Loading…
19
TIL that a single loose ground wire in my ceiling box was causing every light in the living room to flicker for 3 months
Found it after watching a sparky buddy trace the circuit with a $20 voltage tester, and I had already replaced two perfectly good dimmer switches for nothing has anyone else chased a phantom electrical problem like this?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
terryk284mo ago
Man, a barely snug wire nut? That's the kind of thing that makes you want to kick your own toolbox across the garage. Three months of messing with dimmers and pulling your hair out, all because somebody didn't give that nut one good twist. It's wild how something that small can make the whole house act possessed. I bet that's the same kind of connection that drives electricians crazy when they're tracing a mystery short. Good on your buddy for checking that first, it's the stuff you never think to look for until you've been burned.
7
benclark4mo ago
$20 voltage tester and a buddy who knows his stuff, that's how you find these gremlins. I used to think it was always the switch or the fixture itself, but after replacing a whole dimmer rack for a buddy only to have his kitchen lights still flicker, I get it now. Turned out a wire nut was just barely snug on the neutral in the box. Now I always check every connection first, feels stupid but saves time.
2