Lights now flicker

ndowens

Last night, I came home and noticed that certain areas in my home had no power, bedroom and living room outlets. I figure out a breaker as tripped. I tried resetting them by flipping two switches on one breaker and I seen a spark and my wife said she her a pop.

She went to get her dad, since I don't know much about electrical stuff(My main knowledge is computers).

Her dad flipped one switch one one breaker at a time. Two of the breakers were tripped. He go the power on, and after I notice that my TV, DSL modem, and later on noticed there is a problem with our cordless phone and DSL router. I have the TV unplugged, got a better surge protector. To give a little more insight. The DSL modem and router was hooked up to a APC battery backup/surge(which is suppose to be really good), the APC is hooked up to a different outlet. I had the TV hooked up to a seperate surge protector, which had other electronics on it, like surround sound, pc speakers and other things. Some how only the certain electronic items got hit.

After this, my wife was using the microwave and noticed the lights were flickering. I never noticed this before the above issues. Today I was in the restroom and noticed the lights flickering, though a thunderstorm was kinda near but not yet here.

What can it be? One more thing, I noticed one outlet between the living room and kitchen doesn't work, though from what I read a breaker might look like it is on but in reality it is tripped. My main issue is the flickering and what happened to the electronics.

The flickering also seems to be mainly in the kitchen, living room, and bathroom(these are the areas I have noticed at the moment). The back bedroom may, but not tested. The main bedroom doesn't seem to flicker from what I have seen.

Scuba_Dave

Sounds like a loose neutral connection
Where are you located ?

ndowens

Alabama, USA. Will update profile

ndowens

I also wonder if it only does it when there is a storm. Because I had a light on in the kitchen and used the microwave and didn't notice a flicker after the storm passed?(At least at the moment I did this)

ndowens

I just found the source of what happened. Apparently, lightning stuck my TV Antenna. The cable near the sig booster was fried and a connector to the other cable is burned and so is the one that ran into the house. So apparently it ran into the TV cable, into the electric sig booster into the TV. Which also ended up getting my DSL modem, router. Like I think what I mentioned above, is the modem and router was hooked into my APC battery/surge unit(hooked into a wall outlet) and the TV and sig booster was hooked up to a regular surge protector(separate wall outlet).

ndowens

I replaced a light bulb in the bathroom, currently it isn't flickering. The wall outlet doesn't look like it hasn't been burned.

Also while I am thinking about it, I felt the temp of the breakers and all felt cool, none was hot.
What do you guys think?

jbfan

Lightning knows no boundries.
It might be time to have an electrician to come out and look at your system.
I had lighting hit a tree 5 feet from my house.
Took out the bottom element on the stove, took out my modem, took out the splitter for the cable on the side of the house, tripped all my gfci's and blew out 3 tires on my stepson's car!

__________________
Yes I am a Pirate, 200 years too late. "Jimmy Buffett"

ndowens

Also I can tell you that the plugs doesn't look fried. What I mean, the outlet doesn't look like it has been burned like I thought it would.

ndowens

Well I went to take a shower and now the bathroom light is flickering again. Also the ceiling fan doesn't work, but the light part of the ceiling fan works. UGH. This bothers me. Could it be a breaker is bad?

frenchelectrican

There possiblty the connection got loosen up or damged by near by lighting strike and it can happend in odd spots.

The last house just have work on it. that place did got lighting strike in in the wall and replace the meter socket , water heater , stove and few other items plus about 100 meter worth of cables have to be replaced few were safe.

But I think it will be wise to call in the electrician to come out and check out your system to make sure it is safe and I am pretty sure you have home insurance that do cover the lighting strikes.

Merci.
Marc

ndowens

Sadly, no insurance. I have already replaced most of it. The lights mainly flicker in certain areas, currently it seems to maybe be only in the bathroom

frenchelectrican

You may have to climb up in the attic and look for the juction box somecase you will find loose connection up there otherwise at the switch boxes sometime it can get loosen up espcally this is true with backstabbed switches and recetpales that is the most common cuprit.

Merci.
Marc

ndowens

I don't have an attic. Sadly I don't know much about electrician stuff. I know very little. If this helps, when the breakers tripped, they weren't fully tripped to the left(off), they were about half way.

jbfan

Most, if not all breakers trip to the mid point, so that is normal.

__________________
Yes I am a Pirate, 200 years too late. "Jimmy Buffett"

ndowens

I also noticed the breakers doesn't feel warm or hot.