Flickering Lights May Signal Serious Problems

Ryan, enjoying his work.

Flickering lights are a relatively common problem for homeowners, and they generate more service calls than you may expect. In many cases, these issues are caused by something very simple and easy to fix, such as a faulty light switch. But they can also indicate more serious – potentially even hazardous -- electrical problems.

That’s unfortunately what we found when we went to help Cyndi – a Duluth homeowner, whose lights had been blinking on and off for the last few years. She gave us a call, and we sent Ryan right over to investigate.

An Initial Investigation Reveals Serious Problems

Note the arcing visible when Ryan flips the breaker.

Shortly after Cyndi called our team, Ryan arrived at her home to assess the problem. It turns out that the flickering lights weren’t the only issue she’d noticed – in recent weeks, she had also noticed that high-draw appliances were repeatedly tripping the breaker.

So, Ryan got to work and performed an overall electrical system inspection. It didn’t take him long to spot the issue: Some of the screws present in the electrical panel were never tightened down properly by the manufacturer. This caused arcing to occur inside the panel, and it was also causing the panel to overheat.

Because there was a manufacturing defect at play, this had likely been occurring since the panel was originally installed – some 15 years ago. But it hadn’t been causing any major problems until recently, as the panel was approaching the end of its lifespan.

The issue couldn’t be safely resolved with repairs, so a full panel replacement was necessary.

A Multi-Step Solution

Cyndi's properly labelled panel diagram.

Swapping out an electrical panel is a significant job, but it’s a pretty standard task for licensed electricians. We do it all the time, and it only takes a few hours. But we couldn’t install the new panel that day; a few additional steps are necessary for a panel replacement. Because all of your home’s electricity is routed through the electrical panel, you must schedule a “power drop” and inspection before this kind of work can be carried out.

So, we put the plan in place and scheduled the power drop and inspection. Once the big day arrived, we sent Ryan and Mark out to the house to expedite the panel installation process.

The job went smoothly, and now Cyndi’s home has a brand-new Square D panel—backed by both Knightly Electrical Services’ standard workmanship and parts warranty and the manufacturer’s 30-year warranty.

Now, Cyndi’s lights have stopped flickering, and she can operate her home appliances without worrying that they’ll trip the breakers. And because we always label all of the individual breakers when installing a new panel, Cyndi should always be able to find the right breaker, should the need arise in the future.   

Electrical Problems Can Be Dangerous; Don’t Ignore Them

Thermal imaging that illustrates the potential danger of a faulty panel.

Cyndi’s story ultimately ended without anything tragic happening, but that is not always the case. These kinds of panel malfunctions can easily start a fire, which could have devastating results.

If you notice flickering lights, tripped breakers, or other unusual electrical symptoms, don’t wait -- contact Knightly Electrical Services to schedule a licensed inspection and protect your home from avoidable hazards.