Lighting Flickering...

[MasterAbacus]

Hi all,

About two days ago, the lights in the house started to flicker, Probably go dim than flicker... it happens very rarely, but its still happenening.

If i was to put a time on it, id say probabaly once or twice an evening. and its lasts no longer than a second....

It happned on both the upstairs and downstairs lights, Both are fed from two different MCB`s... Well im guessing that, as we have two 6amp MCB`s in the CU. Both feed 1.5mm cable.

(While typing this i think i need to just double check that, ill switch one off and see if certain lights on one floor stop working etc)

Anyway, any pointers on what could be the cause? Like I say it only started about 2 maybe 3 days ago.... Co-incendence or not, but it was just after we has some heavy rain the day before...

MMmmmmm....

 

[JohnD]

what electric heaters do you have? Electric cooker? Immersion heater? electric shower?

it happens when a power-hungry appliance comes on. If it has a thermostat it may go on and off at intervals.

 

[MasterAbacus]

Thanks JohnD, Yeah after and while writing this post i made myself i list of things to check... amazing when you actually write down a question the answers jump out at you.....

Im pretty sure the Heating / boiler / Cooker / Washer etc were not in use, I can guarantee they wont be tonight while i do a few checks.....

 

[bernardgreen]

The flickering may be due to variations in the voltage being supplied to your house.

Maybe someone on the same street supply has been using pumps after the rain. Do your neighbours also have flickering lights ? If they do then you need to ask the local District Network Operator to look at the voltage they are supplying.

I have heard that a cannabis "factory" in a quiet residential street caused this problem for the 1 in 3 houses on the same phase as the "factory".

 

[plugwash]

could well be a dodgy joint in the suppliers network.

 

[MasterAbacus]

could well be a dodgy joint in the suppliers network.

Please explain more abt this?

 

[DESL]

could well be a dodgy joint in the suppliers network.

Or a dodgy joint from the cannabis factory

 

[plugwash]

well there are several ways a dodgy joint could cause this.

the first is if the joint is simply intermittant making contact most of the time but occasionaly bouncing open because of the wind etc

the second is because the joint is high resistance and a large load downstream of it is being switched.

 

[Steve]

Abacus, see if any of your neighbours have a big welder that they've rigged up to their meter tails (it does happen). This could cause brownouts when they are using it and you're a way from the substation.

A DNO cable once blew up under a street near one of our shops. Only one phase was broken, so the shop could continue trading with dimmed lighting

 

[ricicle]

Only one phase was broken, so the shop could continue trading with dimmed lighting

But no refrigeration compressors.........(or are your chillers single phase?)

 

[Steve]

Only one phase was broken, so the shop could continue trading with dimmed lighting

But no refrigeration compressors.........(or are your chillers single phase?)

There was no air con and the big fridge went down (its compressor kept trying on 2 phases all night 'cos nobody turned it off, it wasnt cooling anyway) the rest of the refrigeration is SP and fortunately none on the broken phase

That shop's since shut down. Thank heavens.

 

[Space cat]

If it was mine I would check around the meter and CU connections for anything loose. If yours are in the back of a cupboard stuffed full of junk a bad connection could be a fire waiting to happen. Wear some nice thick rubber gloves and wobble the wires CAREFULLY while you watch for flickering lights. DO NOT PULL. The last thing you want is a meter tail loose in your hand!

 

[MasterAbacus]

Hi guys, Ive been through everything from the CU, meter tails, etc, no loose connections, not wobbling wires etc..... Even checked the Incoming supply fuse was situated ok.

I could not get the fault to re-occur.... but last night it happend twice... about 7p and again at about 9pm....Both time I was outside trying to listen for someone using any kind of equiptment, but nothing.

Im going to have a look up in the loft today, as this morning i heard a bird or something up thier.... im just wondering if maybe something is atacking the wires for the lights..... Shotgun ready....!!!!!

 

[bernardgreen]

Plug a table lamp or similar with an incandescent bulb into a socket and see if that flickers in the same way as the main lights. If it does than the fault is almost certainly NOT in the lighting circuit but in the supply.

If it occurs at the same time each night suspect off peak equipment being turned on in the area around you.

 

[JamesHughes]

I had someone come round to my household garage at my last house - complaining that their lights kept flickering and dimming. Turned out to be my welder. They were three doors down, so on the samephase. She was a bit annoyed, but I'd almost finished the chassis by then...!!

The house was on a private round and I dont think the supply had been upgraded in the last 30 years even though more houses had been built and the power requirements on the road had dramatically increased.

James