Sure, when you’re dealing with flickering lights at your place, it’s annoying. But it’s also highly distracting no matter what you’re doing, and can even make some people disoriented, dizzy and unstable on their feet. The other big issue, on the other hand, is that lights flickering throughout a property reveal that something is definitely not right with the electrical system.
Why are my lights flickering?
If it’s just one light flickering, though, you can heave a sigh of relief – because it’s almost certainly just that bulb, light fixture or a single electrical connection. Sure, the problem needs looking into, but rest assured it’s nothing serious.
But when you experience lights flickering in the whole house, oh dear – you definitely have quite a serious problem going on here. And it might be so serious that you face the risk of:
- Electrical fires
- Electric shock
- Damage to property, appliances & electronics
- Damage to your entire electrical system.
The good news is that if you’ve just caught those downlights flickering at an early stage, and even if the other ceiling lights, lamps and all other flickering lights are all misbehaving at the same time, it’s still not the time to panic. But first, let’s dive into that flickering lights meaning by exploring what might be going on and the home lighting solutions you need.
1. Fluctuating voltage
With a bit of luck, there’s some very heavy machinery somewhere nearby that is causing a voltage fluctuation to the power supplied to your property. It could also be a wider power grid issue, or the utility company may be carrying out some maintenance.
2. Overloaded circuit
Are the flicking lights coinciding with your own use of some heavy machinery or appliances? Perhaps you’re overloading your own circuits by asking too much of them in a single moment – so bear in mind that your circuits have a circuit capacity that is subject to issues if they’re overloaded.
3. Loose connections
Something might be loose or faulty with some of the electrical connections at your place, which can impede the power flow and trigger those lights to flicker. It could be a loose wire, a faulty switch, a dodgy connection in the electrical panel or junction box, or something similar.
4. Ageing electrical system
Like everything else under the sun, electrical systems are subject to normal wear, tear and ageing. As they age, wires deteriorate, connections loosen, and components become less efficient, optimised and reliable.
5. Faulty/outdated switchboard
If something’s gone wrong with your home electrical switchboard itself, or it’s just badly outdated, regular intermittent power distribution can be the result – seen by our eyes as a simple light flickering. It could be:
- The main breaker
- Individual circuit breakers
- Damaged connections
- Rust or corrosion
- Short circuits
- Faulty wiring or components
- Electrical grounding issues.
On the other hand, maybe it’s just a growing incompatibility between the electrical panel (meter box) you’re using and your more modern power demands, appliances and lifestyle.
6. Dimmer switches
If you experience all the downlights flickering but every other light in the house seems ok, maybe it’s just a dimmer switch. Especially if you’ve switched to LED bulbs but didn’t update the dimmer switches themselves, that could explain the problem.
Let us fix your flickering lights today
Just need a friendly, local & affordable fully-licensed local electrician to get to the bottom of the problem for you – fast? Static Electrics is a family-owned electrical services, air conditioning and solar power small business operating across the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane and beyond, and we offer upfront pricing, the most competitive local prices, and 100% guaranteed workmanship.
Don’t let those flickering lights stress and disturb you for a minute longer and instead give the always-attentive electricians at Static Electrics a shout today.
