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Bad or failing circuit breaker
Posted on 4/3/25 at 8:17 pm
Posted on 4/3/25 at 8:17 pm
How do I identify which circuit breaker is causing my lights in my house to dim?
I first noticed it in my bedroom yesterday morning but didn't think much of it. I then noticed it today in my kitchen. My daughter is also noticing it in her bedroom.
What's the best way to troubleshoot?
I first noticed it in my bedroom yesterday morning but didn't think much of it. I then noticed it today in my kitchen. My daughter is also noticing it in her bedroom.
What's the best way to troubleshoot?
3
Posted on 4/3/25 at 8:42 pm to Will Cover
It could be a number of things.
One is the service coming into the house. That connection could be loose. This would cause the whole house to flicker. Your electric provider could check it out.
I've also had a loose wire in an outlet that causes a "leg" to go out or flicker. This can cover multiple rooms. But not the whole house.
One is the service coming into the house. That connection could be loose. This would cause the whole house to flicker. Your electric provider could check it out.
I've also had a loose wire in an outlet that causes a "leg" to go out or flicker. This can cover multiple rooms. But not the whole house.
Posted on 4/3/25 at 9:07 pm to Will Cover
I doubt it’s a breaker. If it’s multiple parts of your house, it’s likely just low service voltage. The weather has warmed this week so not unexpectedly, utility voltage can drop.
If you have a good meter and are comfortable using it, you can measure the voltage on each breaker to neutral. Also make sure all neutrals are tight.
If it’s brief, it may also correspond to your A/C or other large load kicking on.
If you have a good meter and are comfortable using it, you can measure the voltage on each breaker to neutral. Also make sure all neutrals are tight.
If it’s brief, it may also correspond to your A/C or other large load kicking on.
Posted on 4/3/25 at 10:09 pm to rustyjohnson
quote:
rustyjohnson
All good points made here.
A recent one at my cousin's house was an underground feeder that was slowly degrading and finally faulted. It was an aluminum conductor and they are notorious for degrading rapidly if moisture intrudes past the insulation. It can cause some large voltage drops when a large 240V load kicks on, like an air conditioner, drier, or oven.
Aluminum oxide forms quickly and powders the cable apart. Here's an example I pulled from google images:
So it definitely could be your incoming service but as others have mentioned, make sure all the connections in your panel are tight first. Or have an electrician look at them.
Posted on 4/3/25 at 11:55 pm to Will Cover
Sounds like something is loose. Open the main service panel. Tighten the lugs on circuit breakers and neutral/ground bars.
That should clear up your problem.
That should clear up your problem.
This post was edited on 4/3/25 at 11:58 pm
Posted on 4/3/25 at 11:58 pm to bapple
Don’t like aluminum wire!
Posted on 4/4/25 at 3:09 pm to chrome1007
quote:
Sounds like something is loose. Open the main service panel. Tighten the lugs on circuit breakers and neutral/ground bars.
That should clear up your problem.
If you're gonna give advice, you might want to advise folks to kill power before doing that. And on the main feed lugs, it is often difficult to do that without pulling the meter for many folks.
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