Are flickering lights in the house a hazard?

Question

A few weeks ago we noticed that many of our lights are flickering. They are in different parts of the house. It is a slightly perceptible flicker. All the bulbs are incandescent. Are we in danger of a fire?

Answer 1

flickering can be an indication of a loose wire connection, either in a junction box, or a on the breaker, or even on the nuetral bus bar, it is never a good thing if the symptons continue as flickering will end up arcing the wire where the current is trying ( arcing ) to make the connection, and thus will heat up the wire.

Answer 2

There could be loose wiring. It would be best to consult an electrician in order to be certain your house is safe. If it happens not to be, you could be risking a dangerous fire. Also, if you live in an older section of your town or city, your house may be connected to an old section of grid. Flickering lights are a good indication that your current is fluctuating. Again, an electrician can test that for you with a meter that measures the consistency of the current flow into your home. I once worked in an office which had regular fluctuating current problems that not only made the lights flicker, it adversely affected our computers and other office equipment too. We called an electrician and were advised that it was occurring because the infrastructure of the neighborhood was more than 40 years old and needed to be upgraded. If that's the case, there's little you can do until the city makes an upgrade except install battery back-ups and surge suppressors for your expensive electronic equipment.

Answer 3

You first answer is very good....One question I would ask is when you noticed the flickering was it windy out side...? If so it would most likely be your service line coming into the house and you need to contact your electric company to check the main lines.....

Answer 4

If you have aluminium wiring, you should call a professional to check out all connections. Aluminium wiring gets bit loose over time. It needs to be cleaned and coated with a compound and installed at all the connections. If not properly maintained it could cause fire.

Answer 5

You could have "some" loose connection involved. The best thing to do is have a qualified electrician look at it . Yes it can be a fire hazard.

Answer 6

You could be having a shortage somewhere or you could be having a power buildup somewhere is dangerous and could cause a fire.

Answer 7

YES.....if you have no troubleshooting experience in this field call someone asap...it could be many things but 90% of them are really bad....for you...and your house...I wouldnt sleep one night knowing this...was happening.....

Answer 8

Yes . You could have aluminum wiring, and becouse of contraction and expandtion,they can break. Please call out an electric repair person to check it out.

Answer 9

Yes, I would have them checked.