Advice ref blinking lights all circuits | Page 3 | on ElectriciansForums

Discuss Advice ref blinking lights all circuits in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

Joined
Mar 14, 2018
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Location
Sheffield, UK
Hi there,


I should start by saying I am not an electrician, but am after some advice as we have a problem that we aren’t getting any answers on.

In January, we had a new fuse board installed to replace an old edition one. This is a recent Wylex model with circuit breakers. The electricians who installed it also added some outdoor lights, a couple of sockets in the kitchen and updated a few sockets around the house for us.

Approx 10 days after the work completed we began to notice intermittent blinking on lights across both upstairs and downstairs lights and on lamps plugged into sockets. There is no rhyme nor reason to the blink – it doesn’t matter if any appliances are running or none, so we’ve ruled out a surge due to boiler, fridge, etc.

We spoke with the electrician who did the work, they inspected the connections at the board and said everything looked fine and they suggested it was likely to be a supply issue. Powergrid came out, inspected and setup voltage recording device and left that running for about 8 days. They say that there is no fluctuations from their side that would cause “flicker” so have said it’s not an issue from their end.

I’ve spoken with the electricians who did the install again, but they seem void of any idea on what to look for or what could be causing this problem.

Does anyone on this forum have experience of similar issues being related to anything non-supply related – so from the board onward internally? Is it possible a fault could be present on the board itself?

From searching google, there’s lots of suggestions that flicker on all circuits including sockets is likely to be a supply issue, but this isn’t really what I’d call a flicker. It’s a very short blink. More noticeable on filament bulbs than the LED types. Not ever so frequent enough to cause headaches or anything, but frustrating, annoying and worrying as I have 2 young kids and I am really paranoid about electrical safety (which is kind of the reason we had the old fuseboard replaced in the first place!).

Thanks in advance for any advice or ideas offered.
 
when all else fails, call in:
[ElectriciansForums.net] Advice ref blinking lights all circuits
May The Power of Laugh Be With You,

Where did you dig that one up from?
 
Apologies if you've already given this detail - how often is the dimming, how deep and duration?
I love a fault - much more interesting than TV :)

Hi there.

It’s hard to answer with specifics. I’ve noticed it pretty much daily - at different times of day and no real set interval between.

The dimming itself is almost like a blink. It’s not what I’d call a flicker - it’s more a flash. Imagine looking at a light and blinking while doing so - it’s very quick.

I can’t really think how else to describe it.

Sometimes I’ve noticed it two or three times in a 10/20 minute period, other times I’ve not noticed it at all in the same time span.

It’s frequent and obvious enough to be a concern to me though.
 
These questions have maybe been answered before.
Do the lights flicker in unison across all the circuits? Have you tried a table lamp in an alternative socket ie, cooker unit? Still flickers?
If it does, it must be something common to all circuits, such as the supply. If this only started happening after the CU change, then very possibly a loose connection on something that has recently been worked on.
Have ALL connections been retightened? even the factory fitted? (Neutral link between mainswitch and neutral bar?)
It is very easy to misalign the busbar when fitting MCB's. It can sometimes slip up behind the clamp of the breaker, and tightening up the connector screw makes no difference.
Working on the CU tails may have loosened them at the meter just by moving them around. Not something your electrician can check if the seals are still in place.
How does the supply cable come into the house? Overhead wires can give problems, but of course that's up to the Network to check.

We would all be interested to find what the problem is once its been identified.
 
Reverse polarity!! Energy savers

Politely disagree.
I don't think it would be reverse polarity. The OP said it was ceiling lights as well as table lamps. Likely to be bayonet cap fittings - doesn't matter which way round they're put in... and also said it happens with filament lamps... not 'energy savers' in the sense that if they are CFL or LED.
And between the electrician, his return visit and the ones that came to check the supply, someone would have visually noticed the cables being reversed between the meter and the CU.
 
Politely disagree.
I don't think it would be reverse polarity. The OP said it was ceiling lights as well as table lamps. Likely to be bayonet cap fittings - doesn't matter which way round they're put in... and also said it happens with filament lamps... not 'energy savers' in the sense that if they are CFL or LED.
And between the electrician, his return visit and the ones that came to check the supply, someone would have visually noticed the cables being reversed between the meter and the CU.
I should say that it has been noticeable on LED GU10 bulbs, and also on the old energy saver types (not LED - the ones that looked like small tubes in a loop). It was just more noticeable on the filament type bayonet bulbs. I’ve replaced all them filament types with LED bayonets now and it’s no longer noticeable on those lights, but is still happening on the GU10 bulbs in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.
 
Would a data logger pick up a blink/flicker like this? My instinct tells me a slightly loose connection.
I don’t know but I’d like to think so as a diagnostic tool. Maybe a member has experienced the positive that a data logger produces.
Until we can all get there and wiggle and tighten we’ll have to hang fire until we get an update!
 

Reply to Advice ref blinking lights all circuits in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

News and Offers from Sponsors

  • Article
Join us at electronica 2024 in Munich! Since 1964, electronica has been the premier event for technology enthusiasts and industry professionals...
    • Like
Replies
0
Views
228
  • Sticky
  • Article
Good to know thanks, one can never have enough places to source parts from!
Replies
4
Views
687
  • Article
OFFICIAL SPONSORS These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then...
Replies
0
Views
649

Similar threads

This is the point of having a trainee badge... it allows you to ask simple questions without the critism reserved for have-a-go heroes. Things...
Replies
5
Views
312
  • Question
No live and neutral at the wall. But that would be the switch live right?
Replies
14
Views
1K

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc

YOUR Unread Posts

This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by untold.media Operating under the name Untold Media since 2001.
Back
Top