flickering lights?


  #1  
Old 02-24-03, 09:44 AM
sweeny
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flickering lights?

my lights are going crazy. my lights are flickering, can someone shed some light on what is causing this. I turned on my living room lights and they flicker on and off also the lights in my den do the same. My living room and den are on the same circuit.
 
  #2  
Old 02-24-03, 10:15 AM
G
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Sounds like you might have a loose connection somewhere on the circuit. Try checking at the outlets, and see if everthing is secure.
 
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Old 02-24-03, 11:01 AM
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could also be something loose in the panel. outlets and switches are a good start, the next spot to check is the wires feeding the circuit in the panel. also note if this happens anywhere else in the house. could turn out to be a problem in the service coming from the pole.
 
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Old 02-24-03, 01:11 PM
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Turn off the circuit breaker and see what else is affected. Then follow a logical route from the panel through the properly working part of the circuit until you come to where the problem begins. If you can visually trace the wiring under the house or in the attic that would help. The problem will be a loose connection somewhere in that area. It could be a loose joint in a switch box or a "backwired" receptacle. If the entire circuit is affected, check the wire coming off the breaker as well as the corresponding white wire on the neutral bar. Or the problem could be in the first device / splice point in the circuit.
 
  #5  
Old 02-26-03, 08:30 AM
sweeny
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follow up flickering lights

I believe I found my problem. I checked my panel box and heard a humming sound coming from a 15 amp breaker. I quickely turned the breaker off. When I turned the circuit on, the lights in my living room and den flicker on and off. I have already checked all off the switches and outlets on that circuit for any loose connections, all connection appear to be intact. My question is could the 15 amp breaker be bad or maybe I have a short circuit within that circuit?
 
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Old 02-26-03, 08:34 AM
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Yes the breaker could be bad and causing the problem or the breaker may not be seated right on the bus bar, or the connection at the breaker could be loose. A short in the circuit would trip the breaker completely.
 
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Old 02-26-03, 09:46 AM
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Check the bus bar. If it is pitted or discolored from the arcing that has been happening (coinciding with the flickering lights) you might want to replace the breaker and install the new one on a different spot on the bus bar. If the problem was internal to the breaker or a loose connection at the wire terminal then the bus bar should be fine. If it was a loose wire on the breaker and the lights haven't been flickering too long simply tightening the connection should alleviate the problem. Inspect the breaker closely where the wire terminates just to make sure it isn't damaged. While you're in the panel, it's always a good idea to go ahead and torque all your connections on the breakers as well as on the neutral and ground bars.
 
 

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