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Message
Lights pulsating when washing machine runs
Posted on 9/27/21 at 8:49 am
Posted on 9/27/21 at 8:49 am
Curious if anyone else has had this issue and what might be the cause. I have a friend who's an electrician and said it might be an issue with the ground wire/plug of the washing machine - but he hasn't had a chance to look at it yet.
Bought a house in March that's only three years old. When I run the washing machine, the lights in the bathroom and living room pulse with each turn of the washing machine (not full on flickering). Any ideas? I'm not sure if they're on the same circuit or not or if that has anything to do with it. Not the end of the world but it gets annoying at times in the evening.
Have a regular ol Maytag washing machine - nothing fancy.
ETA: Just found this article
LINK
Since it's a newer house, I'm guessing it might be the circuit/fuse. Is this a costly fix? Hoping if it's nothing too major I can just buy my buddy a case of beer and "help" him fix it.. i.e. hand him tools
Bought a house in March that's only three years old. When I run the washing machine, the lights in the bathroom and living room pulse with each turn of the washing machine (not full on flickering). Any ideas? I'm not sure if they're on the same circuit or not or if that has anything to do with it. Not the end of the world but it gets annoying at times in the evening.
Have a regular ol Maytag washing machine - nothing fancy.
ETA: Just found this article
LINK
Since it's a newer house, I'm guessing it might be the circuit/fuse. Is this a costly fix? Hoping if it's nothing too major I can just buy my buddy a case of beer and "help" him fix it.. i.e. hand him tools
This post was edited on 9/27/21 at 8:53 am
3
Posted on 9/27/21 at 9:17 am to sweetwaterbilly
Been awhile since I had to have it done, but from what I recall it's a quick fix for someone that knows what they are doing. If you drop the steaks on the grill when he gets there, he very well could be done before the steaks are ready
Was coming in to post that you will want to turn off every light and disconnect anything from any outlet affected by this. You run the risk of burning out bulbs (minor) to shorting fixtures/electronics if there is some sort of surge going through the electric.
Was coming in to post that you will want to turn off every light and disconnect anything from any outlet affected by this. You run the risk of burning out bulbs (minor) to shorting fixtures/electronics if there is some sort of surge going through the electric.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 9:18 am to sweetwaterbilly
Typically the washing machine is on a dedicated circuit - this appears to not be the case in your house.
Modern washing machines use direct drive motors and agitate by reversing the motor. The pulses you see in your lights correspond to the motor starts, forward and reverse (or clockwise and counterclockwise if you prefer).
If the lights in question are LED's, they make this issue worse since they respond to voltage changes much faster than incandescent lights.
Best fix? - move washing machine to its own circuit.
Cheap fix? - replace flickering bulbs with incandescent.
ETA - one other potential issue. If your washer and affected lights are on the same circuit, a slightly loose connection could cause a voltage drop as the washer load increases.
Modern washing machines use direct drive motors and agitate by reversing the motor. The pulses you see in your lights correspond to the motor starts, forward and reverse (or clockwise and counterclockwise if you prefer).
If the lights in question are LED's, they make this issue worse since they respond to voltage changes much faster than incandescent lights.
Best fix? - move washing machine to its own circuit.
Cheap fix? - replace flickering bulbs with incandescent.
ETA - one other potential issue. If your washer and affected lights are on the same circuit, a slightly loose connection could cause a voltage drop as the washer load increases.
This post was edited on 9/27/21 at 12:27 pm
Posted on 9/27/21 at 10:00 am to Unobtanium
That makes sense. I appreciate it! 
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:32 pm to Unobtanium
So it turns out my washer IS on its own circuit. The bulbs are not LEDs and I plugged into a different outlet on the other side of the house and still had the same issue.
I took the cover off the panel and checked all the ground and neutral wires- all connections are tight. Ground wires inside washer are secure as well.
I’m not sure what else it could be. Either a problem with my washing machine or power supply to the house. My neighborhood has a lot of new construction so maybe the amount of power provided was sufficient until all the new builds.
I’m stumped
ETA: I also read that it could be undersized wiring to the house- but the previous owner said he never encountered this issue.
I took the cover off the panel and checked all the ground and neutral wires- all connections are tight. Ground wires inside washer are secure as well.
I’m not sure what else it could be. Either a problem with my washing machine or power supply to the house. My neighborhood has a lot of new construction so maybe the amount of power provided was sufficient until all the new builds.
I’m stumped
ETA: I also read that it could be undersized wiring to the house- but the previous owner said he never encountered this issue.
This post was edited on 9/27/21 at 7:34 pm
Posted on 9/27/21 at 8:58 pm to sweetwaterbilly
Do these same lights flicker when your a/c starts? If so then maybe the service cable to your main panel has a loose connection.
If the a/c doesn't affect these lights, I'm out of ideas.
If the a/c doesn't affect these lights, I'm out of ideas.
Posted on 9/28/21 at 6:53 am to Unobtanium
Nope - just the washing machine. I'm going to call the power company today and see if they can come out and have a look.
They would be the ones to check the connections at the main panel, right? I figure they can check for a loose neutral near the pole or maybe some other issues - I read that some people have had that issue.
Appreciate all the insight! Will update when I'm able to find a solution
ETA: Power company came out and said everything on their end checks out. Both legs to the house were perfect. Going to have my buddy check the neutrals in the outside panel, but outside of that it seems like it might be an issue with the washing machine itself.
Appreciate all the feedback, fellas. This board always comes through.
They would be the ones to check the connections at the main panel, right? I figure they can check for a loose neutral near the pole or maybe some other issues - I read that some people have had that issue.
Appreciate all the insight! Will update when I'm able to find a solution
ETA: Power company came out and said everything on their end checks out. Both legs to the house were perfect. Going to have my buddy check the neutrals in the outside panel, but outside of that it seems like it might be an issue with the washing machine itself.
Appreciate all the feedback, fellas. This board always comes through.
This post was edited on 9/28/21 at 8:36 am
Posted on 9/28/21 at 9:24 am to sweetwaterbilly
Prolly the washer breaker
Change it
Easy
Change it
Easy
Posted on 9/29/21 at 9:59 am to Drop4Loss
quote:
Prolly the washer breaker
I would normally say no, but since everything else has been ruled out it's possible.
Sweetwaterbilly, do the washer circuit and the affected lighting circuit share a tandem ("piggyback") breaker?
This post was edited on 9/29/21 at 10:00 am
Posted on 9/29/21 at 10:48 am to sweetwaterbilly
quote:
might be an issue with the washing machine itself.
Use an extension cord and plug the washing machine into the refrigerator outlet. Run a load of clothes and see if you still have a problem.
Posted on 9/29/21 at 10:55 am to weadjust
Not an electrician, but thought I would share just in case it was something similar. We had a similar situation when we ran the dishwasher. I had a buddy of mine come take a look at it and it. He traced the issue to two 100 amp breakers outside the home that and I did not even know were there. One of them was going out. It was replaced and it solved the problem. It was odd that this particular box was upstream of the meter.
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