Why do your house lights occasionally dim?

Flipping on your heating or air conditioning unit can make the lights in your home dim briefly. Similar to the water in your pipes, only so much electricity can travel through your home’s wiring at any given time, older homes with older wiring schemes and electrical mains are more susceptible to faulty wiring.

When you turn on heating units and air conditioners that use a lot of electricity, the initial power “requirements” can put a massive drain on the available electricity. Think of when you flush your toilet and someone’s in the shower, the water pressure has to be shared between multiple locations, lessening the flow of water to the individual fixtures. When your heating unit or air conditioner kicks on, it diverts a portion of the electricity in your system, temporarily reducing the amount of power to the lights .

Another reason for dimming lights could be loose or faulty wiring. If wiring is not connected correctly it could interrupt the electrical flow, limiting the amount of power that can make its way through your wiring at any given time. This interruption of electricity can cause your lights to flicker or dim.

We recommend calling a professional electrician to help you diagnose your flickering lights issue. A certified electrical contractor can determine if you need a repair to your electrical main or if a rewiring project needs to be considered.

If you reside in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina, give Fortus Electric a call 336.955.1023 or fill out our Request a Quote form.