I am moving into a house, and the previous owner doesn't know the answer.
Up high in the corner of the garage, the drywall was cut out to install a small transformer. The input comes from a garage outlet, and the output goes down inside the garage wall.
I unplugged it and then tested it to determine that it does not power:
- Anything visible in the garage
- The lights on the front of the house
- The halogens (or anything else visible) in the adjacent room
- Anything visible on the side of the basement near the garage
- Broadband connection, sump, etc. (on the other side of the house)
- Any light or appliance we use in an ordinary day
What is it for? How might I figure it out (without cutting open the wall)?
Best Answer
Since the transformer says "Gaslight Conversions", that's a pretty strong clue that it's part of a lighting system from Gaslight Conversions, located in St Paul MN, which also matches what's written on the transformer.
If you've ruled out all of your exterior lighting, it may be leftover from a low voltage lighting system that was replaced but never fully removed.
It's also possible that the transformer has been repurposed for something else by a former homeowner, but most likely it is (or at least was) used for lighting. -- especially since that company sells their transformer for $40, but you can pick up a generic 24VAC transformer from Home Depot for $10 - $15, so why buy the name brand if not for use with their lighting products?
If it plugs in (as opposed to being hardwired), that makes it less likely that it powers any permanently installed equipment like a doorbell or furnace.