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After installing several large, heavy shelving units along one wall and spending too many hours getting them shimmed level to account for the uneven floors in an old brownstone, I’ve discovered that the plug behind the unit is attached to the on/off switch for the overhead lighting. In fact, all of the outlets in the room seem to run off of this switch. Both plugs in each outlet work this way, it’s not like one of them is switched and the other always live. The goal was to incorporate the stereo and computer into this wall unit but I’d like to be able to use them without the overhead lighting needing to be on. Likewise, with the other plugs in the room I like the idea of having a reading lamp that turns on and off with a wall switch but this is pointless if the overhead lighting also goes on and off at the same time.

Is it likely that an electrician could come in and fix this problem at the on/off switch or is it more likely that he/she would need to access each outlet, including the one that is now buried behind the shelves? The thought of pulling them apart and starting over with the shimming does not make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Yes, I probably should have dealt with this before I put up the shelves but we just moved in and the lights were coincidentally always on when I was testing the plugs. I removed the face plate on the switch but there were enough unlabeled wires behind it to make me think playing amateur electrician was not a great idea.