Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Almost every day, PART of my electricity goes out - after some blinking/fading.
These are lights etc. in all different rooms, that seem to have nothing to do with each other. Including lights in an addition i had built around 2008...some stay on, some go out. They usually stay out between a few minutes to an hour. (The new addition even has its own electricity 'box.')
Also, now and then where my two kitchen lights are (hanging) - one will just go out. I used to change the bulb, but now i wait a day - and it's back on!
Obviously there's a wiring problem or short or something; i've lived here since 1995 with no electric problems. In 2008 an electrician replaced the whole outdoor wiring/jigamabob (where the really thick wire feeds in).
I have Googled and Googled and some things DO say it could be a problem with a feed from the Electric Company. I have not called anyone yet due to not having the money for repairs - and i'm hoping upon hope this is not some huge wiring problem thruout the house.
Almost every day, PART of my electricity goes out - after some blinking/fading.
I have Googled ... it could be a problem with a feed from the Electric Company.
That is the most likely culprit: that the power in one of the two feed wires drops out.
The next two most likely culprit are that one of the feed wires is loose at the meter or in your panel.
Quote:
I have not called anyone yet due to not having the money for repairs -
Call the power company without delay.
Two of the 3 possible solutions are NO CHARGE fixes from the power company.
If the problem continues you'll have that identified the inside the main panel as the problem.
If so... call back your electrician (the poco won't even open the panel in most areas).
The electrician won't come out on Sunday afternoon for free but on Monday or Tuesday
they should be willing to do the screw tightening as a courtesy or a modest charge.
Having been the victim of an electrical fire I would strongly suggest you immediately find out the source of the issue. Personally if were me the main breaker is getting switched off. A fire of nearly any size is life altering event.
We just had a similar problem. Half of the house would go off, then back on. If it stayed off, we could get it back on by turning on the electric stove. LOL The sections of the house that went off would change back and forth.
After having the power company out and checking everything in the house, we determined that we had a bad Main Breaker in the outside breaker box, where the electric service comes to the house. If the stove didn't turn the power back on, we could wiggle the box and it would blink back on. We ended up updating the box and replacing the pole, since it was a bit rotten.
Main electrical connections carry a LOT of electricity and can heat up and cool down as electricity is used / not used. Those connections can "work their way loose". (They actually need to be tightened with a "torque wrench" to a certain amount of tightness!)
Anyway the electric company should come out and check / retighten your main electrical connections for free. Give them a call.
Warning to anyone else reading this... DO NOT try tightening your main electrical connections yourself! Those connections are ALWAYS LIVE, even with the main breaker off.
OP. It looks as if you have a loose connection somewhere along the system. Call the utility company and they are responsible for the line up to your box, if it's a problem past your box then an electrician should be called ASAP. If you procrastinate I hope you have some good working battery operated fire alarms installed. You'd hate to wake up in the middle of the night with a fire to deal with.
"Also, now and then where my two kitchen lights are (hanging) - one will just go out. I used to change the bulb, but now i wait a day - and it's back on!"
Lemmie guess - compact florescent bulbs, right? If so, this is a problem I've experienced with them from time to time, especially in recessed fixtures. It is likely that the two kitchen lights are on the same "leg" and this problem is unrelated to your other one.
Problems with corroded connections can be difficult to find. Since I'm more familiar with how to work with electricity, I might put a couple of space heaters or other heavy load on a circuit that dropped out and then use a no-contact IR thermometer to see what got hot along the circuit path. Corroded connections almost invariably heat up under heavy current loads. In your case, you are better off getting the power company out and if that fails getting an electrician.
Get the power company out there right away!!!! If they can't figure it out, or find the problem is inside y9ur panel, you will need an electrician. Do not wait.
That is the most likely culprit: that the power in one of the two feed wires drops out.
The next two most likely culprit are that one of the feed wires is loose at the meter
And if you lose one feed, the current still feeds back through other "dead" parts of your house wiring, in what could seem like illogical or random ways. That happened here after a storm ripped the wires off the house. Have you had any huge storms lately? (you don't need to answer that) Storm damage should be covered by homeowners insurance.
I second that advice to turn off the main breaker until somebody checks out the problem.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We ended up updating the box and replacing the pole, since it was a bit rotten.
