-man’s fuse — something meltable holding down the catch, so on a short-circuit it would snap shut and break the current. The earlier speculations seem probably more likely, though.
I was thinking it was a poor man’s fuse, too. Problem is, an actual fuse would probably be cheaper and definitely more reliable.
…that totally looks like my Grandmother’s garage. No lies.
They always say, “You can’t build a better mousetrap.”
But you can build a better way to accidentally electrocute yourself.
I think it’s a way to remind people not to turn off the switch. If you flip the switch off, the mouse trap springs and tightens the string, which flips the switch back on.
Of course, a note would probably work better, but then this would be material for emailsfromcrazypeople.com instead of thereifixedit.com, and really, which would *you* rather be posted on?
You can see the rail of the garage door opener and the driveway. Also note that the mousetrap and plugs are about knee high.
This is an automatic garage door opener that is used when the garage door is shut.
To open the garage door from the outside, all grandpa has to do is kick on the wall behind the mousetrap. Mousetrap trips, garage door opens.
I think you’ve got it! In an emergency, the property owners know where to give the garage wall a good hard WHACK, tripping the mousetrap, flipping the switch, opening the door. I’ll bet there is a spare house key hidden in the garage someplace, too… all in case someone gets locked out. It wouldn’t be too much of a pain to have to reset this contraption as rarely as it’s likely to be needed.
What is that string(?) hanging down near parallel to the garage door track? Might it fit into this puzzle?
Since the mouse trap is otherwise in use, the string is for destroying household pests. How? If they’re bigger than a mouse you can strangle them with it. If they are smaller than a mouse you can flog ‘em to death with it.
That is likely the wire going down to the “eye” that is usually just above the floor, and there is one on each side of the door. It stops the door from closing if there is still something in the door, such as a vehicle or more importantly, a small child
You can see the rail of the garage door opener and the driveway. Also note that the mousetrap and plugs are about knee high.
This is an automatic garage door opener that is used when the garage door is shut.
To open the garage door from the outside, all grandpa has to do is kick on the wall behind the mousetrap. Mousetrap trips, garage door opens.
Security! When you fumble around in the dark looking for the switch so you can find what you want to steal, you get a big surprise! Don’t mess with Grandpa!
Once the mouse trap is “full” a light turns on informing you need to change (reset) it.
ENEMY SHIPS IN SECTOR 47 “IT’S A TRAP!”
OK – heres the fact – Power comes in yellow cord, from a receptacle across the garage, then into switch, then to receptacle, cord leads to spot light over outside of garage door. Been this way for 25+ years according to 95 year old owner of house.
So why the mouse trap? Is up on or off? Is it designed to be tripped by the owner, or is it a trap for intruders? Does the string enter into it?
Mouse trap is more likely used to hold switch or make tension for switch action…good one ….
Noting how close this is to the garage door, I would say it is intended to turn the light on when the garage door is opened…
man! that is one bright electricy pwer lines engineer.