When Lights Flicker

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Why Do Lights Flicker?

If the lights in your house are flickering, your electrical safety could be at risk. How do you know if the flickers are just a minor annoyance or a major electrical problem? When in doubt, always call a local electrician, and for your peace of mind, make sure they have electricians on call for emergencies too.

In this post, we’ll take a look at the reasons your lights might be blinking and how to know if it’s a big problem or a little one.

Overloaded Circuits

  • Large appliances like sump pumps and washing machines can cause flickering when they turn on.
  • This is normal and you can minimize it by plugging them into their own 240-volt outlets.
  • If the flickering is severe or if it has been going on for a long time, your appliance may have a defective motor that causes it to “hot-start.” If that’s the case, you must call a professional electrician to fix it.

Outside Causes

  • Storms can cause short-term flickering.
  • So can your neighbors; if you share a transformer with them, their electrical use can cause blinking on your lights.

Light Bulb Types

  • If a defective light bulb is a culprit, change it.
  • A CFL bulb paired with a dimmer switch won’t work properly and the dimmer switch will make it blink.
  • If all the flickering lights are controlled by the same dimmer switch, the dimmer switch is to blame.
  • A faulty light fixture can also cause flickering.

Loose Wiring

  • A loose or failing switch will cause anything plugged into it to flicker.
  • Loose circuit connection is a dangerous situation that affects the whole house’s wiring and should be handled immediately by a professional electrician.
  • If you notice arcing–which looks like tiny lightning bolts running out of a socket–you are at high risk of an electrical fire. You need to call an electrician immediately.

Electrical Safety

The third-leading cause of home fires

  • While defective light bulbs and storm-related flickers are not emergencies, loose wiring and loose connections can be if they’re not addressed immediately.
  • Electrical problems are the third-leading cause of home fires in this country, causing over 51,000 fires each year.
  • Arcing faults are responsible for almost half of those fires.

Electricians on Call

24-7 emergency assistance

  • While it’s true that most electrical problems aren’t emergencies, it’s good to know that your local electricians are standing by if you need them.
  • SESCOS provides 24-7 emergency assistance; just call us for the help you need.
  • Never feel like you’re alone when it comes to your safety or your family’s; SESCO will be there with you and we won’t quit until the job is complete and your electricity is safe to use.

We’re Your Local Electrician

  • SESCOS is family-owned, with strong roots in our community.
  • Our first commitment is to you, our customer.
  • We have proudly served residential, commercial and industrial customers in Loudoun County for decades.
  • Our many outstanding reviews attest to our professionalism, integrity and skill.

Your Best Call

If your lights are flickering and it’s an annoyance, or you want to be sure it’s nothing more serious, call us. We’ll let you know if it’s a quick fix or a problem that requires a more complex repair. When it comes to your home’s safety and the integrity of your electrical system, SESCO is your best call, so make us your first call.