Flickering lights

[Stevie5tapes]

Can anyone help? Every light in my house has started to flicker. It started a week ago. Also my 2 table lamps flicker aswell so im thinking its not just a problem with the lighting circuit. My house was re-wired 2 years ago and had a loft conversion last year so all the electrics are new. Only problem ive had was two weeks ago i had a loose wire in a light switch that stopped one light working. Now all the lights flicker plus table lamps.

Any suggestions?

Thanks all.

 

[acmedone]

Can anyone help? Every light in my house has started to flicker.

Talk to your supplier nicely; it could be their problem.

 

[westie101]

Talk to your supplier nicely

No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No,

Talk to the DNO

The supplier SELLS electricity

The DNO DELIVERS it to your property and is responsible for the quality of supply.

If the problem is with the meter the DNO can usually deal with this, but the supplier cannot deal with other than the meter.

I'm amazed that on a forum such as this the number of posters that answer questions that do not know the difference

 

[acmedone]

Talk to your supplier nicely

No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No,

Talk to the DNO

The supplier SELLS electricity

Shrug. I expect the supplier knows where to pass the call

I'm amazed that on a forum such as this the number of posters that answer questions that do not know the difference

At least I gave an answer. This forum is more like entering the Monty Python Argument Sketch.

 

[riveralt]

Can anyone help? Every light in my house has started to flicker. It started a week ago. Also my 2 table lamps flicker aswell so im thinking its not just a problem with the lighting circuit. My house was re-wired 2 years ago and had a loft conversion last year so all the electrics are new. Only problem ive had was two weeks ago i had a loose wire in a light switch that stopped one light working. Now all the lights flicker plus table lamps.

One assumes you have fixed the light switch loose wire and everything worked okay afterward. To rule out coincidence I take it you have checked that there aren't any loose wires at the socket powering the table lamps.
Loose wires are probably the cause of your problem - more likely at the consumer unit than the meter connections- so don't waste your time calling the DNO yet.
The question now is do you feel confident and competent enough to open the consumer unit and check that the conductors are terminated correctly.
Do you know how to isolate the power to the consumer unit - remember if you do not have an isolator between the meter and the consumer unit then some of the conductors inside will still be live.
If you cannot totally isolate the consumer unit or you do not feel confident in doing so then call an electrician.

 

[Space cat]

Rather than open the CU, wait until the flickering is happening then get your ear close to it. You're listening for crackling or fizzling noises. Try listening at the meter too, as well as anything else that appears to be connected.

 

[ricicle]

Does the flickering get worse with increased loads ? (kettle, electric shower, cooker, immersion)

 

[K613]

Hi,

I hope you don't mind me crashing this thread as I have a very similar problem...?

I have intermittent flickering (like a loose connection) that started in the kitchen (fluorescent), in the bathroom (halogen). But both are on different circuits. It seems to be getting worse and we have since noticed similar intermittent flickering on the fishtank, a table lamp, the fridge light and the microwave (which also seems to be pulsing unusually at the same time). All these are on one ringmain. Other lights and other things on the ringmain seem to be fine. There doesn't seem to be any relationship with high load as it's also happening when very little is switched on, but it's hard to be completely sure.

The only work I have done recently (about three weeks ago) was to extend the ringmain to include a new fuse-spur, which for now isn't connected to anything. After doing that everything seemed to work fine. I haven't had a chance to check that nothing came loose in fixing it all back, but anyway I didn't see how that would cause a problem with a lighting circuit - if it was only the plugged in devices, I wouldn't even write without checking that! I'll also admit that I haven't started looking for loose connections anywhere else as there seem to be too many devices with problems for them all to have come loose together!!??

I have an old fashioned fusebox. Is it possible that something in this, or prior to this is causing the problem? I can't see what else would affect all three circuits in the house at the same time...?? The house is early 50s, but we think was re-wired about 12 years ago.

I would be very grateful for any advice and hope this might help the OP too.

p.s I don't believe in ghosts

 

[flameport]

I have an old fashioned fusebox. Is it possible that something in this, or prior to this is causing the problem? I can't see what else would affect all three circuits in the house at the same time...?? The house is early 50s, but we think was re-wired about 12 years ago.

Coule be loose connection(s) in the fusebox, or before it, or even outside of the property.

'Old fashioned fusebox' and 'rewired 12 years ago' don't go together, as it is unlikely anyone would be fitting 'old fashioned fuseboxes' just 12 years ago.

 

[acmedone]

Can anyone help? Every light in my house has started to flicker.

Talk to your supplier nicely; it could be their problem.

To expand on my reply. A few years ago we had this. I doubted it was inside the house. Trouble being it wasn't initially bad enough to demonstrate to anybody and it was several months before it became intolerable and reliable. It was just the branch to our house and the pavement had to be dug up.

 

[K613]

Thank you flameport.

Do you have any suggestions as to how to go about looking for a loose connection in or before the fusebox? I mean especially in terms of isolation as I've never had to look at something that couldn't be isoltated at the fusebox.

Also, can you (or anyone) advise where my responsibility ends and the electricity company's begins with this sort of thing? Is it at the point it enters the building, or at the meter, or somewhere else?

On the age of the fusebox - we didn't own the house 12 years ago, but were working on that basis as according to the neighbour "loads" of work was done about then. We never spoke to the previous owner as they died, so there's no way to check - it could be a distorted concept of time on the part of the neighbour as she's about 80!! The cable is all white sheathed twin and earth (so not 50s original) but it's definitely an old fashioned looking fusebox - I guess that doesn't narrow the age much!

Thank you again for any help

 

[radioredcat]

Have your asked if you neighbours if they have the same problem.

Andy

 

[riveralt]

Do you have any suggestions as to how to go about looking for a loose connection in or before the fusebox? I mean especially in terms of isolation as I've never had to look at something that couldn't be isoltated at the fusebox.

I know this doesn't particularly help you but from an electricians viewpoint where you have several problematic areas I would always start at the source - the consumer unit.
Given that your consumer unit appears to be an old Wylex rewirable fuseboard I would not suggest you consider doing the same unless you are very very confident that you can totally isolate all the circuits including the main switch by means of an external isolation switch.

You only other option, without opening the cu or resorting to testing, is to systematically go through each and every problematic socket, switch and ceiling rose to check that all the conductors are tight.

Also, can you (or anyone) advise where my responsibility ends and the electricity company's begins with this sort of thing? Is it at the point it enters the building, or at the meter, or somewhere else?

In broad terms the householder is responsible for everything on his side of the meter starting from the consumer unit - the DNO are responsible for the everything up to and including the meter.

On the age of the fusebox - we didn't own the house 12 years ago, but were working on that basis as according to the neighbour "loads" of work was done about then. We never spoke to the previous owner as they died, so there's no way to check - it could be a distorted concept of time on the part of the neighbour as she's about 80!! The cable is all white sheathed twin and earth (so not 50s original) but it's definitely an old fashioned looking fusebox - I guess that doesn't narrow the age much!

Are you sure it is white sheathed (low smoke) cable because it would be unusual to have the whole house wired in this.

If you are getting problems in different parts of the house then I would suggest it is time to get an electrician in to conduct an Electrical Installation Condition Report - this will give you the best idea of what might be wrong with the current installation.

 

[flameport]

Are you sure it is white sheathed (low smoke) cable because it would be unusual to have the whole house wired in this.

It will be standard T&E with black/red cores, which was available in grey or white.

 

[K613]

Thank you for the info guys.

Taking the advice further up this thread, I went around having a good listen when things were flickering last night. There is definitely the sound of arcing from around the fuse box - the meter and fuse box are next to each other, so it's hard to be sure which it's coming from, but definitely that area. As the problems are affecting all three circuits, I'm thinking that it's the place to start looking for a solution.

I will look again tonight at the options for isolating it, but I think I will have to take your advice and get someone in on this one as I'm not aware of any isolation switch before the fuses. To be honest, I've been thinking ever since I moved in three years ago, that the fusebox would be well updated to a modern CU, so this might be a good opportunity!

Better go and raid my piggy bank!!

Thanks again for all the help