Flickering lights are annoying but, in most cases, the flicker is benign. Occasionally flickering lights are indicative of a larger electrical problem, and ignoring them could lead to a house fire or even death. You may find yourself a little concerned. You are often able to detect an unusual flickering light pattern by seeing its flickering patterns. Here is a helpful article on how to diagnose your own flickering lights in your home.
Why do lights flicker?
Flickering lights in your home can be caused by many things, from outdated wiring to a circuit breaker issue to loose wiring. But at the most basic level, your flickering lights issues are caused by the inconsistent voltage from your electrical system.
Fire hazards from loose wires
The problem with flickering lights is that the issue is caused by a deeper electrical issue in your home. What we see as the most common issue that causes flickering lights is from a loose connection. The problem with loose connections is that they can cause little sparks, and these little sparks have the potential to cause a serious fire hazard in your home.
Although it is a good idea to have a professional take a look into your electrical system to determine why your lights are flickering, there are a few simple diagnostics you can do yourself as a homeowner to try to fix the issue before you call a professional.
Try the simple fixes first
Before you call an electrician to do a service on your home there are a few simple and safe checks you can do as a homeowner to try to fix the flicker.
Tighten loose bulbs
A common easy fix for flickering lights is to check the bulbs. Loose bulbs can cause flickering lights, and a simple fix for this to tighten up the bulbs in the fixture. One of the easy ways to determine if it is the light bulbs that are causing this issue is if there are multiple light bulbs in your fixture and only one light is flickering it is usually a sign that one bulb has a loose connection.
Check the light switch
A dimmer can often be the cause of flickering lighting. Old style dimmers, and even a newer but worn out dimmer can cause voltage issues that will cause flickering lights. Check if it is a dimmer that operates the light circuit and that dimming may be what is causing your light flicker.
Wrong Bulb Type
If you have recently changed your light bulbs there could be an issue with the type of bulbs you installed. If you put in the incorrect light bulbs like an LED bulb or over power bulb, this could be the cause of your flickering. Try switching back to a bulb that you know works, or check the fixture to see what type of bulb is supposed to be installed.
More serious issues that cause light flickering
Faulty switch, breaker or socket
Old and outdated electrical equipment is a common issue in homes, we see this all the time. An old circuit breaker, light switch, voltage drop, poor wiring, faulty connections, and more are usually the cause of flicker.
When an electrician comes to your house he will do a deep dive into the electrical system of your house to make a correct repair that will prevent a potential electrical fire.
Flickering Lights From an Overloaded Circuit
The older a home is the more renovations and repairs it has had. Each time a renovation is done on a home is a potential for the circuit of your home to become overloaded due to adding wires, appliances, and devices. If you notice that the lights may flicker when you are using other appliances it is likely caused by overload on your wiring.
Part of an electricians services are to check into your wiring to make sure large appliances are not connected to your lighting and causing annoying power issues.
Loose connection to light
The internal wiring can often come loose over time. When the electrician makes the repair to your house he will check for loose electric connections that can cause concern.
Loose connection of wiring to light fixtures cause small sparks inside the electrical system. This issue needs to be repaired by tightening all the connections to the lights.
Bigger issues
The main concern with flickering lights is to make sure that there is not any other dangerous issues with your electric system that can cause an electrical fire hazard. An electrician will make sure there is not a deeper problem with the connection to the lights by taking everything apart and checking all the connections.
When you call an electrician for service here are the things will check into that could be a problem:
- internal wiring
- voltage measurements
- wiring connections
- fixture wires
- appliances connected to the circuit
- dangerous wiring
Upgrade old or incompatible switches
It is all too common to have outdated light switches in your home. These switches wear out over time and could cause electrical issues.
Replacing outdated switches is a affordable improvement to make on your house that can last for many years. Part of an electricians service is to offer this option, so when you phone for a repair, ask about replacing your switches.
Are lights still flickering? Call an expert
Start with checking the simple diagnostics a homeowner can make, if lights are flickering still then phone an electric company to do a service on your house.
