Dimming and Flickering lights in home

knotquiteawake

Just don't leave whatever breaker your fridge is connected to switched off for too long!!!

Keisha34

what if it still dim even if all circuits are checked?

knotquiteawake

Then its probably one of those things mentioned earlier (ground wires and such). Checking each of the breakers is just something little you can try on your own to help point the electrician in the right direction.

If this is just a "friend" who is helping you with the electrical then I would suggest getting a licensed professional out to check it out instead. If this was a licensed professional you already had out then its time to get somebody else out maybe.

k_buz

From what it sounds like and what people have been saying is that this seems like a problem with one or both legs of the service. This could be caused (but not limited to) a bad main breaker, a loose connection at the main breaker, a loose connection at the panel (if the main isn't in the panel), a loose connection in the meter socket, a loose connection where the poco ties its line into the house, a bad transformer, a loose connection on the transformer, a undersized transformer.

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Keisha34

i really want to find the oroblem so i want have to keep calling the electrcian back and unfornately my town only has one main electric comp that has liscened electrician work in the homes..I'm worried about it being a safety hazard..this seems like it is going to be quite costly.

k_buz

Can you replicate the problem or is it completely random? Does it occur more during one part of the day or night?

My suggestion would be to turn all the breakers off tonight except one lighting circuit. The unplug any unnecessary thing and see if the lights continue to dim. If they do, I would suspect its a POCO issue (assuming your EC checked the main breaker and connections).

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Keisha34

it is completely random. it happens as much in the daytime as at night. I think they checked the main breaker and connection.

jammin06

We need to know if all the lights that flicker are on one circuit breaker.

Are they all overhead lights?

Can you plug a lamp in and see if it flickers?

Keisha34

They are all on one circuit and yes all we have are overhead lights and i'm testing the a desk lamp right now

Keisha34

the desk lamp seem to flicker a little but no major indication of dimming or continous flickering

jammin06

Ok. You're getting close.

Now, this is the time consuming part.

You have to take each light fixture down and find the loose connection. Or it might be at the switch. You have to take each switch out.

Start at the light closest to the circuit breaker box. This is not always easy to determine. That is why time consuming. Most of the fixtures and switches you take out will be ok. But you will probably know it when you find the culprit. The wires will just pull apart.

Make sure the power is OFF when you take them out.

I don't mean disconnect the wires. Take the light shade off. take out screws and pull the fixture down a little so you can see the wire connections. If they are good connections it will just hang there.

If you're not comfortable with this, get an electrician.

If there is a light or switch that was recently replaced, that might be a good starting point.

And sometimes just pulling the fixture a little will make a better connection and you think that it is ok. So usually I just let them hang untill I find the actual bad connection.

Keisha34

i'm still curious about the fact that my fridge picks up the voltage drop and no other appliance does but apparently it is not the socket cause it didn't cause the lights to blink or dim because we have already checked it out..But I have always thought maybe it could be a loose wire behind a fixture.

jammin06

Is fridge on a different breaker?

And actually, I would probably start at the circuit breaker for the circuit that flickers. Is the hot wire to the breaker tight?

Is the WHITE NUETRAL wire for that circuit tight?

Keisha34

yes, I have the desk lamp plugged into the plug that is on the same circuit as the one the fridge is plugged up to. Plus i forgot to mention that the fridge is old and I need a new one so it might be sensitive to the slightest thing even if it is on another circuit

jammin06

So, now, does EVERY light on that circuit flicker?

Are there outlets as well as lights on that circuit?

This is why Busman suggested a circuit map.

You make a sketch of floor plan. Mark every outlet and light.
Then number each circuit breaker.
Then shut one breaker off and go see what doesn't work. Mark the non-working outlets and switches with the breaker number that is off.
Use a small lamp to check the outlets.
Hopefully the breaker box is not downstairs or outside. Making a circuit map is a tiring job, but very helpful in trouble shooting.