Houses lights keep flickering!

Question

This all started about 4 hours ago, all the lights in my house continue to flicker about every 5 - 10 minutes. Not sure what is causing. It has never done this before, could it be my house?

Answer 1

If everything is doing the same (flickering) it maybe a lose connection behind your breaker panel, or a fragmented hot leg from your main breaker to the panel.  Have an electrician look for the problem.

Answer 2

It could have something to do with your main fuse box, if it's affecting all of your lights. The first thing I'd do is call an electrician to inspect the fuse box. Even if it doesn't continue, it'd be a good idea to prevent something worse like a fire occuring. if it's affecting the tv too i'd un-plug it, along with your computer(s) and main and sensitive electronics to prevent damage. After that, wait for what the electrician has to say.

Answer 3

i'd call the electric company first to see if they are working on the lines in your area. if it's a problem with a transformer or something, at least then they'll be aware of it, and you'll have the piece of mind, knowing it's not your house that has the problem. they have people on call 24-7, so you should get some kind of answer quickly. if it turns out it's not them, then look into calling an electrician to check you panel for a loose wire or connection. just one more thought, is your air conditioner running as this is happening? and is it really hot where you live at this time? it may just be that there is a real high demand on the power with everyones a/c running full blast. good luck.  

Answer 4

Ask a couple neighbors if their lights are also flickering.  If they are, you probably have nothing to worry about.  If the lights in all the neighbor houses aren't flickering, then the problem is more likely in your house, or at your attachment to the line transformer.  You can see what other houses are attached to the transformer (if power lines are above ground in your neighborhood) by viewing where the power lines go from your house.  You will likely see them end at a transformer at the top of an electric pole.  Look for lines coming out of this transformer to other houses to give you an idea who to ask about their lights.

This could be a serious problem.  If you are not very familiar with electricity, I recommend you call an electrician to deal with this issue.  It's not safe messing with electrical lines if you don't know what you are doing.

Answer 5

My first impression is something is wrong with your electric company equipment, i.e. transformer. The other thing could be the master circuit breaker in your electric distribution box is getting intermitentlly defective. I would have your electric company come and take a look.