Call your utility first
Call the utility: whole-house flicker
Flicker throughout the house can mean a loose connection in the utility's service or a loose neutral in your panel. Call the utility first, and a licensed electrician.
Why this happens
Family Handyman says flicker all over the house is more likely a problem with the electrical service or panel, particularly a loose neutral, and that you could lose a leg of power. CPSC says flicker when the wind blows can be caused by bad contacts where the service entrance cable meets the service drop, and to call the power company rather than touch the equipment. This Old House notes the utility may replace a frayed weatherhead at no charge.
What to do right now
- Ask a neighbor whether their lights flicker too.
- Call your utility and describe the flicker, especially if it gets worse in wind.
- Call a licensed electrician as well, in case the problem is inside the panel.
- Stay away from the meter, the service wires and the weatherhead. Do not touch service equipment.
- If half the house goes dark, see the half the house lost power guide.
What to tell the utility and the electrician
- That the flicker is house-wide, when it started, and whether it is worse in wind.
- Whether neighbors see it too, and what the utility found.
- Whether any rooms or 240-volt appliances have stopped working.
- The age of the house and whether you have seen AL or Aluminum printed on cable jackets.
Build the full list: what to tell the licensed electrician.
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