Washing machine causing lights to flicker

[powerplay]

In an old house, I had come across an Kenmore 120 volt 5 amp washing machine that was causing the lights in the house to flicker during the wash cycle. The bulbs are incandescent throughout the house and on different circuits, so I checked connections in the panel, including the connections in the separate compartment of the Main Service Panel. They seemed solid, so that leads me to believe that the flickering is caused from an loose connection from Hydro? If the flickering is throughout the house, the voltage drop must be at the source?

 

[lakee911]

How does your neutral look?

 

[LarryFine]

To expand on that question, you should carefully measure both line-to-neutral voltages. If possible, use two analog (moving-needle) meters. You want to see if one voltage rising when the other drops.

If so, there's a neutral issue. If both voltages rise and fall together, there's a capacity or line-resistance (voltage drop) issue. Most likely, though, only one line's voltage should rise and fall with the load.

 

[petersonra]

I'd be inclined to see if I could shut off all the loads and read the L-N voltages with no load, and then put a substantial load (like an electric heater) on first one line, and then the other, and see what the L-N voltages do.

 

[cadpoint]

I'd be inclined to see if I could shut off all the loads and read the L-N voltages with no load, and then put a substantial load (like an electric heater) on first one line, and then the other, and see what the L-N voltages do.

I assume your testing individual circuits for this loose neutral, base on the rest of the sentence in red.

Now in my peanut mind why not check the Main Panel back through to the meter and put this test on the laundry circuit?

Now if the laundry circuit is on a shared neutral, or improper wiring, I could understand the whole house blinking, I don't understand other house circuits being effected in this manner. Other than the fact it's in the main panel, or this one individual circuit...

Gezz one could tighten every screw of every device and the wire just might be worn and tired, as well as the device that its run to...

 

[LEO2854]

What size is the service?

 

[480sparky]

Undersized service.
Undersized branch circuits.
Loose neutral.
Something mechanically wrong in washer.

 

[powerplay]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback! I am planning to grab a couple of analog meters to "play" with, but beleive that the problem is the connection off the street.

 

[johneyw]

Tester

Tester

Had I tester that did just this. Two analog meters with test leads and a place to plug-in a heat gun. Had switch to switch what leg the load was on. This tester helped out when I had to tell power company the problem was on their side.

 

[cdcengineer]

Could be a loose neutral at the utility transformer. If you tried tightening the main neutral terminal as well as other tests recommended above, than the power company could be on the hook. This was the case at a friends house just last summer.

 

[LEO2854]

Could be a loose neutral at the utility transformer. If you tried tightening the main neutral terminal as well as other tests recommended above, than the power company could be on the hook. This was the case at a friends house just last summer.

It could a V/D issue if the service is 100 amps or less and the poco feed could be under sized as well.