Dimming lights

[charlesmartorelli]

I moved into a home built in the 50’a a few months ago. The house had been rented out for the last few years so it needed a little work. We noticed that in the evening the lights would dim once in a while. Maybe 2 or 3 times an hour, just for a second or 2 and not by much. This does not seen to correspond to any of the appliances cycling on or off. The only big appliance is the refrigerator since the water heater and central heater are gas. The house is small 1000 sq ft. The house had only 3 breakers and the wiring was the original knob and tube. We decided to upgrade the circuits with a new 100amp panel and replaced the wiring in the whole house. My question is the lights still dim once in a while our electrician said this is normal. I have always lived in large apartment buildings so I have no experience with this. What could cause this and is it a safety hazard? One final item the lights that din are either on a dimmer or low wattage bulbs. We do not see any problems with the florescent lights or with the TV or computer.


 

[kactuskid]

Was a 100 amp breaker panel put in and was ALL the wiring replaced, to all the light fixtures and to all the receptacles and switchs? If these lights are on the same circuits as the refrig then it's possible that the refrigerator is causing it, unplug it to find out. If any of these lights are plugged into receptacles then I would check the connections there, they should not be wired using the little holes in the back of the receptacles. If they are then remove the wireing and wrap it around the screws. Those little holes being used are the cause of alot of problems for homeowners and don't provide a tight connections.

quote:Originally posted by charlesmartorelli

I moved into a home built in the 50’a a few months ago. The house had been rented out for the last few years so it needed a little work. We noticed that in the evening the lights would dim once in a while. Maybe 2 or 3 times an hour, just for a second or 2 and not by much. This does not seen to correspond to any of the appliances cycling on or off. The only big appliance is the refrigerator since the water heater and central heater are gas. The house is small 1000 sq ft. The house had only 3 breakers and the wiring was the original knob and tube. We decided to upgrade the circuits with a new 100amp panel and replaced the wiring in the whole house. My question is the lights still dim once in a while our electrician said this is normal. I have always lived in large apartment buildings so I have no experience with this. What could cause this and is it a safety hazard? One final item the lights that din are either on a dimmer or low wattage bulbs. We do not see any problems with the florescent lights or with the TV or computer.


 

[charlesmartorelli]

YES 100 amp panel was put in and the wiring to the fixtures was replaced. We rewired the house because the original wiring was old and patched and run thought the insulation in the attic.

[kactuskid]

OK, well check to see if the dimming lights are on the same circuit as your fridg or furnace, and also check if the receptacles are wiring as described above. This is all to narrow down any problems you may be having. thanks.

quote:Originally posted by charlesmartorelli

YES 100 amp panel was put in and the wiring to the fixtures was replaced. We rewired the house because the original wiring was old and patched and run thought the insulation in the attic.

[irregularjoe]

It could be a lot of things.
Weak breaker, fried breaker lugs (main panel), loose wires anywhere in the circuit, bad neutral, etc.
You said that the lights that dim are on a dimmer? Try changing the dimmer, or better yet, replace it with a switch. Typical dimmers are rated at 600 watts max. How much do you have on it?
As far as appliances, what about stove, microwave. dishwasher?
100 amps is really not that much anymore. Bare minimum at best.

Did you ever see OHM'S mother in LAW?...... SHOCKING!

[charlesmartorelli]

Thanks for all the ideas. I do not think this problem is from other appliances because I have noticed it when nothing else is running not even the fridge. As I said the Panel and wiring has been upgraded and It happened before the upgrade and after. It looks like I as the last one on the transformer on my street. Is it possible it could be the neighbors appliances causing the problem? Javascript:insertsmilie('[?]')

[irregularjoe]

"It looks like I as the last one on the transformer on my street. Is it possible it could be the neighbors appliances causing the problem? Javascript:insertsmilie('')"

I sincerely doubt it, unless you are on the end of the line in rural Arkansas.

BUT.....I have seen bad power company connections cause this kind of problem.
Might be a good idea to call them out and insinuate that it's their problem. Sometimes they go the extra mile.

I still say that you have a faulty connection or bad panel.
Just because you had it replaced dosen't mean that it's good. You have to remove the breakers and inspect the lugs. Any time they heat up (as they do when you get dimming) the possibility for lug deterioration is there. You have to pull the breakers out to inspect it.


Did you ever see OHM'S mother in LAW?...... SHOCKING!

[charlesmartorelli]

I had the power company came out to check the lines at the weather head and pole. The checklist they left said the problem is solved. After checking the lights for the past 3 evenings I have noticed that lights that are not on dimmers are fine, the TV and computers (3 of them) are fine. The 3 rooms that have dimmers on the over head lights fluctuate. I replaced all 3 dimmers with Lutron dimmers and still the same problem. We also have a Halogen lamp with a built in dimmer and it fluctuates also. We tend to dim the light a lot to watch tv. My electrician said this is normal when you are at the bottom 25% of the dimmer. Oddly we have a very old lamp socket dimmer that works fine. I have 2 questions
1- Is this a safety hazard or a problem
2- Are there any special brand dimmers I should be looking at.
Thanks
Charlie

[kactuskid]

Are all of these lights on the same circuit, if they are, then I think you're experiancing a common neutral interaction. This happens when using dimmers that share the same neutral wire. There are a few different ways to solve it, the easiest way is to buy a special dimmer that is sold by Lutron. Here is a link that'll explain the causes and the cures for this. Scroll down on the link till you come to the question titled: WHY DO MY LIGHTS FLASH OR SUDDENLY CHANGE LEVELS ? http://www.lutron.com/product_technical/faq.html

[charlesmartorelli]

I checked my power with a voltmeter last night. I watched it for about 1 hour. The current is constantly fluctuating. It moves from 114.5 to 117.8 it can do this inside a minute. This is the reason my lights a always dimming. The power company is coming out today to look at things. Is this considered acceptable?

[kactuskid]

No, I don't think it's acceptacble. The voltage should be held at a steady state. If I were you I would remove the dimmers, just temporarly, and replace them with single pole switchs. Now measure the voltage like you did, monitoring it, and see if you still get the swings in voltage. If you don't, then you'll know it's caused by the dimmers, possibly the common neutral interataction I referred to.

[charlesmartorelli]

This mesurment was taken at a wall outlet on a different circut.
Charlie

[kactuskid]

Let us know what the power company says, could be anywhere, hopefully on their side.