Call the power company, and have them ensure all their connections are tight. IF the problem persists, you will have to check your mains connections in your service panel(s).

 

Sounds as if a "step-down" transformer may be feeding your home from the power company (PC). At times these will need a "tap adjustment" which must be done by the PC. Call your power provider, explain the problem, they do want to know. They will determine if they need to come out and test any of their equipment before it goes out and costs them more monies.

 

Hey, hopefully someone reads this. Had to work 3 days straight never had power company come out yet. However, I noticed something reecntly. When the power goes out, sadly NOT the entire house, just most of it. I tried to trace which breakers the outlets were on that would lose power. The problem is, it's about 5 different breakers, blowing my theory of it being a bad breaker needing to be replaced...still none of them actually "blow" and turn off. We just lose power throughout most of the house ... Does this possibly change what the problem could be? I'm really tight on money and can't afford to call an electrcian yet =(

 

You need to call the power company and have them check it out first. If they verify that everything is OK on their end, then we'll start troubleshooting. It sounds like you are intermittently losing one hot leg.

 

Unplug all electronics (including microwave ovens and washing machines with digital controls) from affected circuits.

Open up the breaker panel and make sure all the screws and set screws that hold wires in place are tight. Turn off each breaker before touching the screw on it. Unscrew each screw a quarter turn and then retighten. Do not use tremendous force.

Now, do any circuits work normally? Make a list of the breakers they use.

Try out some incandescent lights in different outlets all about the house while you turn on a hair dryer plugged into another outlet.. See if any lights come on unusually bright on any circuits. Make a note of that.

It's up to you whether you call your own electrician first or call the power company first, but you should do various tests to try to prove where the problem is before calling the power company.

 

Yah, that was the plan ... to figure out where the problem is before I make a call. I did unplug everything except a couple lamps and started playing with the them trying to sort out the breakers. At first I thought it was the entire one half of the box, so I could blame the main. Turns out 2 brakes (top and third down) on the left and 3 breakers on the right (both 3) so it's more randomly spread out that it's confusing...When I have nothing but a lamp plugged in, it's still doing the original flicker though =(

 

when we say one half or one leg out, we mean well the breakers are connected in funny ways, The first row is one one leg, the next row is no the other, etc.

Have you tightened all connections, be mindful that even with the main off there is still power in the box.

 

Honestly, I do think it's a Leg issue. I checked all the screws, did the half turn loosen, and retighten on them all. Got a call into the power company, i'm starting to believe it's more with them than inside...but i have no clue. If they say everything's okay that's when I'm going to look for some in-depth tutorial to finding the problem ... atleast I'm narrowing it down

 

If both legs of the box, likely a loose neutral at the box or from there to the pole, wouldn't it?

 

Do the lights on different circuits (different breakers) flicker the same way together (aka in unison)?

While someone up in the house turns on a hair dryer or electric heater or (electric) stove burner, can you hear crackling or hissing or raspy humming in the breaker box?

 

I would pull the main and leave it off until you find this issue. You are taking a chance at frying everything electronic in your house. Kill power to the house and go to a motel if you must.
The power company should have been called long ago and is where you should start. TODAY!

 

same issue here

half of house would loose power at times, blink, do weird things like light bulbs not lasting. Turned out to be the meter installer 'missed' one leg installing the meter LONG ago. laid against where it should so worked sometimes. when wind blew it blinked. that was the wire waving in the wind. Check and see if meter looks square and have them come out and check connections inside. Cost me a new meter box cause it finnally burnt off the leg it was resting on and NOT inside where its supposed to have been. Crap happens!!!!

 

It's been awhile, but the problem had seemed to go away for awhile after I had left the main and all the breakers off for a few hours while I went to class. However, the problem is back (Half the power to the house seems to be out, alternating breakers) and I called the power company. They came out an ensured me that the taps are fine. IE: the problems on my end. I don't have the money, being a student, to call an electrician. Not unless I -really- have too. At this point, I'm only certain that half my house doesn't have power and the other half does. Instead of going out randomly for 10 seconds - 1 min, it's not out perminitly. My question to anyone who can help is, where do I begin my troubleshooting now. I have a multimeter so I can start checking voltages, I'm just not sure exactly which to check, or what readings i'm looking for. So far i'm still being told it could be a bad hot leg, could be a bad main breaker, a possible bad neutral (that doesn't make sense, I thought a bad neutral, like a car, would cause all power to go out), and I've also been told it could be the entire box/panel itself....

How can I start checking to eliminate problems and narrow it down? Thanks in advance.

 

Just asking, but as a student is this a house you own or some sort of rental? If rental, you should have the landlord deal involved with this.

 

I own it now, grandmother passed away and left it to me. That's why i'm trying to get it done for myself. I have an automotive background, so I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out. Electric just scares me and i'm not exactly sure how everything works in the panel. Which is why i'm not sure what to test, or what readings to expect.

 

If you haven't done so already, take the cover off the panel. Be VERY CAREFUL inside this panel. Check to make sure that all the white wires in the panel are inserted and tightened down properly on the neutral bus bar.

If you can, a closeup pic would be great.

 

This is one of those time when you need more help then we can give on the net.
You can't afford not to have an electricain come out and look at this problem.

Replacing a computer and tv will cost more than the electrician.

 

Perhaps you have teachers or students taking trade related classes that might be able to help out?

That aside, how about starting with identifying the panel - brand, model, type of breakers, ampacity of the main breaker, whatever info you can provide so we can better understand what you have. And how old is the house?

 

Did the POCO open the meter and check the connection inside. IF not then they should have. Even the electricain isn't supposed to go into the meter. It also wouldn't be the first time the POCO misssed the problem on the first look.
If the problem isn't in the meter then most likely the problem is at the main breaker. Either one of the line to the breaker is bad or the breaker connection to the buss bar is bad.

 

Okay, came home and tested power coming into the main. One line (multimeter on top bolt and ground) was 120. Second line (Bottom bolt + ground) was 0. I also did a lug to lug test which was 120. Apparently the problem is from the lines coming into the house. Turned off the main, pulled the meter. Both hots inside the meter box are 120. It appears the bottom female connector (for the meter itself) is slightly damaged and was split apart, causing it to arc and eventually burn out I suppose.

Being told by a friend, who's not really an electrician but has done a ton in the past while building houses that the meter box should be replaced and recheck. I tried to bend the female pin back to it's original state but I can't get it perfectly straight and i'm scared to put needle nose pliars in due to possible arcing into the hot....better safe than dead!

Anyway, does that sound reasonable for the tests I did? Should I run anymore? Or just go ahead and have the meter box replaced, recheck, and go from there?



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I'm not going to comment on pulling the meter but since it is out, that neutral wire doesn't look good either....
What did the meter pins look like?

 

The bottom right pin, the one that goes in the open slot was slightly burnt at the base. The pin itself didn't seem lose, flimsy, or damaged. Just the plstice at the base. the neutral wire seemed okay and zapped me when I touched it directly instead of the bolt like a retard :laughing:

 

Since the meter belongs to the poco, they might have to have a say in the repair.
No way are you going to get the jaws tight enough to hold the meter, and restore and keep the lost leg working.

You need a new meter base.

 

thanks man, you're about the third person to tell me to replace the meter box(base). So I feel confident that what needs to be done. I don't plan on doing that myself, don't worry. Not really interested in touching the pure live lines. I feel good about myself, being able to check and eliminate some stuff and find the problem, with help of course. Thanks again everyone for the help

 

In some place the POCO supplies the meter base.