Why does turning on one appliance turn on another?
Activating a device like a paper shredder can cause an unpowered appliance in the same outlet, such as a fan, to suddenly turn on and spin. Additionally, people are stopped from creating smart automations for larger appliances because standard smart sockets cannot safely handle sustained power pulls or display energy usage.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Why does turning on one appliance turn on another?
- 1Using a CT clamp instead of a smart plug to safely monitor power usage without passing the heavy load through the plug.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“i want to created a google automation, when the dishwasser is done, and doesn't takes power for like 5 min, that it will send out a message, through our speakers at home, that the dishwasher is done, but sadly i don't find a good smart socket that shows its energy in the google home app.”source ↗
“I looked at smart plugs for a while, but none of them seemed safe for a sustained pull that a dishwasher can have.”source ↗
“Was shredding papers and had a fan plugged into the same outlet but not on yet each time I’d insert a paper into the shredder it would cause the fan blades to spin.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Why does my appliance shock me when I touch it?
- 4Why is my washing machine sparking at the water connection?
- 2Why does a secondhand dishwasher need to be hardwired?
- 3How to plug multiple devices into a single wall outlet
- 2Why does my dryer heating element connector keep burning out?
- 21What is that weird mechanical noise coming from the utility area?