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Flickering Lights & Electrical Power Loss
Diagnose & fix flickering, dimming lights or lost electricity

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A diagnostic catalog of the causes & cures of of dimming light fixtures or flickering lights & power losses.

How to diagnose the causes of flickering or dimming lights at or in buildings.

This article gives simple diagnostic steps that a homeowner can do to determine the type of electrical system problem that is causing flickering or dimming lights or intermittent loss of electric ability. We list the common causes of these problems and propose what to practise about them.

Scout out:  flickering or dimming lights often indicates a dangerous status. Switch off the bad interim appliance or circuit and enquire for assist from a licensed electrician.

We as well provide an ARTICLE Index for this topic, or you can endeavour the page pinnacle or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick manner to find information you need.

Dimming or Flickering Lights Indicate Electrical Hazards in Buildings: What to Do

Sentry out: flickering or dimming lights at a building may be more an inconvenience.

While some causes of flickering lights may be normal and harmless, such as flickering in certain types of lite bulbs, many others betoken a dangerous condition, risking burn down, shock, injury or worse.

The safest arroyo is to turn off electrical circuits or components that are causing flickering or dimming or acting strangely in any fashion.

If you cannot safely access your electrical panel to turn off dangerous circuits or components, leave the building and phone call your local emergency services.

At FLOOD & DISASTER Building DAMAGE REPAIR PROCEDURES we list emergency numbers for various countries from Australia (000) to the U.Chiliad. (112). In Canada or the U.S. call 911. In Mexico telephone call 066.

[Click to overstate whatsoever prototype]

Photo: a fluorescent light fixture may be the only electric device that is flickering, for any of several reasons we will explain beneath. Other causes of flickering lights are very unsafe.

How to Diagnose Dimming or Flickering Lights at Buildings

In diagnosing the crusade of flickering or dimming lights at a edifice the following diagnostic questions can help narrow downwards the cause of the trouble.

1. Is the dimming light or power loss problem happening in but your building or do neighbors see the aforementioned trouble at exactly the aforementioned time?

   If your neighbors are seeing flickering or dimming lights besides, chances are the trouble is in the electric supply network or possibly at local electric wiring in your neighborhood or its power transformer. If your neighborhood frequently loses electrical power

   see BACKUP ELECTRICAL GENERATORS

2. Is the dimming trouble or power loss showing up in the whole building or just parts of it? If all lights in the building dim, flicker, or if all power is lost, then the problem is probably in the electrical console or at the service entry cabling to your building.

   The electrician will look for a trouble in the electrical console, at the primary breaker, at the service entry wiring connections or at the SEC wiring itself, including the two hot wires and the service neutral wire. But see the exception in step iv below.

   If the dimming, flickering, or lost power occurs in multiple circuits in the edifice the problem could even so be in the electrical panel itself, or in the service entry wiring to the building.

   See examples of electric meter failures

   at ELECTRIC METERS & METER BASES

   As well see Electric SERVICE ENTRY WIRING - home

3. Is the dimming or flickering lite problem or power loss associated with circuits in simply half of the electrical panel? Depending on electrical panel layout, damage to one panel bus tin cause failures or odd behaviour on electrical circuits connected to that panel bus.

   See the power loss traced to electric meter failures

   at Electrical METER ARC BURN POWER LOSS

   Likewise see Electric SERVICE ENTRY WIRING - abode

4. Is the dimming light trouble or power loss associated with the performance of a unmarried, specific appliance or motor? This is an exception to the case described in step ii in that all lights may dim when at that place is a developing failure in a single major appliance such equally an air conditioner compressor motor.

   Such motors can depict very high amps (current) for merely a brief moment when the motor is starting.

   If the current surge is very brief, no excursion billow may trip but the load may be sufficient to dim all of the incandescent lights that are on or all of fixtures in but part of the building, depending on how the appliance circuit is wired in the electrical console. (Fluorescent lights probably won't dim).

   If the trouble never occurs when the excursion to that apparatus has been turned off you lot've probably plant the trouble.

   If the problem is traced to a specific appliance but is intermittent, other variations in weather condition such as temperature, humidity, vibration, or moving effectually of a loose wire may explicate that inconsistency.

   Encounter likewise Electrical MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE - abode

5. Is the dimming or flickering light or power loss showing up on but a single circuit? In this case we suspect a faulty circuit breaker or bad connection in the circuit.

   Some excursion breaker brands are particularly prone to failure such every bit FPE Stab-Lok and Zinsco-Sylvania. In this case the problem may ultimately prove upwards on additional circuits in the aforementioned building, depending on edifice historic period and excursion usage levels and other weather condition.

   Come across ELECTRICITY TURN ON Afterward BREAKER TRIP

   Meet CIRCUIT Billow FAILURE RATES

   Also meet these examples of problematic electrical panels

• FEDERAL PACIFIC FPE HAZARDS
• MURRAY CIRCUIT Breaker HAZARDS
• MURRAY SIEMENS Recall
• PUSHMATIC - BULLDOG PANELS
• SIEMENS MURRAY Recall
• SPLIT BUS ELECTRICAL Console HAZARDS
• Foursquare-D AFCI RECALL 2004
• SQUARE-D COUNTERFEIT BREAKER Call back
• ZINSCO SYLVANIA Electrical PANELS
6. Is the dimming or flickering low-cal or power loss showing up just at some fixtures or appliances?

   A likely cause of this trouble is a failing appliance or motor that is drawing abnormally high current as we cited in pace iv.

   But sometimes the problem may occur merely at lights or appliances plugged in electrically "downstream" from a specific electrical excursion, or at lights operated past a specific switch. In this instance we doubtable the trouble is not the apparatus itself simply in connectors inside the receptacle or switch or immediately "upstream" (electrically) from it.

   Some receptacle and switch types such as older push-in back-wired devices are more probable to have loose or failing electrical connectors with age and usage.

   Endeavour plugging in the light fixture or appliance at a different location on a different electrical circuit in the home. If the bad behavior continues then the trouble is in the light or appliance itself.

7. Is the flickering light showing up at but one light fixture? Look for loose wiring or an overheating fixture.

8. Is the flickering low-cal establish in a fluorescent fixture?

   If so, while checking for a loose wire or poor fluorescent bulb connectedness is important, the most common causes of flickering fluorescent light fixtures are

• A bad fluorescent light bulb - take a bulb from a fixture working properly and exam it in the flickering fixture; also expect for black or other discoloration in the flickering bulb. Supercede it.
• A bad starter in the fixture
• A bad ballast in the fixture

In the photo above I am showing the original data tag for this Fox Co. fluorescent fixture installed in the bathroom of a Minnesota home built in 1961.

To stop the flickering light in this luminaire fixture I needed to supervene upon the ballast.

Details of repairing dead, humming, dim, or flickering fluorescent lights are

at FLUORESCENT LIGHT REPAIRS.

Watch out: for flickering low-cal safety hazards and take the immediate safety measures listed here.

eighteen Causes of Dimming or Flickering Lights or Electrical Power Loss at Buildings

Beginning by turning off any electric appliance or circuit that is misbehaving. If you are non trained and familiar with safe electrical practices and repairs, go on your fingers off of the wiring - you could be shocked or killed or could cause a burn down. Call for help from a licensed electrician.

Check your local telephone listings for licensed electricians or

encounter DIRECTORY OF ELECTRICIANS

1. Aluminum electrical wiring: if your building'due south branch excursion wiring (such every bit lights or electrical receptacles) was installed in the 1970's, solid-conductor aluminum wiring may have been used. With age, use, and mechanical disturbance, the connectors in an aluminum-wired circuit become unsafe, ultimately overheating.

   These connections can get hot plenty to outset a building fire without ever tripping a circuit breaker or blowing a fuse. We have had reports from homeowners of both conventional buildings and mobile homes or doublewides who described flickering lights that indicated trouble traced to aluminum electrical wiring.

   Watch out: for this fire hazard. If your home'southward branch circuits (receptacles and lighting) are wired with aluminum wire, flickering, dimming lights or even sparking may show up on just 1 circuit but the risk is building-wide and significant. Turn off the misbehaving excursion and have the electric organisation inspected and repaired by an electrician familiar with the hazards of and proper repairs for aluminum wiring.

   Run into ALUMINUM WIRING HAZARDS & REPAIRS - home - aluminum wire connections declining may cause flickering lights or loss of ability

   Too meet MOBILE HOME ELECTRICAL DEFECTS

2. Apparatus or motor cartoon high current: Whatsoever appliance that draws high current (amperage). Sometimes this is normal such every bit a cursory high current draw when some large electric motors start, such as an air-conditioning or heat pump compressor.

   An air conditioner or estrus pump compressor motor may depict considerably higher amps at get-go-upwards than it does once the motor has begun to run.

   That's why installers should use a slow-blow fuse or boring-trip circuit billow and it's why air conditioning excursion over-electric current protection ("breaker size" or "fuse size") is typically permitted to be one size larger (more amps) than the rating of the wire supplying the circuit.

   For instance, an air conditioner may run on a #x copper wire 30 Amp circuit but may be fused with a 35A or 40A circuit breaker to avoid nuisance tripping when the A/C unit is starting normally.

   Merely dimming lights tin too mean that a motor is drawing loftier current considering it is having difficulty starting.

   That in plough can be due to a motor that is seizing or due to a failing start-capacitor. Some of these atmospheric condition are dangerous. If the motor or appliance trips a circuit breaker, go out that appliance turned off until it can be repaired or replaced.

   See Difficult STARTING COMPRESSOR MOTORS

   Also TIGHT or SEIZED Ac COMPRESSORS

   Encounter HARD STARTING ELECTRIC MOTOR CAUSES

   Also come across Electric MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE which describes steps & tests for both offline and online electrical motor excursion analysis (MCA) examination procedures for hard starting or non-starting A/C electric motors

   Technical annotation: come across Data TAGS on AIR CONDITIONERS for definitions of LRA (lock rotor amps) and RLA (running load amps).

   There you'll run across that the information tag on an air conditioner or heat pump specifies two unlike amps or current ratings:

   the maximum circuit ampacity (for example 15A) that must be supported by the bodily wiring - this is the electric current drawn when the motor is running

   and

   the maximum overcurrent protection (for example 20A) that is permitted on the excursion. Typically the data tag volition likewise specify that the installer should use a time filibuster fuse or HVACR blazon circuit breaker.

   Watch out: many air workout and estrus pump units are wired with multi-strand aluminum electrical wire - a perfectly legal selection.

   Merely considering there is a higher risk of corrosion, resistance, and overheating at the connections of aluminum wiring, if your A/C or heat pump unit is causing severe light dimming or light flickering information technology makes sense to ask your electrician to cheque the condition of the wiring and its connections - that will reduce the risk of a total failure or worse, a fire.

   Watch out: When you can trace flickering or dimming lights to a single appliance, unplug information technology and stop using it until it can exist inspected and repaired.

   If the appliance is a unit such every bit central air or a rut pump, switch it off at the electrical panel.

3. Corrosion from unanticipated sources: homes where Chinese drywall was installed were reported to accept strange electrical problems including flickering lights.

   Off gassing from Chinese drywall was institute to cause corrosion of copper components throughout some of these buildings, including HVAC components, cooling coils, and copper electric wiring or connectors.

   See BACKWIRED RECEPTACLE FAILURE Report for an example of corroded electrical connections probably contributing to loss of electrical ability

   Run across CHINESE DRYWALL HAZARDS

4. Electric circuit breaker defects: some brands or models of circuit breaker are known to have significantly higher failure rates than that equipment in general. Examples include Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok circuit breakers and Zinsco circuit breakers.

   Watch out: burn or shock hazard: When you trace flickering or dimming lights to a specific electrical circuit, turn that circuit off at the electrical panel until your electrician can inspect and repair the trouble.

   Run into Circuit Billow FAILURE RATES - a bad circuit billow or electrical panel connexion can cause flickering lights or loss of power. This article lists common or well-known trouble circuit breaker or electrical panel brands or models.

   Since a failing circuit breaker or device sometimes (not always) suffers internal arcing that produces a buzzing sound, that clue may also exist diagnostic. Switch such circuits off.

   See NOISES, Electric SYSTEM

5. Electrical circuit wiring defects: specific electrical circuits may be dimming or intermittently losing ability if the wiring has become damaged or its electric connectors are loose. Typically this problem shows upwards first on just one electrical circuit, or on all of the lights or receptacles ("wall plugs or outlets") downstream from a specific point (where a problem has occurred). A double-wide homeowner reported loss of lights on simply i side of a room.

   After confirming that no GFCI device had tripped causing a power loss and no excursion breaker had tripped, the possessor needed to ask for help from an electrician to find the open up wire. For examples

   Meet BACK-WIRED Electric DEVICES - dwelling house - poor connections lead to flickering lights and loss of electric power

   See BACKWIRED RECEPTACLE FAILURE REPORT - corrosion and poor electric connections in a beachfront home atomic number 82 to loss of electrical ability

   See KNOB & TUBE WIRING

6. Electric fan or LED bulb induced "low-cal flicker": when certain fluorescent or LED lights or in particular when an overhead fan is in utilize, depending on factors such equally the location of light sources and fan in the room, fan speed, fan blade size and who knows what else can cause an apparent flickering of lite where the fan is located.

   This is non an electrical problem but i of calorie-free and shadow. Still depending on the flickering light speed, this condition tin can be uncomfortable for some people and may exist hazardous for some who have detail medical concerns such as low-cal-sensitive epilepsy. Video games and TVs tin can besides produce flickering lite that tin be a trouble for the same occupants.

   • Dahlquist, Neil R., James F. Mellinger, and Donald W. Klass. "Hazard of video games in patients with low-cal-sensitive epilepsy." JAMA 249, no. 6 (1983): 776-777.
   • Romero‐Gómez, Manuel, Juan Córdoba, Rodrigo Jover, Juan A. del Olmo, Marta Ramírez, Ramón Rey, Enrique de Madaria et al. "Value of the critical flicker frequency in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy." Hepatology 45, no. 4 (2007): 879-885.
   • Wilkins, Arnold, Jennifer Veitch, and Brad Lehman. "LED lighting flicker and potential health concerns: IEEE standard PAR1789 update." In Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE), 2010 IEEE, pp. 171-178. IEEE, 2010.
7. Electric motor defects: motors drawing loftier or excessive current can crusade dimming or flickering lights

   CAPACITORS for Difficult STARTING MOTORS - a hard-starting motor drawing loftier current may cause flickering lights

8. Electrical panel defects: as nosotros cite for circuit breakers, some electrical panel brands feel failures far more ofttimes than is generally the case among their peers, often because of innate blueprint or manufacturing problems. Some of these electrical panel defects show up as flickering lights, dimming lights, or loss of power on one or more electrical circuits.

   See FEDERAL PACIFIC FPE HAZARDS

   Also run across ZINSCO SYLVANIA ELECTRICAL PANELS for examples.

   A consummate listing is at ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION PANELS in buildings, rubber for electric inspectors, electrical panel, fusing, wiring defects, defective products.

   Likewise see CORROSION in Electrical PANELS - corrosion on electrical wire or components can crusade flickering lights or loss of power

9. Electrical service supply defects & voltage fluctuations: depending on where you live, conditions, loads on the customs electrical system, age and condition of the electrical grid and power generation can cause dimming or flickering lights. If this is the source of problem at your building, your neighbors will see the same weather condition every bit y'all.

   Sometimes we monitor voltage being delivered to a building to check the range of voltage variation only of course if your electric visitor'south supply is varying significantly, you and your neighbors will all see dimming lights or total loss of power. Issues at a local power transformer can cause the lights of your home and those of your neighbors to flicker or dim or go out entirely.

   Some light flickering, outages that concluding 60 seconds or less, are referred to in the power industry as "momentary outages" while voltage drops - not a total loss of power merely a reduction in the voltage being delivered to a building are referred to every bit "voltage drops".

   According to Florida Ability and Light (FPL), these may be caused by lightning strikes, damaged electrical equipment, animals interfering with electric equipment (including a mouse in your electrical console), and in coastal areas, salt spray that affects power company equipment or wiring.

   A "voltage sag" - momentary drop in the voltage level below its nominal 120VAC - may also occur, which explains why some lights may dim. These conditions tin re-gear up or stop operation of computers and other electrical devices unless you take a battery-fill-in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) installed. - FPL "Power Flickers - Reducing Ability Flickers", Florida Ability and Light, retrieved 9 Nov 2015, original source: https://www.fpl.com/reliability/power-disturbances/flickers.html

   According to Canada's CCOHC, "Unremarkably voltage fluctuations are modest and do not have adverse effects on electrical equipment. Still, in offices, for example, voltage fluctuations of just a few tenths of one percent can produce very annoying flickers in the lighting, particularly if they are regular and repetitive in the 5-xv Hz range." - CCOHS (2015 cited below)

   See Electrical SERVICE ENTRY DAMAGE - damaged electrical feeders or service entry tin can cause flickering lights or loss of electrical power

   Meet VOLTS MEASUREMENT METHODS

   Also come across DOUBLE Error, LOSS OF ELECTRICITY where we draw faulty wiring at a single building that led to flickering lights and ultimately, loss of ability.

10. Electrical service connection failure: a loose connexion at the building's electric service entry cable or damage to the service entry wiring itself can cause flickering lights or loss of power. I've seen this problem occur in one side of a 240V electrical panel, causing ultimate loss of ability to half of the electric circuits in the home.

    Meet SERVICE ENTRY WIRING & AMPACITY

    Also see Electrical SERVICE ENTRY WIRING - how is electrical ability brought to the building: inspection, troubleshooting, defects

11. Electrical neutral connectedness failure: if the electric organization'due south neutral connexion or neutral wiring is faulty, such as a loose connection in the electrical panel, lights in the building may sporadically flicker or dim or power may even be lost intermittently.

    I've seen this problem occur when a metal fence mail service was driven through an underground feeder. A instance history that was finally resolved by finding a problem with the electrical utility visitor's neutral is given

    at FLICKERING LIGHTS, LOST NEUTRAL

    Come across also LOST NEUTRAL SHOCKS HOMEOWNER

12. Fluorescent light ballast & other calorie-free bulb issues: fluorescent lights that use a ballast to produce the voltage needed to drive the light fixture may endure from a ballast failure. The anchor, a "black box" found within of fluorescent light fixtures may crusade humming or buzzing sounds heard nearly the lite fixture besides every bit flickering lights.

    This problem occurs where older magnetic type ballasts are installed. Newer electronic ballasts don't hum or fizz.

    See FLUORESCENT LIGHT REPAIRS where we depict repairing flicking fluorescent light fixtures.

    Besides see LIGHTING, INTERIOR GUIDE where buzzing ballasts are discussed.

    Separately we discuss eliminating the ballast entirely by switching to an LED bulb - an option available for some fluorescent fixtures.

    See LED BULB REPLACES FLUORESCENT

13. Lightning strikes tin damage both expanse electric wiring or the supply grid too every bit dissentious components at an individual edifice. A frequent sufferer of lighting strikes are well pumps and well pump wiring at properties where a submersible well pump is in a steel-casing well in an expanse subject to frequent lightning storms.

    In this case the problem is usually confined to the well excursion, but I accept participated in investigation of more extreme damage to all of a building's wiring and even plumbing systems due to lightning strikes.

    Come across LIGHTNING PROTECTION SYSTEMS

14. Lite fixture or light bulb or bulb socket / wiring defects: flickering lights that occur just at a single calorie-free fixture may exist acquired by a failing or lacking light bulb, peculiarly if the bulb is a traditional incandescent type.

    As the filament in an incandescent light bulb begins to fail it may go loose and intermittently "open" electrically causing the low-cal to flicker. Tapping gently on such a bulb may cause information technology to go out completely. Changing the bulb should fix the trouble.

    If the individual light fixture continues to flicker after a new bulb has been installed, bank check that the bulb itself is ok by trying it in a unlike low-cal fixture.

    If the light bulb is not defective then I doubtable a bad bulb socket in the light fixture or a loose wire connection in the light fixture's connection to its power circuit. Turn the fixture off until it can be repaired or replaced.

    A loose, corroded, or cracked, cleaved bulb connector or incandescent or LED bulb socket tin also cause flickering lights. [Thanks to reader Jan for reminding us of this cause, 2020/10/29 ]

15. Loose electrical connections in an electrical circuit: loose splices or connections anywhere in an electrical circuit can cause flickering lights. Usually this defect shows upwardly only on the circuit that contains the faulty connection. I've seen this trouble at an electrical receptacle that received very frequent apply: devices were constantly plugged-in then removed.

    The wiggling and jiggling of the device loosened contacts intended to be made between the receptacle and the wall plug. Other receptacles or switches may be wiggled around in their electrical box (if poorly-secured) causing loose, failing electrical connections.

    See ELECTRICAL SPLICES, HOW TO Make - a bad splice, wire connector or loose screw or wire can cause flickering lights or loss of power

    In some cases, such as dorsum-wired button-in blazon electrical receptacles, the wiring connector itself (a small spring) is inherently weaker than screw-type connectors. On older homes these connections tin neglect, occasionally leading to a fire.

    Come across Dorsum-WIRED Electrical DEVICES

16. Low or varying voltage from the electric service utility or due to defects in the service drop or service entry wiring.

    VOLTS MEASUREMENT METHODS - voltage variation may crusade flickering lights

17. Outdoor electrical wiring defects: aside from the service entry cable problems I've cited, other outdoor wiring defects tin can cause flickering lights on those circuits. Examples include lighting fixtures or receptacles that have become wet.
18. Something else is wrong: the list above is certainly not exhaustive and there may be other causes of flickering or dimming lights that nosotros should add here. Please employ the folio lesser CONTACT link to permit us know what we've missed or add a comment in the Comments department below.

Watch out: flickering or dimming lights may, depending on the cause, indicate a dangerous condition. Arcing or overheating at electrical circuits can ultimately pb not just to power loss simply to a building fire. That'due south why we recommend turning off misbehaving electrical equipment while yous wait for the electrician.

What Level of Flickering Low-cal Tin People Run into?

Canada's CCOHS has written some of the virtually hands understood description of who sees flickering lights, what people can see or sense, and what wellness furnishings may occur when exposed to flickering light. Excerpts are below:

People can see lights flashing on and off upwardly to about fifty flashes per second (50 Hz) - they are virtually sensitive to time-varying illumination in the 10-25 Hz range. The bodily disquisitional flicker frequency increases as the light intensity increases up to a maximum value, later on which it starts to decrease.

When a light is flickering at a frequency greater than 50 or so Hertz, most people can no longer distinguish between the private flickers. At this frequency - the critical flicker frequency or flicker fusion threshold - the flashes appear to fuse into a steady, continuous source of calorie-free. This happens because the response to the low-cal stimulus lasts longer than the flash itself.

Most people cannot notice the flicker in fluorescent lights that have a flicker rate of 120 cycles per 2nd (or 120 Hz).

The light flicker may be detected by its stroboscopic effect. When objects move or rotate apace, they may be lit at or about the aforementioned position during each cycle or rotation.

This makes objects look as if they are moving more slowly than their actual speeds - they may even appear stationary if the object is moving at the aforementioned charge per unit equally the flicker frequency (or a multiple of it).

This fact is the principle behind a strobe light but it is not the desired effect in general lighting. In fact, it could exist a safety run a risk if someone mistakenly idea that some equipment was stationary or was moving slowly. - CCOHS, "Lighting Ergonomics - Low-cal Flicker", Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safe, CCOHS, retrieved 2015/11/09, original source: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/lighting_flicker.html

Also, from a different source, we run across that flickering light can be a source of eye strain and headaches fifty-fifty if it is non related to electrical malfunctions that nosotros listed earlier in this article:

... the use of high frequency electronic ballasts (20,000 Hz or higher) in fluorescent lights resulted in more than than a 50% drop in complaints of center strain and headaches.

In that location tended to be fewer complaints of headaches among workers on higher floors compared to those closer to basis level; that is, workers exposed to more than natural light experienced fewer health furnishings. - Wilkins, A. J., I. Nimmo-Smith, A. I. Slater, and L. Bedocs. "Fluorescent lighting, headaches and eyestrain." Lighting Research and Technology 21, no. 1 (1989): 11-18.

Flickering lights traced to bad utility company neutral wire

This topic has moved to FLICKERING LIGHTS, LOST NEUTRAL

Reader Q&A - also run into the FAQs series linked-to below

@John,

Thanks for the added particular; proceed us posted;

Certainly some of my warnings will err on the side of safety.

See USING an Electric RECEPTACLE TESTER to CHECK VOLTAGE & WIRING

Watch out: an electric receptacle with reversed polarity can be unsafe and in some cases can harm electrical equipment. It may non be obvious, afterward all it'south "alternating electric current" running in "two directions" on the circuit, betwixt hot and neutral.

Just keeping the neutral side "live" as what happens in reversed-polarity circuits tin can actually damage some printed circuits and command boards by delivering power where information technology is not expected to be fed.

@inspectapedia.com.moderator, thank y'all. I volition definitely not be attempting to investigate or set up across what you suggested. I take a great bargain of respect for this things and experienced electrical shock every bit a child!

I only recalled that when we bought the home we did have an electrician over as office of renovating two rooms. He replaced some switches and install a number of new outlets. He did find ii switches quite old that needed replacing. My promise is that he would accept noticed the aluminum just I'll have someone check regardless.

However I believe he did not investigate or bank check the other rooms in the habitation equally I just checked a number of outlets in these rooms and they accept reverse polarization which I know is not commonly a large deal merely thought to ask if information technology could accept any relation to the issue with my reckoner.

The outlet the computer and monitor are plugged into has reverse polarization.

@John,

Your electrician will exist able to tell immediately if there is aluminum wiring in the electrical console when she opens the console embrace to audit the circuits inside.

That'south not something you should exercise as you could be shocked or killed.

Nevertheless if you look at any electrical wiring that is visually accessible you may occasionally see printed on the plastic covering of plastic wire the word "aluminum" which would exist significant.

Yous can besides use the on-page search box to search this website for

ALUMINUM WIRING HAZARDS & REPAIRS - overheating or corroded connections can cause flickering lights

For an article describing other wiring text or imprint or size that identifies information technology every bit an aluminum product.

From the age of your house, the original wiring would not be aluminum.

@mak.church, Thank you. I think the work washed in the 1970s was to increment the amps in the home. I confirmed it was non washed by a electrician - instead it was done by a family member who is very handy with homes. (Make me nervous). The home was built in the late 1940s and is a two family. It at present has 100 amps per apartment.

Is there anything I can do that would assistance y'all identify whether I accept aluminum wiring such every bit taking a photo? I will take an electrician come to check regardless only appreciate an unbiased opinion

@John,

Except where your electrical wiring was improperly sized in the first place or where information technology has been damaged by a building upshot such every bit a fire, information technology is quite rare that it is ever necessary or even advisable to supervene upon the wiring itself. Copper doesn't wear out. Copper thousands of years old has been found intact in the Egyptian tombs.

Information technology could be a trouble with connectors, or an overloaded circuit. Simply turning on the bathroom low-cal should be such a footling load on the circuit merely I doubtable at that place is an unsafe connection or switch for which y'all need an electrician who will locate and fix the connector, switch, or device.

Considering it's expensive to bring an electrician to a property for a single small trouble, that would be a nifty fourth dimension to have the electrician add a dedicated electrical circuit to the room where you use your computer.

Watch out: 1970s electric wiring could include aluminum solid conductor branch circuit wires. If your home has aluminum wiring and the wiring has not been properly repaired by installing the special connector at each and every connection then that circuit is unsafe and is a fire hazard.

And then be sure to have your electrician check promptly for the presence of aluminum wiring. Let united states of america know what you lot're told.

How-do-you-do, i bought a business firm that had its electrical wiring updated in the 70s. When they did it, they did not dedicate a excursion for each room so some rooms share circuits.

In my small-scale office I had my computer with monitor and when someone turns on the bathroom ceiling light my computer monitor ability turns off - it does this consistently.

I am worried because the computer monitor is LED, uses depression power and the low-cal bulb in the bathroom also is LED.

I practice not have any high intensity applicances on in my room, only laptop, LED monitor and sometimes a fan and light.

Does this signal bad or wiring that should exist replaced? My concern is that the previous owners were very frugal and likely has the wiring done by unlicensed electricians.

@Cori,

Before the electrician leaves enquire him to find whether there are any flickering lights and ask him if there's something else that he recommends

I have flickering and dimming lights thought out the whole house. Electrician is here now.

He is replacing my outside main wire and will replace 3 or 4 breakers on console just says information technology' NOT GUARANTEED the flickering and dimming lights volition cease. R u kidding me?? I'm paying him $1850.00!!!

@Zach,

That sounds like a shorted electrical circuit, switch, or fixture.

Your electrician will probably use a DMM or VOM to bank check for shorting and check the current draw on each of those circuits and also she'd inspect the electrical panel itself, the breakers and the bus - for arcing.

Is there aluminum excursion wire in the building?

What'south the electrical excursion brand?

How old is the building?

Whenever I plough my kitchen light on my dining room fan/light combo dims. It stays dim until I turn kitchen calorie-free off. At start I thought it was mayhap in the switch as it'south a double switch with power hooked to the height that controls both the acme and bottom switch. There is also a 3way switch in the same location ran on a separate breaker.

I turned off both breakers took both the dining room light and kitchen lite off the switch and hooked each one directly to the power feed with wire nuts. One connected to ane circuit and the other connected to the circuit that the 3way had been on. I flipped on one breaker and dining light came on. I flipped on the other breaker and kitchen calorie-free came on.

Once more dining room low-cal dimmed equally before. I've checked and tightened all wiring going to both fixtures. Help!

If that were my home I'd take a licensed electrican trace the circuits involved, both to discover the arcing or loose connectors, other unsafe connections and devices, and/or to get clear on what's wired on what excursion: we may need to add circuits to correct an overloading problem likewise as fixing the wiring problems.

Recently I had a circut that controlled three outside motion lights fail. I checked for proper voltage at the switch and got "0" voltage reading. Then I checked for voltage at the circut breaker and it measure 117v.

Then two days later I'm bold the same or neighboring circut failed which controls 5 outlets which accept a washer, small firdge, garage door opener, and some small-scale devices.(6outlets) I noticed that all of these circuts arent even isolated to certain areas of the house , they seemed to be mixed upward.

this business firm was built in the 60's with what appears to me as some renovation along the style with poorly added circutry. iii years prior to all these problems dimming of lights when washer and or dryer is in utilise, equally well as bzzing in swiches was nowadays.

Whatsoever comments as to what the next pace or solution to this problem would exist is greatly apreaciated.

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