Common Causes of Flickering Lights

The lights in your home may start flickering due to causes that may originate from within or outside your home. Many of those reasons may point to serious problems that should be addressed immediately. This article discusses some of the localised reasons why the lights in your home may flicker.

Defective Aluminium Wiring

Do you own an older home? The lights inside your home may be flickering because the aluminium wire connectors could have heated up due to a loose connection. Such a defect requires immediate action because an electrical fire may break out within your home.

Corrosion

The lights inside your home may also flicker because corrosion has deteriorated wires or components of electrical appliances inside your home, such as the HVAC system. For instance, the drywall in your home may be outgassing. The resultant fumes affect electrical system components to the extent that lights will begin flickering.

Circuit Breaker Problems

Another common cause of flickering lights is a defect, such as moisture intrusion, in a circuit breaker. Such a defect may cause the breaker to malfunction to the extent that it will fail to trip even if the defect has resulted in an overload on the circuit. Such a circuit breaker may start buzzing loudly at the same time when you notice that some lights in your home are flickering.

Lightning Strikes

Lightning may have struck the outdoor electrical system of your home, such as the wires supplying power to a well pump. Such a strike may cause the insulation of those wires to deteriorate at some point. The exposed wires can short intermittently as the wind blows them around. This can cause the lights in your home to flicker during those brief moments when the wires outside short.

Increased Power Usage by Appliances

The lights in your home may start flickering once an appliance in your home starts consuming more power than it used to. For instance, the heat pump compressor inside your home may start drawing more power when it ages and becomes inefficient. That hard starting motor or compressor may affect the power supply to other fixtures, such as the lights. This will cause those light fixtures to flicker until the appliance starts and stabilizes.

You should never ignore flickering lights inside your home. Call an emergency electrician immediately so that the root cause of the flickering is identified and fixed. This will save your home from any additional problems that may develop, such as a fire, in case prompt action isn't taken.

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