Are you experiencing issues where one or more of the lights in your home often start flickering? Having lights that flicker is a fairly common problem. Sometimes it’s not really something you need to worry about, but it can also indicate that there is a bigger, potentially serious issue with your home’s electrical system. In this article, we’ll look at the different reasons lights may start flickering and how to know if it’s an issue you need to have an electrician check out.
Damaged Contactor in a Light Socket
The first thing to check if a single light is flickering is that the bulb is fully tight in the socket. If you’ve tried tightening the light bulb and it continues to flicker, it could be that there is an issue with the contactor in the light socket. On screw-in type light sockets, the contactor is a spring-loaded piece of metal that gets depressed when the bulb is screwed in. Over time, this metal tab can essentially end up getting bent so that there is no longer a tight connection between the contactor and the base of the bulb. When this happens, it can sometimes cause the bulb to flicker as a result of the power flowing to it fluctuating.
It’s sometimes possible to bend the contactor back up into place, but this should only ever be attempted after shutting off the circuit breaker that controls the light fixture due to the potential risk of electrocution. Nonetheless, this is typically only a short-term fix since there’s a high chance the contactor will eventually get bent out of shape again. As such, the better option when dealing with this issue is to have an electrician replace the socket. It’s often possible to just swap out the old, damaged socket for a new one, but sometimes you may instead need to replace the fixture.
Wrong Type of Light Bulb or Switch
The majority of homes now use LED bulbs in most of their light fixtures due to LEDs using so little energy. LEDs are especially common now that the U.S. has completely banned the sale of most types of incandescent light bulbs. While LED bulbs are great due to how efficient they are, they can experience issues with flickering when used in a light fixture that’s controlled by a dimmer switch. The first reason is that only some LED bulbs are dimmable, and you’ll often experience issues with the light flickering if you try to dim a non-dimmable bulb.
The other issue is that not all dimmer switches work with LEDs since older switches supply far more power than an LED bulb needs. The increased power can also cause LEDs to flicker and will usually result in them burning out far faster as well. Newer dimmer switches are specifically designed to work with LEDs to prevent both of these issues. If you have a dimmer switch that wasn’t installed in the past few years and the lights it controls often flicker, you can be fairly certain it is the old type of switch. In this case, the only solution for preventing the lights from flickering and ensuring your LED bulbs last as long as possible is to upgrade to the new type of dimmer switch.
Damaged Wires or Loose Connections
A damaged/frayed wire or loose electrical connection in a light fixture can also cause that fixture to flicker since it can result in minor power fluctuations. In some cases, a damaged wire or loose connection anywhere in one of your home’s electrical circuits can cause all of the fixtures on that circuit to flicker. If the loose connection or damaged wire is in your main electrical panel, it can lead to all of the lights in your home often flickering.
The first issues we’ve covered aren’t really a major concern other than for the annoyance of having your lights flicker. These other issues are far more serious since they can cause a circuit’s wiring to overheat or produce sparks, either of which creates the potential for an electrical fire to start. That’s primarily why flickering lights aren’t something you should ignore since they could be a sign that your electrical system has a serious issue that’s a major safety hazard.
Service Issues
There are also times when lights will flicker not as a result of anything in your house but instead due to issues with the electrical grid or the electrical service coming into your house. For instance, the power in the grid can end up fluctuating for various reasons and result in all of your lights flickering for some time. In this case, there’s not really anything you can do about the issue. The good thing is that it will most likely only last for a short time. If the issue persists for more than a day or so, it’s a good idea to contact your utility company. If they don’t report any issues in your area, you should contact an electrician for an inspection.
Home Has Insufficient Power
The size of an electrical panel is measured in terms of how many total amps it can supply at one time, and it’s always important that your service panel has enough amps to meet all of your electrical needs. The amperage doesn’t have to be high enough that you can power everything in your house at one time since you obviously won’t ever have all of your lights, appliances and other electronics on at one time. Nonetheless, it does need to be high enough that you can easily have your air conditioning and various other things all on at the same time.
One common issue that will happen if your electrical panel is too small and doesn’t supply enough amps is that lights on certain circuits will flicker when certain high-power appliances come on. This most commonly happens with 240-volt appliances like your AC and clothes dryer, but it may also happen even when you turn on a vacuum, microwave or hair dryer. The reason it happens is that the appliance draws so much power when it turns on that it leads to the power in all of your other circuits temporarily fluctuating, causing many of the lights to dim or start flickering. Unfortunately, the only effective solution for overcoming this issue is to replace your electrical panel with one that supplies more amps and can fully meet all of your power needs.
The National Electric Code only requires homes to have a 100-amp service panel. The issue is that a 100-amp service panel is often not sufficient to meet all of a modern home’s electrical needs, which is why many new homes are instead built with at least a 150-amp or 200-amp service panel.
Beck Electric, Generators & Plumbing is a family-owned company that’s been providing top-notch residential and commercial electrical services in Canton, OH, and throughout Stark County since 2007. We offer professional electrical inspections and can quickly figure out the reason your lights are flickering and what it will take to overcome the issue. You can also count on us if you need any upgrades, electrical repairs or installations. To schedule a service call and ensure all of your electrical needs are expertly handled, contact us today.
