Question on home electric problem - lights flickering only in certain rooms

[nisryus]

So a few days ago the lights inside the master bedroom and bathroom start to flicker. I first thought it might be related to the AC, as i it draws power when it starts. But nope, it was not during the time the AC started up. Also when all of the lights in either rooms started to flicker, everywhere else around the house was fine.

The flickering happens randomly. Sometimes in the afternoon, early morning, or late at night.

Could this be a loose connection somewhere in the circuit? I checked the outlets and all seemed fine and have good voltage. Could it be bad fuse in the electrical panel?

*Hope its not ghost!!!

 

[mindless1]

Yes it could be loose wiring, try to narrow down what elements of the circuit are common to both rooms, perhaps the same fuse or breaker. You can take fuses or breakers out and clean the contacts, and swap with other fuses or breakers.

Do not electrocute yourself, only do what you are comfortable doing safely. Since a wiring problem potentially poses a fire hazard, I wouldn't let this go on for long before calling an electrician.

 

[Greenman]

Probably a loose connection, if you have aluminum wiring it's almost a certainty.

 

[iRONic]

Ohman... if you're asking that here instead of watching relevant You tube info, ask a local pro on Angi.

 

[Greenman]

Angie's list and youtube, the nightmare of contractors across the country.

 

[mindless1]

^ Don't forget craigslist, I can always find (insert interesting colorful adjectives here) bleeps.

 

[nisryus]

Mentioned to wife if i could check for loose connections, she immediately told me to find an electrican...

 

[herm0016]

Mentioned to wife if i could check for loose connections, she immediately told me to find an electrician...

as an electrician, good advice. if you don't know what's going on in a panel, its best to leave it to a pro. most common issue is loose connections. when ever i go into a panel I do what we call a "tune up" make sure everything looks proper, check connection tightness on everything with insulated tools.

 

[Paperdoc]

Yes, this is a bad connection somewhere. The fact that this happens in both rooms simultaneously says that BOTH of those are on the same circuit. Tracking down the location and fixing it is not simple because what you want to find is NOT likely obvious to the eye. Further, it may not be obviously "loose", either. A SLIGHTLY loose connection can develop oxidation over time and result in intermittent contact giving these symptoms.

If you can trace the sequence of where cables in the circuit go, from beaker panel all the way to the end, you can start to find the location. If you can identify WHERE in the sequence the problem happens, then the poor connection is just AT OR BEFORE that point. That MIGHT be in the breaker panel, or anywhere along the circuit.

You REALLY need some expertise to do any of this with a live circuit, and doing in on a isolated circuit with the breaker turned off is tough. The intermittent nature of this increases the difficulty. A pro should know how to do. He / she might even come with a thermal scanner to look for a "hot" (well, really somewhat warmer than normal) spot in junction boxes.

 

[Greenman]

Yes, this is a bad connection somewhere. The fact that this happens in both rooms simultaneously says that BOTH of those are on the same circuit. Tracking down the location and fixing it is not simple because what you want to find is NOT likely obvious to the eye. Further, it may not be obviously "loose", either. A SLIGHTLY loose connection can develop oxidation over time and result in intermittent contact giving these symptoms.

If you can trace the sequence of where cables in the circuit go, from beaker panel all the way to the end, you can start to find the location. If you can identify WHERE in the sequence the problem happens, then the poor connection is just AT OR BEFORE that point. That MIGHT be in the breaker panel, or anywhere along the circuit.

You REALLY need some expertise to do any of this with a live circuit, and doing in on a isolated circuit with the breaker turned off is tough. The intermittent nature of this increases the difficulty. A pro should know how to do. He / she might even come with a thermal scanner to look for a "hot" (well, really somewhat warmer than normal) spot in junction boxes.

And all of that can be complicated if someone put a junction box in the attic and it was covered with insulation. Or worse, just wire nutted the wires together inside the wall. I've found that two or three times demoing for a remodel.

 

[iRONic]

^ Don't forget craigslist, I can always find (insert interesting colorful adjectives here) bleeps.

You're looking in the wrong place from the jump, of course you'll find the wrong help.

 

[iRONic]

Mentioned to wife if i could check for loose connections, she immediately told me to find an electrican...

Do you own a multimeter and some insulated hand tools? Are you comfortable using basic electric theory & circuitry? If not, listen to your wife.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Yes, this is likely a loose connection somewhere. As Mindless correctly warns, it could be a serious fire hazard. I would identify the circuit breaker feeding the misbehaving lights and leave it open for the time being.

While not knowing how old this house and its wiring might be, it appears (at least in my limited experience) that newer homes tend to have wall outlets and ceiling light fixtures on separate circuit breakers. You can easily see if this is the case in your house, and if so then use plug-in lamps in those rooms as an interim measure.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'd start by isolating to see if it's on the same circuit, if it is then I'd check the connection at the panel. It may be the wire going into the breaker that's loose or maybe even the breaker itself.
Then work your way down the chain checking inside outlets etc.

If it's multiple circuits that are doing it, it could be one of the hot legs is loose. Could perhaps even be loose outside somewhere, like at the pole or where it comes in to the house and when the wind moves the feeder it causes the flicker. If you check everything inside is good, I'd call the hydro company to come check it out. I don't think they will charge you for that.

If you don't feel comfortable around that stuff then do get an electrician though.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If it's multiple circuits that are doing it, it could be one of the hot legs is loose. Could perhaps even be loose outside somewhere, like at the pole or where it comes in to the house and when the wind moves the feeder it causes the flicker.

Happened at my grandparents' place. Turned out, the seal had been breached at the meter, and water was entering, and had corroded one of the input legs.