power spikes or lights dimming

Hey Out there, I have a problem with the electrical system in my home. the light blinks every few minutes. When you run an appliance the lights brighten. I am at a loss to know what can be causing this I have checked the breaker box for loose wires. No one i know seems to have an idea or clue. the house is 50 years old and has had a new panel installed and new wiring to clothes dryer and garage. everything seems to work right but on occation justing a hair dryer will pop a breaker... can any one suggest anything... thanks randy

 

You have a loose neutral. It's a serious problem that should be addressed right away. Might not be in your box. Call your power company and ask them to check out their side.

 

thanks for the info that is indeed what the problem is the power company said it it a bad or improper neutral connection in the panel below the meter he said the corner of the panel was warm. they also said it was mine to fix but offer to fix it for 800 dollars what is this problem and can I fix this ? can you help again thank you

 

It is very dangerous. When the lights brighten, the voltage is rising and may damage equipment (or catch fire).
This needs to be address immediately. Without seeing it, it is hard to tell you how to do it. Essentially, the neutral is either loose or not connected properly.

 

If there is no disconnect between the meter and the panel the meter should be pulled. The nuetral should be removed from the lug in the panel and checked for damage such as melted wires. If there is enough slack the last inch or so should be cut off and the nuetral re-installed. If the nuetral is aluminum it need to be cleaned and treated with a corrosion inhibitor before it is re-installed. A torque wrench should be used to tighten the clamps to the value specified in the panel label. If no torque is specified contact the panel manufacturer.
You need to have this repaired as an emergency. It can result in overvoltage on one side of the panel, and damage anything plugged in on either side. Induction motors can be damaged by high or low voltage. Most other electric items are damaged by high voltage.