It begins with a slight flicker in your kitchen. You notice your lights blink for a fraction of a second, just brief enough for you to question it. You assume it’s nothing. Then you experience the flickering lights again while you’re folding laundry or cramming for a big exam.
We tend to ignore these small annoyances, assuming it’s a loose lightbulb or just the character of an older home. However, flickering house lights almost never mean you just need to change a bulb. Most of the time, it’s the beginning signs of major electrical work conversations happening inside your walls.
You see, electricity should flow freely and consistently through your home. When there is a hiccup in that flow, you will notice a visible dimming of lights. Sometimes a single lamp may flicker if it wasn’t screwed in all the way. However, when you notice dimming every time you turn on an appliance, or it occurs everywhere in your home, something isn’t right. Take a look at some of the possible causes below.
Why Do My Lights Keep Flickering?
Look at the appliances in your home. Your refrigerator, dryer, and electric range all take a large “gulp” of electricity when they turn on. This is normal and to be expected. Your home has been designed to accommodate a certain voltage. Let’s say you turn on your air conditioner and your electricity draw spikes because your system can’t handle that sudden draw. You will notice that flickering effect in your lights because they are telling you there is not enough juice to go around.
Poor Connection
Your desk lamp flickers? Probably not a big deal. Is the dimmer switch incompatible with your LEDs? It can still be solved easily. However, what if your kitchen lights dim every time you turn your washing machine on? This problem likes to occur throughout your entire home. You will know this is the case if you try the major power-draw appliances one by one, and the flickering keeps happening. These issues can occur anywhere along your electrical path, including loose wiring in an outlet or corrosion in your main electrical panel.
Know the Difference: Dim Bulb vs Dangerously Dim Electricity
You can always try tightening the lightbulb first. If the flickering stops, problem solved. If it is only one lamp that acts up, you can safely diagnose the problem as that fixture.
But if not, it’s time to pay attention. Changing the lightbulb only to find the kitchen lights still won’t stop flickering when you run the dishwasher is where we draw the line between regular maintenance and serious electrical fire hazards.
Are you hearing a buzzing or popping noise? Can you smell something fishy or ozone-like near the outlet? TURN OFF YOUR POWER at the main breaker and contact a professional right away. These are not nuisances anymore.
What Causes Electrical Wiring to Flicker?
There isn’t always one explanation — often it’s a combination of old wiring and an inability to handle the demand of new appliances.
Faulty wiring
When outlets and switches are turned on and off, they heat up and cool down. Over time, those connections can become loose behind your walls. Electricity wants to flow straight, and when a connection is loose, it will “jump” the gap, causing that flickering you see. The downside is that this jump creates a ton of heat and can easily start a fire.
Overloaded circuit
Older homes weren’t built for the same demand that your refrigerator, kitchen stove, and home office require today. Your circuit breaker is telling you all those devices are fighting over the same amount of electrical current, and it doesn’t have enough to supply them all.
Bad electrical panel
Similar to faulty wiring, electrical panels should be able to distribute power evenly throughout your home. Corroded bus bars or weak circuit breakers can cause lights to flicker throughout your home and usually indicate your home is 20 years old or older.
Utility problems
Connection issues from the power company can also cause flickering. If the other houses on your street are experiencing the same problem or the flickering worsens when it’s really windy out, contact your utility company. A loose neutral connection on the weather head (where the power lines connect to your home) can be dangerous and should be handled by professionals.
Signs You Should Contact an Electrician
Sure, maybe your lights flicker every now and then and it’s never anything more than annoyance. However, if you start to see these other problems appear, you should seek a professional’s help sooner rather than later.
- Brown or charred outlet plugs. Stop using that outlet immediately.
- Warm light switch plates. Light switches should never be warm to the touch.
- The breaker keeps tripping. Once a week or more? Call a pro.
- Burning smells. Do not ignore this one. Call immediately and shut off your power.
Electricians don’t mind when you DIY most of your home maintenance. But when it comes to electricity, there is no room for error. Search for an electrician as soon as you realize the problem is more than one flickering lamp.
Not only will an electrician have the proper equipment to pinpoint exactly where the problem is lurking in your walls (a circuit analyzer, thermal imagers), but they can also advise you on your next steps. Whether you need a terminal tightened or an entire residential electrical upgrade, it’s always better to catch the problem early than create a bigger failure when your family is relying on your home the most. Nobody wants to lose power during a Texas heat wave or freeze.
Tips to Reduce Electrical Hazards
Most electrical issues can be prevented with a little mindfulness. Follow these tips to ensure your home has a long and healthy electrical life.
- Be sure your lightbulbs and dimmers are compatible. Dimmers can cause your LED lights to strobe.
- Unplug excess appliances in older homes. Spread your high-wattage kitchen appliances between multiple circuits when possible.
- Do a quick visual inspection of your outlets and plug-ins. Look for anything loose or visibly damaged once a month.
- Label your electrical panel. Make sure you know what each breaker corresponds to in your home. If you ever experience a problem, you’ll be able to turn that room off and away from danger.
Empowering Austin with Trusted Electrical Work
At ADG Electrical Services LLC, we take pride in empowering your home with reliable electrical work you can count on. As a third generation family owned business, we have been providing electrical services to the community since 1989. We offer the same level of care and customer service for everyone’s electrical needs!
Let us keep your home glowing bright for years to come. Don’t wait until a small spark becomes a big problem. Contact ADG Electrical Services and learn why Texans have trusted our electricians for 3 generations.