Flat River Electric Blog
Trusted residential electrical advice from your West Michigan electricians.
A light that flickers now and then is easy to ignore, but it can be your home trying to tell you something. Here are the most common reasons lights flicker and dim, and when it is worth a call.
The simplest cause. A bulb that is loose in the socket, or a non-dimmable bulb on a dimmer switch, will often flicker. Tighten it or switch to a quality dimmable LED and see if it stops.
When an air conditioner, furnace blower, or well pump switches on, it pulls a surge of power that can briefly dim nearby lights. An occasional dip is normal. Frequent or heavy dimming can mean a circuit is overloaded or a connection is weak.
Loose connections at an outlet, switch, fixture, or the panel are among the more serious causes, because they can arc and overheat. Flickering that comes with a burning smell, warm switch plates, or buzzing needs prompt attention.
If lights across the whole home flicker, especially when you run multiple appliances, your electrical panel may not have enough capacity for the way you use power. This is common in older homes and is usually solved with a panel upgrade.
Sometimes the flicker comes from the utility side or a loose service connection outside the home. A licensed electrician can help determine whether the problem is inside your home or upstream.
Steady, occasional flickers from a single bulb are usually harmless. Widespread flickering, or flickering with heat, smell, or sound, is worth having checked before it becomes a hazard. We can track down the cause and fix it right.
