What would cause a light fixture to be brighter at times and noticeably not as bright other times?
Andrew asked:
I have a light fixture (a 5 light bulb ceiling hanging dining thing) that seems as bright as a light fixture should be sometimes and dim as if it were on a dimmer set to 50% other times. I can physically see the light bulbs and they are all lit. They’re just your stereotypical style light bulb at an average wattage.
the light bulbs are 12W
I have a light fixture (a 5 light bulb ceiling hanging dining thing) that seems as bright as a light fixture should be sometimes and dim as if it were on a dimmer set to 50% other times. I can physically see the light bulbs and they are all lit. They’re just your stereotypical style light bulb at an average wattage.
the light bulbs are 12W
you did’t say if anything else on . stove etc.something is causing it to draw more amps.there is no ballast .pull the fixture loose and check the wiring.for the line load or the ground. 65 [who] roberto
dimming can result from an excess load on one circuit. This can get complicated unless you are familiar with electric circuits. It could be dangerous as a wire could over heat and either cause a circuit breaker to trip (all lights on that circuit go off at once) or something else even worse. 5 lights on a single circuit is a lot. If I knew the voltage it would help. 5 sixty watt bulbs should be ok but 5 hundred watt bulbs could be at or over the maximum… one simple solution would be to replace the bulbs with compact florescent bulbs.
This would also reduce energy consumption. 5 thirteen watt cf (compact florescent) would give good lighting and use about the same load as 1 sixty watt bulb. If this does not solve your problem you should call an electrician or a person familiar with electric circuits. Most older homes have barely enough electrial power (100 amps used to be common, now new homes routinely use 200 amps ((this is the total power available for all electrial devices in the house)) Heavy duty items like electric stoves, electric clothes dryers, central ac have their own separate circuits (or should have). A comprehensive answer would take several pages but I hope this helps a little. don [who] don c
My lights dim during the furnace operation. I have also noticed a zzzzap sound coming from certain light switches, they do wear out over time. Did you check the switch (dimmer)? I would listen to see if it is related to the furnace, or the fridge, or electric heater(s).
Another way would be to take an electric multimeter, stick it in the socket which is on the same circuit as the lights and see if the voltage goes up and down.
If the voltage goes up and down, check to see why by checking to see if another appliance is on or not.
If not, most likely it is the light switch.
Remember though, if you have a house wired with aluminum such as myself, there can be some serious arcing going on in there. I have taken apart some outlets (where the circuit continues on to another part of the branch) and seen some bad ass melting going on. Worse case is you would want to check all areas where marr connectors are used in that circuit to make sure there is good solid connections with no arcing. Best case, change the light switch!
Also to correct the above answer… 5 100 bulbs is nothing. A circuit is capable of handling at least 1500 watts, 5×100 is only 500. *AND* you cannot under any circumstances use a dimmer with compact florescent bulbs. So if you do have a dimmer (though it sounds like you do not) That is the WRONG answer!
My house built in 1973 has a 200amp service, as does my friend’s built in 1972. I would not worry about your house service when it comes to a few light bulbs, I would be very concerned with bad connections. My house also has nicks taken out of the wire when the house was built. A very bad thing, over time the electrical tape has come unwound. [who] Kitty
Could be 2 things:
1) small power surges of electricity
2) the bulbs are getting ready to blow and are burning irregularly because of that.
You can have the power company put a surge meter on your line for a week or so to see if the power is surging, If so, the fix is on them. or you can change the 5 bulbs with new ones and see if that remedies the problem. If it doesn’t, its a power surge problem coming from your transformer. [who] papaw