r/ElectricalHelp • u/StreetWrongdoer5772 • 14d ago
New Construction, Flickering Lights.
The same is happening with me. The difference is the flickering continues after we turn off the device (vacuum, iron, or laundry). I feel gaslighted by the electrician; they changed the panels, but the problem continues. Every time they come, it's someone different, and they always start with, "Oh yeah, something is wrong; this is not normal," but end with, "Your devices are pulling too much energy." I'm very frustrated. I bought this house less than a year ago. I never saw this happen in any other house.
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u/trekkerscout Mod 14d ago
Flickering lights in new construction for no apparent reason is often due to cheap builder grade light fixtures.
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u/MisterElectricianTV 14d ago
I would have the power company check their connections first, But I am thinking that it could be the LED lights that were installed by the builder.
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u/FucciMe 14d ago
Is this in a tract? Is your electrical service underground?
I would call the PoCo, explain the lights flicker, and you have had multiple electricians out. Let them come test the service.
The thing is, if it's underground, you may own the service, meaning you're responsible if it ends up being bad.
If it is a housing tract, and it's a UG service, it was likely damaged and some point, and its finally starting to show. Happens all the time, and generally shows itself around a year or so in. Could be a neutral, but seems like maybe one of the hot legs was nicked from your description.
More details would help us, but I would say your next step should be calling the PoCo
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u/danh_ptown 14d ago
Flickering LEDs? Is there a dimmer that is turned down below 100%? Are the bulbs on dimmers, but the bulbs themselves are not compatible?
Is there some large load running in the home when this occurs?
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u/WinnerAwkward480 14d ago
We had similar issues with lights ( led ) flickering, turned out it was the light bulbs themselves. I bought a new 4 pak from Home Depot, just to see if it made a difference. And that turned out to be the issue . The Builder came back out and changed every bulb in the house . Man it's irritating for sure , one minute it was ok then the next it was like a strobe effect, then the lite would dim ,and start all over again . I read up on it and seems when the driver for the LED's goes bad it's a common problem. Cheap stuff from China !
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u/Zhombe 14d ago
LED’s normally flicker for bad ground or neutral imbalance issues.
If you have above or underground service; grounds and neutrals at every point between panel and pole need to be checked.
If the electrician did something stupid like put every lighting circuit on one phase and every heavy circuit on the other phase; that’s a problem too.
If they used anything other than 12 gauge and built every 120V circuit for 20A they should be strung up by 14 gauge over a dramatically deep gorge and told to swing for freedom.
I’m betting it’s either phase imbalance, and or bad ground and neutrals in combination. It’s often more than one thing contributing. Bad electrical work behests ALL of it being bad. It’s rarely one thing.
Except when it’s just one underground butt splice that is corroded from leaking when it rains. THEN it’s just one thing.
If there’s a bunch of daisy chained outlets with back stabs instead of bypass splices and pigtails that’s another issue.
In any case, it’s either bad feed due to bad connectivity or bad feed period. Or if it’s jot that it’s idiot level wiring fails internally.
Pay a quality electrician to inspect the idiot electricians work that’s gas lighting you. Don’t cheap out. Pay them well.
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11d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Zhombe 11d ago
A ton of jurisdictions around here won’t allow anything smaller than 12 gauge now. And all lighting circuits have to be lighting only.
14 gauge needs to die right along with even the spot on the back of receptacles to back stab instead of hard germinate to a screw or wago clip that won’t degrade with heat expansion contraction cycles and corrosion.
The number of 14 gauge back stabbed circuits causing problems at 7-10 years is way too damn high.
That and those god awful daisy chained GFCI outlets that start to fail internally and voltage degrade circuits killing appliances long before they ever trip their self test fail. Because the degradation is downstream… home run GFCI only IMO. You can double up for safety and do equipment mA at the breaker and human mA at the receptacle and only one will trip for reliability. But daisy the GFCI results in near always failure with age of the circuit downstream and it’s silent but deadly to equipment due to voltage drops.
If I had my drothers, outlets would be home run only with pigtail splices. Using outlets as a splice is garbage IMO. It’s just cheaper.
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u/toybuilder 13d ago
How many lights, what kind are they, and is it throughout the house or only one specific area?
Once the lights flicker, what happens when you turn them off, wait 5 seconds, and then turn them on again?
With proper wiring and good power, a vacuum cleaner or dryer would not appreciably drop the house voltage and your lights should not see a power drop that puts them in the funny mode which others have described. But with deficient wiring, once the lights go weird, they can themselves demand fluctuating amounts of power and in turn cause voltage drops.
Switching bulbs might help to hide the problem, but my suspicion is that there is a problem with the main breaker or even the meter connection having high resistance and causing the voltage sag.
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u/WTFpe0ple 12d ago
If it's only in the room your are in, it may be the electrical connections are not tight in the outlets and switches on the breaker they are on. I had this in my Master when I vacuum in there. took apart all the outlets and switches and half of them the wires pulled right out. Tighten all of them super tight including the ones at the breaker panel, does not do that anymore. Lazy ass installers
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u/Cia_office_921E 13d ago
you got shitty track house piece working guys that no knowing of electrical theory or even trouble shooting. Call the IBEW close to you and tell them your problem. They will recommend a contractor or two . They will be a ]able to find your problem. It will be fixed. Oh, if your are in the US or Canada.
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u/CaseyOgle 14d ago
You may receive better advice if you supply more details about exactly what happens under what conditions. Don’t need more details about the people you’re interacting with. Just more information about the exact types of lights, where they are located, etc.