Plumbers by day, ghost hunters by night? As unlikely as this may seem, that is the case for Sci-Fi’s reality series “Ghost Hunters.” Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson are Roto-rooter plumbers who investigate ghost hauntings at night. They are part of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS). The TAPS headquarters moved from a trailer behind Jason’s house to a store in downtown Warwick, RI.
Along with other members of TAPS, they investigate paranormal activity with such equipment as digital thermometers, electromagnetic field scanners, night vision cameras, digital video cameras, and digital audio recorders.
When they first arrive at a site, they ask the owners what type of paranormal activity has been occurring and where. Once they know the “hot spots” – where the activity has been occurring, they can set up their equipment. Once they take temperature readings, recordings, and photos, they analyze all the data retrieved.
After analyzing the results, they found, the talk to the owners again. They can then offer suggestions and answer questions. Through the years, they have recorded thousands of hours of audio and video tape. Usually, they come up with very little activity to tell the owners about, but then ghosts can be elusive. But, they do claim to have footage of odd lights, mists, moving objects, and shadowy figures on film. One great thing about TAPS is, unlike some ghost hunters, they do try to explain what they find as something other than paranormal activity. A cold spot may just be a leaky window; strange noises can have a logical explanation. Perhaps more interesting than their results is the conflict that goes on between team members.
“Ghost Hunters” has given Sci-Fi big ratings. They seem to have hit on a successful mixture of paranormal events and soap opera-like conflict.
You can visit the TAPS web site to find out more about their investigations and results.