Have you experienced lights suddenly dims and then brightens again after some time? If you did, then you need to solve the problem by knowing the root cause of such dimming. If your lights dim sometimes, then you have a problem in your electrical system that needs to be resolved. Contacting an electrician or electrical expert is the safest way to trace and treat such dilemma of having such disturbing scenarios. Do it before further and greater damage might occur. It requires expertise to correct this problem.
Here are some of the several causes of dimming lights:
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- If your lights dim whenever another appliance is turned on like a television, refrigerator, laptop, or furnace. It could be that the lights are also connected or wired in the same circuit as those appliances. Some appliances (like mentioned above) have a tendency to draw a lot of power. That is why large-power consuming appliances should be connected to a dedicated circuit in the service panel. Though this is not a dangerous situation, many people want to alleviate the dimming problem by installing separate circuits for some devices in their household.
- Loose wiring connection could also be a cause of dimming lights, most common sections of the electrical system where loose wires exist is at the breaker panel. We usually observe this problem during summer months when demand for electricity is higher and this would tend stress the already loose connections which is hardly observed during colder months where electricity demand is low.
- If the lights dim periodically all the time, the problem then is focused on the circuit breaker panel or the electric meter. It can also be traced to the utility line feeding your house. Usually, overloaded utility in the transformer located in the streets is experienced by a large neighborhood. This is a dangerous and risky situation and thus one should immediately call the utility company repair department to check their lines. Once the problem still persists, call a licensed electrician to check on your safety devices like the circuit breakers and the electric meter.
- Another cause of dimming lights is the undersized service. This is a problem for old houses built more than 20 years ago. Older houses use fuse boxes rather than the new circuit breakers. These houses are not capable of supplying enough electricity in the house that may lead to undersized service. Appropriate upgrade of the devices and utilities is recommended for this problem.