You wake up in a cold sweat. There’s no one in the house except you. You look outside the windows: sharp shards of lightning and dark clouds warn you of another storm brewing. The trees are howling in the strong wind. There’s dog a baying somewhere. Suddenly, the lights go out. You run to the kitchen to get the emergency light, but you can’t see a thing. You try the switches again, but all you get are flickering lights. It’s a story straight out of a homeowner’s nightmare… and it’s not the horror movie kind. Your fear stems from something real and life-threatening: you’re scared that your electrical system may have a faulty wiring problem.
If your flickering light scenario is solved by merely replacing the bulb with a new one, then you know that fix is simple. But if the flicker persists even with the new replacement, or if light fixtures in other areas of the home are exhibiting this behaviour as well, then you might need to look into the possibility that you may have a bigger problem.
There are a number of reasons behind the flickering of multiple lighting circuits in your home, and most of these may bring serious danger to your health and safety. Top possible causes can be loose electrical panels, faulty or old wiring connections, overloaded circuits and power build-up. They are all potential fire hazards, and should be solved as urgently as possible with the help of a licensed electrician.
When choosing an electrician, make sure you get the services of someone who has the proper licenses and credentials, and is equipped with the highest quality tools and materials. This way, they can undertake any other electrical problem they may see in your house and offer you long-term, cost-effective solutions. Ask for a detailed and transparent quote before any work is done, and a contract is important so that both parties know what to expect from each other.
On hindsight, you should even consider yourself lucky if you have experienced flickering lights. They served as a warning sign for you to take action. Meanwhile, most electrical problems can go undetected for years, with the homeowners knowing about it when it’s too late or when an accident has already occurred. To avoid unfortunate incidents, it’s best to have your home checked by an electrician regularly, with or without obvious signs of electrical problems.