Why is the kitchen light becomes a bit dimmer when a toaster is turned on?

Question

Why is the kitchen light becomes a bit dimmer when a toaster is turned on?

Answer 1

Because your toaster as well as your vaccum cleaner,Etc are

inductors.V for inductor is Lxdi/dt,so before the voltage gets to its steady state you have a loss of voltage in your entire house,NOT ONLY IN YOUR kitchen.

Answer 2

It's because the current load the toaster draws results in a voltage drop so the light runs on reduced voltage...that's exactly how a dimmer works.

It has nothing to do with defective wiring at all.....it's a normal reaction to a high load appliance being switched on.

Answer 3

Bill is right and Angela is dangerously wrong if she thinks dimming lights is normal.

If your wiring is proper for the max loads that might be put on your housing circuits, lights will not dim, TV pix will not shrink, etc.  Dimming and shrinking, as well as noticeable slowing down of some appliances, are clear indicators that your wiring cross sectional area is not large enough to carry the additional current you are putting on the circuit...like when you add the toaster current.

This insufficient wiring is not uncommon in older homes because they were built for the 20th century, not the 21st century with all the electrical appliances and such we now enjoy.  A slight dimming of the lights shows you are slightly underrated with the wiring.  That in itself is probably not so bad, but if you add more electrical devices (like a brand new HDTV), that will make matters worse.  You could eventually reach a point where the current you draw might cause an electrical fire because undersized wire will heat up.

Answer 4

Because your wiring is not quite up to what it should be.

The toaster draws a large amount of current and that current causes a voltage drop in a wire (can't tell which wire). That voltage drop means the normally 120 volts AC drops to perhaps 100 volts ac, which causes the light to dim.

If it's more that just a slight dimming, you should have an electrician check it, it may indicate a problem in your wiring.

.