Do your home lights flicker occasionally? Many Florida homeowners experience this same problem.
If you do too, you should get it checked out as soon as possible. While it may not be a big deal, it could also mean larger and more dangerous electrical issues in your home.
As with any problem, the best way to diagnose it is to start with the most simple and least costly (and more likely) possibilities first and work toward the less likely and more complicated solutions.
If only one light is flickering in your home, try replacing the bulb with another one. If you have a fluorescent or CFL bulb on a dimmer switch, replace it with an LED. Most CFL’s do not work correctly on dimmers and may flicker as a result.
Take note of when your home lights flicker. When a large appliance like an air conditioner, heat pump, washer or dryer turns on, it pulls a lot of electricity, which can temporarily take some of the electric current away from the rest of your home and cause your lights to flicker.
In older Sarasota area homes, it is not uncommon for your home’s circuits to be overloaded with too many outlets, lights, or appliances. Try unplugging some of your appliances from the wall and see if the problem goes away. A licensed electrician can check your breakers for overload and recommend any fixes in this situation.
If your homes lights are flickering and it doesn’t seem to be a result of a large home appliance turning on or an overloaded circuit, you may have a loose electrical connection in your main electrical panel or elsewhere. Loose connections are big problems and should be addressed as soon as possible. However, you should remain safe around electricity and call a professional.
Lastly, talk to your neighbors and find out if they experience lights flickering in their homes at similar times. If so, it could be that the power supply to your neighborhood is inadequate or being interrupted. Call your electric company and have them come inspect the line into your home and measure for the correct voltage.
There, of course, could be other electrical problems causing your lights to flicker, but these are the most common.
Energy Today is an electrical contractor Florida that serves Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Tampa, Port Charlotte, Orlando, Naples, Central Florida, and SW Florida with expert electrical service.