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Subject - Lights flickering
mom2three Hello. I would really appreciate it if anyone could help me with an electrical problem. I don't know anything about electricity, so I hope I'll be able to describe my problem sufficiently. Here goes: Beginning about 2 months ago, when I turn on my washer or microwave, my lights will do the initial blink that I had gotten used to but now when those appliances are running the lights are doing a continuous flickering/dimming. It's really hard on the eyes. I usually turn the lights off. We had a heat pump installed about a year ago. It is a 1/2 ton larger than the previous one. I didn't notice any problem after the new installation. Another thing that I'm not sure is related but for the past year my electric bill has been 2 times and sometimes 3 times as much as it was for the past 7 years that I've lived here. If it makes any difference, I live in a 1996 Doublewide mobile home that I purchased new. Thanks for any help you can give.
David Hyatt Is the heat on when these lights flicker and are they florescent lights? How many lights are flickering are they all in one room?
JimmyDee I'm not sure what is going on but it seems like the right thing to do right now is to get some professional help. I would start with the power company the then progress to an electrical contractor because you most definitely have a problem of some kind. Sorry I can't help any more than that.
Jim
mom2three Thanks for responding! It happens whether the heat is running or it isn't. They are not flourescent lights, just regular bulbs. It happens to all lights in the house that are on, both ceiling lights and lamps. It doesn't do it when the dryer is running or when the oven is on.
David Hyatt Sounds like you will need an electrician.
Electricman As far as your electric bill goes Heat Pumps can be real meter spinners especially when outside temp drops below 40 degrees and the emerg heat package kicks in. As for your lights flickering take the other sparkys advice on this site and call an electrician. Best wishes
ricky Yes! You should call an electrician! It sounds like there is a hot or a neutral with a loose/burning connection.Could be at a switch,receptical,breaker, or even in the panel on the buss or main lugs coming in.Since you live in a trailer,you may have a plug and socket for the hook up.Check there.Make sure your smoke detectors work right away!
mom2three Okay! Thanks Guys! I get what you're saying. I will call an electrician ASAP. I'll let you know how it goes.
Ingram321 I wired house in Shreveport, I notice everytime the Lights flicker when the AC kicks on. My brother, and I agree this is normal Flickering for a few seconds due to the initial start of the unit. The AC unit draws in a lot of current at the start, and that causes voltage drop which will cause lights to dim for a few seconds. I would call a electrican to perhaps balance out the loads on the breaker box, and retighten wires connected to the breaker box. Heat will loosen the wires at the boxes, and proceed onto the Equiptment. If lights still flicker more than 5 seconds, than recheck connections at lights than. I recommend a quelified electrican to do this work only.
mom2three Okay, I've called the Electrician, but he can't come until Monday. We noticed something new that has started happening as of yesterday we think (could have been sooner): When I turn the garbage/food disposer on in the kitchen, a television in one of the bedrooms goes off and won't switch back on until the disposer is turned off. We have checked and these two things are on separate circuits/breakers. Does this make sense to anyone? This is making it a little difficult for me to sleep at night since I have 3 children in the house and electricity frightens me anyway. I'll let you all know what the Electrician says and does.
David Hyatt Yes you are in need of an electrician fast. I would see if I could get one today!
stan walker I had a service call the other day. very similar to your problem. This trailor had aluminum service feeders which had coroded and burned loose ar the meter socket. The sercice was 35 years old i had to replace it all. IM concerned let us know what happens
mom2three I just thought I would let you know that an electrician came today and checked the breakers/box. He tested everything and said that when I turn on the appliances, I'm getting a major power surge into the box rather than a steady one. He felt that since I was having trouble with several different appliances that my problem is outside on the Electric Co. side of the pole. I think what he said was that I may have a loose negative either at my pole or at the main pole. The Electric Co. is sending someone tomorrow. I will let you all know what they say. Thanks again for all of your advice and concern.
mom2three Well it looks like we got it all worked out. The Electric Co. came today and found a wire going from their pole to my pole that had a worn place or a nick out of it or something like that. Well anyway, they replaced the wire and now everything is working perfectly. It's hard to believe that something like that could cause all the problems that I was having. If any of you have time, I would like to better understand how a worn main line would cause my lights to flicker when the washer is running and my garbage disposer to turn off the tv on a different circiut. I really appreciate all of your advice and concern. Ya'll take care and God Bless.
Electricman All of those circuits are probably being supplied on the same phase in your main load center.
EEngineer A loose connection, or nick out of a wire creates a place for heating (this uses electricity.) The heating is proportional to the amount of current being drawn through the line. So as you added load (i.e. washer, dryer, etc) the losses on the line increased. This will cause fluctuation in voltage (therefore current as well) and would ultimately fail if you exceed the de-rated ampacity of the line with the fault. Hopefully that doesn't confuse you more.

quote:
Originally posted by mom2three

Well it looks like we got it all worked out. The Electric Co. came today and found a wire going from their pole to my pole that had a worn place or a nick out of it or something like that. Well anyway, they replaced the wire and now everything is working perfectly. It's hard to believe that something like that could cause all the problems that I was having. If any of you have time, I would like to better understand how a worn main line would cause my lights to flicker when the washer is running and my garbage disposer to turn off the tv on a different circiut. I really appreciate all of your advice and concern. Ya'll take care and God Bless.
mom2three Thanks for those explanations. That made the whole ordeal much less confusing. Since that nick in the wire was making heat and using electricity, would that have caused my electric bill to be double and triple normal or not? Or would the amount of electricity being wasted be minimal? Just curious. Thanks again.
David Hyatt Don't think it would contribute to power bill going up.