Lights in the room flicker when switching on a plug

Hey, I live in a large house converted into flats. In the living room, when I turn on any plug (e.g. mac charger with a device attached, TV) all of the lights flicker. They also all flicker about once every few minutes without any changes. Is this something immediately concerning or potentially concerning?

marianna.wiebicke

in General Discussion 3 years and 9 months ago

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stevecym | 3 years and 8 months ago

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OP, I am a contractor and should have caught that you are a tenant. Calling an electrician yourself would be assuming liability and if something went wrong, you would find yourself someplace you do not want to be.

As far as loose connections, in my novice opinion, and I have worked alongside electricians and pulled cable for them, loose connections are a major fire concern. My welding experience and what I mention above, the knives, keeps me on edge.

Doorsby and steve cym are the same

RobertGMarvin

in General Discussion 3 years and 8 months ago

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I had a flickering/light dimming problem >25 years ago. It took a few electrician visits to solve. It turned out that a porcelain fuse box, left in a bedroom closet by the electrician who h my address re-wired my house in the 70s had cracked and was arching when someone walked past. Replacing it with a circuit breaker box solved the problem.

dorkofwindsor | 3 years and 8 months ago

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It does sound suspiciously like a loose connection and should be taken care of immediately. As Steve said, that flicker is likely accompanied by a spark you can’t see. But it certainly could be something else also. Based on the nature of your question, I too might suggest calling the landlord or electrician, whichever applies.

Boilerplate flickering answer possibilities, there may be more, but here is a start:
– loose wiring
– faulty switch, wrong dimmer type (esp for led’s), or faulty light fixture
– faulty appliance (eg refrigerator compressor bearing failure)
– sensory overload on a circuit
– voltage fluctuations
– bulb not in tight or wrong bulb type
– electric company issue
– meter box or main service cable connection
– a larger electrical issue that needs more thorough investigation

One familiar with basic electrical wiring can certainly troubleshoot and shut the circuit down, tighten all connections with a screwdriver (outlets, switches light fixtures), including at the panel (don’t do this if you have never worked inside a panel). But not everyone is able to DIY, and furthermore even if you are generally skilled it important to have the right tools (voltage tester etc) and be vigilant about safety.

If tightening everything down doesn’t work then it could be a different or bigger issue which would obviously need to be addressed ASAP by an electrician.

Good luck!

andriywww1990 | 3 years and 8 months ago

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if anyone wants to know how hot loose electrical contacts can get, aside from what i say about the arc welder above (i weld), when i was a child, i stuck two steel knives into an electric outlet; plain old 120 volts. i did not get shocked, i knew the risks and purposely did it as i was try to power some hobby thing or some project i was working on (yes, i began doing this stuff a long time ago). the knives got too close or contacted briefly and the electricity jumped from one to the other, creating an arc that lasted long enough to melt one of the steel knives almost in half. that is what can happen in the wall and i suppose it can set the insulation on fire.

shahnandersen

in General Discussion 3 years and 9 months ago

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Are you renting? Call your landlord immediately and tell him you have a potentially dangerous situation that could cause a fire. Do not call an electrician on your own.

andriywww1990 | 3 years and 9 months ago

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immediate concerning and call a licensed electrician. something is loose. a contact or wire and it can arc (in the same way an arc welder heats metal) and start a fire.

i have a very good electrician who seems to be well liked by people on here. tom munetz. munetzelectrical.com