What do you do if your house lights flicker when you turn on things?

Answer 1

I had a friend who's lights were flickering. He had several people look into it. Electrician, Utility etc. No luck. We spent some time turning off breakers and we came to the realization that the circuit breaker's contact was bad. Replaced the breaker and voila no flicker. <><><>

Troubleshooting is the height of the skilled electrician's art.

If it is not the light bulb or fluorescent tube which is failing - and needs to be replaced - the only reason there is "flickering" in a light fitting is because there is a partially open connection providing varying resistance and therefore an intermittent voltage drop. This could be for one or more different reasons. [Bad terminal connection, burned or broken wire, bad or burned wire splice, bad or burned light switch, bad breaker, ...]

It is the knowledge of how electricity works, and of the methods and materials used to create a functional wiring system, that enables a skilled troubleshooter to locate the problem and repair it. If you had to ask this question don't risk your life, call in a licensed electrician to fix this problem for you. <><><> As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

Answer 2

There are a few things that could be the problem. If you notice that other electrical appliances are not working properly, I would check to make sure that the incoming neutral wire in the main electrical panel is tight. A loose neutral connection can cause this phenomenon.

If everything looks OK, I would check the wiring to the lights. Sometimes older buildings have a wire size that is a little too small. This is usually just a symptom of an older swelling wired to accomodate only a few items (one or two lights, a few kitchen appliances, and the occasional vacuum cleaner) now having to pull a LOT more load (computer, tv, HVAC, etc). This can be remedied with a rewiring job (not too cost effective unless a total remodel is planned and this can be thrown in with it).

Finally, if none of these are the cause, I would take a look around at the electric utility serving your building. If there are any large foundries in the area, their melting processes can be causing a phenomenon known as voltage flicker at your facility. Call your local utility representative and discuss the situation with them if this is the case. They might be able to attach some load monitoring equipment to verify whether or noth this is causing the problem. .

Answer 3

for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.

Call the utility company to check the supply to the house. If it is ok to the meter base and breaker panel, your house wiring is to blame

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Ask the utility company to feel the transformer wiring connections. They can be extremely hot because of corrosion and this will cause flickering power sometimes.

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Check the circuit breaker.

I had a friend who's lights were flickering. He had several people look into it. Electrician, Utility etc. No luck. We spent some time turning off breakers and we came to the realization that the circuit breaker's contact was bad. Replaced the breaker and voila no flicker.

<><><>

Troubleshooting is the height of the art

The only reason there is "not enough voltage" somewhere is because there is a partially open connection providing resistance and a location to allow a voltage drop [bad splice, bad switch, bad breaker, broken wire, burned splice, ...].

It is the knowledge of how electricity works, and of the methods and materials used to create a functional wiring system, that enables a skilled troubleshooter to locate the problem and repair it.

Where should the "voltage" be, and how does it get there?

When you understand that, you will understand what is keeping it from getting where it should be...

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As previously mentioned, a loose connection is often times the root of the problem. Are the lights in question all on the same circuit? If so, start at the panel and verify you have a solid connection to the breaker with the wire, and also from the breaker to the bus of the panel.

If all is good there, I would suggest looking in switch boxes for loose connections, starting at the one closest to the panel. Be sure to check both the hot splice and the neutral splice.

If all is good there, I would move on to the lighting boxes, again, starting at the light closest to the panel.

You may find as you do this, that the power is taken to the fixtures themselves, rather than to the switch boxes first. If this is the case, you may skip over the switch boxes.

Fixtures with non-dimmable compact flourescent lights will also flicker when put on a dimmer.

SAFETY FIRST: Turn off the breaker to minimize the risk of electrical shock!!

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If you have any doubts about an answer that you get, check the answerer's bio by clicking on their name to check their qualifications.

As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

Answer 4

* Have your wiring checked as soon as possible by a qualified electrician.

Flickering power may indicate that you have an overload or short within the wiring. The fuse or circuit breakers should also be checked for damage or bad connections. Any drop in current or voltage indicates that the electricity is not flowing properly.

If this happens occasionally with a high-wattage device such as an electric iron or heater, it may not be a serious problem - they drop the power going to the lights when turned on. You may need to change wiring or appliance locations so that the total draw on a single breaker line does not exceed its rated capacity.

Answer 5

If your house lights flicker when you turn on things, it could be a sign of a voltage fluctuation or an overloaded circuit. It's best to consult with an electrician to assess the situation and determine the root cause to ensure safety and prevent potential electrical hazards.

Answer 6

Most probably, a loose wiring connection.