Flickering lights after new lamps installed on a different circuit

[polymerist]

Hi all,

Looked around the web a few times, but couldn’t seem to find anything that matched my predicament exactly. Hoping y’all might be able to help me figure this one out.

Landlord had a couple of new light fixtures installed on our exterior. That week I started noticing our kitchen lights will flicker anytime we start-up a major appliance: microwave, vacuum, A/C, etc. After the initial start, they will flicker then be fine. The part that doesn’t make much sense to me is that the flickering happens even if the appliance is on its own circuit (i.e., A/C unit is on its own dedicated circuit, vacuum running on a different circuit, etc.). We have been in the house for over 5.5 years now without issue.

Is this common if wiring gets screwed up on a different circuit? Anything in particular I should look for to begin with?

Thanks so much!

 

[nadogail]

Looking like voltage dropping as something is starting.

 

[pbon]

Could this be due to LED bulbs? Does using dimmable bulbs help?

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

If the voltage on the opposite leg from the appliance goes high, you have a neutral fault. If you have a peak hold meter, super easy to check.

 

[polymerist]

Looking like voltage dropping as something is starting.

Yeah that’s what it seems like, just not sure why all of a sudden. :/

Could this be due to LED bulbs? Does using dimmable bulbs help?

Sadly we have those LED can lights with Edison fixtures. But they’ve been up there without issue since we moved in.

If the voltage on the opposite leg from the appliance goes high, you have a neutral fault. If you have a peak hold meter, super easy to check.

Ah interesting. Is that something that could’ve been caused by improper wiring of the lamps on a separate circuit?


Thanks all for the great replies!

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Not directly, but they might have disturbed something in the process. Retorqing everything in your breaker box might not be a bad idea.

 

[Terry D]

The flickering that you are seeing when a high amperage load comes on is normal, even if its not the same circuit. The momentary in rush current is creating a voltage drop across your mains in your panel. If its only doing it on start up, like you said, I wouldn't be concerned unless the circuit is getting close to being overloaded. You would need to find that circuit in the panel and do a current reading with everything in that particular circuit turned on. Are the outside lights on the same circuit as the kitchen lights?

 

[Zeke]

When something changes you always go back to the last thing done to see if there is something wrong. From what you say the installation of the new lights has something, if not everything, to do with the flicker. It would be a rare coincidence that the flicker problem appeared on tis own at the same time a new light fixture was installed.

I wonder where they picked up the power to these new lights? They may have tapped into one of your dedicated circuits. You're a renter, this is not your problem. But if you want to poke around, turn off the breakers one by one for your known appliance circuits and see if any of these breakers also kill the new lights.

IDK how I would go about approaching the landlord if you found a problem. What do you know about the electrical workers?