continued electric problems//any electricians?

Question

Hey all. Okay, we have had a problem with the electricity in our apartment going on for about 1 and a half years. Annoying. Our lights will go dim, cause purple/green bars to go across our tv's, whenever we turn on dishwasher/dryer, lights will flicker, etc. 1 electrician came (called by apartment office) said we need to just live with it, nothing he can do. AEP (electric company) is called, say they are "digging", never fixed the problem. I am to the point where i am agitated, because no one wants to do anything about this problem, and our apartment could catch on fire (im assuming) and no one cares. Anyways, should I just call an experienced electrician now, on my own, instead of having the rental office do it? im so sick of this problem now, and no one is answering questions. thank you. also, any guesses as to what this is, so i can suggest to the electrician?

Answer 1

To be thorough, an electrician will carry out a number of tests on your installation and the supply into your apartment. What it sounds like is that the surge demanded by some appliances is simply drawing too much power from your household supply. This shouldn't happen and could mean that there is a fundamental problem with the installation leading to your home.

Answer 2

Hi Kelly



First - determine if this is a building problem - Check with some other residents. If it is just yours - then it rules out a power company problem and the electric service to the building. If others have the same problem then EACH needs to notify the apt office. The first call, by the office, should then be to the local power company, to send someone to check the connections on the transformer primary and secondary , the service connections from the secondary, and the service entrance at the building. From there it is the customers wiring and their turn to step up to the plate and employ an electrician. . .

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Only yours? Need some one to trouble shoot in sequence. So many things it can be such as neutral problems, (as another poster commented), and loose connections on 120 Volt and 240 Volt conductors.

Answer 3

Yes you do need an electrician, however if you call them out to your apartment you will be stuck with the bill. This should be cleared with the manager, the landlord should be responsible for the problem and take care of it pronto. I'm sure his insurance company would be flabbergasted to hear that there is an electrical problem that is unsolved. You should have renters insurance in case something happens and you lose your belongings. Renters insurance is very economical, by the way, if you do not have it. You might also call your local rental association and ask for advice.

Answer 4

It sounds to me that your dishwasher,TV and lights are on the same circuit and every time you turn something on like the dishwasher your decreasing the voltage in that circuit and it will cause your lights to get dim and your TV not to function properly. The best thing to do is to run a separate circuit to your dishwasher and your dryer if your panel is not overloaded. the wiring may be close to its max amperage # 14 wire max circuit breaker is 15 amps but should only have 12 amps continuous #12 protected by 20 amp breaker but should only utilize 16 amps

Answer 5

You either have a bad building ground/neutral or a bad transformer feeding your home.



Call the office one more time. Tell them if they don't fix it right this time, you will call an electrician and bill them for it.

Answer 6

have a loose nuetral, if all apartment units have this problem then loose nuetral is in meter base cabinet. if it is just your unit then loose nuetral in your panel. when you turn on a heavy load like oven, dryer etc. lights get brighter becuse nuetral heats up expands makes better contact. when not using alot of power wire cools contracts, makes less contact lights dim. tell manager again to get a electrian out there.