Short answer
If one fixture flickers, check the bulb and dimmer first. If several rooms dim when something big starts, or flicker in the wind, there's likely a loose connection at the panel, the meter or the service line. If some lights get brighter while others dim, or electronics are shutting off or failing, you may have a lost neutral: turn off sensitive electronics and call right away.
What's probably happening
The first question is how much of the house is involved. A single light points to that fixture, its bulb, or its switch. A pattern across rooms points to something upstream that all of those lights share: a circuit, the panel, or the service coming into the house.
A bulb or dimmer mismatch
LED bulbs on older dimmers are the most common cause of a single flickering fixture. Some LEDs aren't made for dimmers at all, and some dimmers were made for incandescent bulbs and don't work well with LEDs. A bulb that's loose in its socket can also flicker.
A loose connection on one circuit
If the lights on one circuit flicker, especially when you bump a switch or when something on that circuit turns on, there may be a loose wire at a switch, outlet or fixture. Loose connections heat up over time. That's worth fixing before it gets worse.
Big loads dimming the whole house
A short dip when a well pump, air conditioner or furnace blower starts is common, especially on a long rural service line. Dimming that's deep, lasts, or happens when small things start suggests a weak connection at the panel, the meter base or the service drop, or a service that's undersized for what the house now runs.
A loose or lost neutral
The neutral is the return path for the power coming into your home. If it loosens or breaks, at the utility connection, the meter, or the panel, the voltage across the house becomes unbalanced. Lights on one side get brighter while lights on the other get dimmer, and it shifts as things turn on and off. Electronics, appliances and motors can be damaged. This is urgent.
Wind and weather
Northeast Indiana gets its share of wind, ice and thunderstorms. If flickering shows up during wind, a connection on the overhead service or at the weatherhead may be loose or damaged. See our page on storm damage to the service line.
What you can safely check yourself
- Note which lights flicker. One fixture, one room, one circuit, or the whole house?
- For a single fixture, turn it off, let the bulb cool, and make sure it's snug. Try a different bulb.
- If it's on a dimmer, try a bulb labeled as dimmable, or set the dimmer to full and see if the flicker stops.
- Watch for a pattern: does it happen when the furnace, AC, well pump, washer or microwave starts? When it's windy?
- Ask a neighbor whether their lights are doing the same thing. If they are, call the utility too.
- If some lights go bright while others go dim, turn off and unplug computers, TVs and other electronics, and call us.
Don't open the panel, the meter or any fixture to look for the loose wire. That part is ours.
When to stop and call
- Some lights get brighter while others dim, or bulbs are burning out quickly. Turn off sensitive electronics and call right away.
- Appliances or electronics are shutting off, acting strange, or have failed.
- Flickering comes with buzzing, a burning smell, or a switch or outlet that feels warm.
- Several rooms dim when a small appliance starts.
- Flicker follows wind, or you can see damage to the line, mast or weatherhead outside.
Sky High Electric is listed as open 24 hours on our Google profile. If you're in Huntington County and your lights are doing something that isn't a bulb, call (260) 519-1188 and tell us which lights, and when.
Common questions
Is it normal for lights to dim when the AC or a big appliance starts?
A brief, slight dip when a large motor starts is common. Lights that dim a lot, stay dim, or dim when small things turn on are not normal and point to a connection or service problem.
Why do some lights get brighter while others get dimmer?
That pattern is a classic sign of a loose or lost neutral, usually at the service or the panel. It can send too much voltage to some circuits and damage electronics. Turn off sensitive electronics and call right away.
Could it just be the bulb?
If one fixture flickers and nothing else does, the bulb is a good first suspect, especially an LED on a dimmer that isn't rated for it. If flickering moves around the house or several rooms do it together, it isn't the bulb.
The flicker happens during wind. What does that mean?
Flicker that follows the wind often means a loose connection on the service drop, the weatherhead or the overhead line. The utility handles its side, and we handle the mast, weatherhead and meter base on yours.