Flickering lights

If there is a duplex outlet for the gas dryer, I suggest plugging in something like a trouble lamp with an incandescent bulb. Them run the dryer and see if the bulb will flicker. If it does flicker then at least you know something real is happening.
 
Probably a motor somewhere. I've got a similar problem with a new light I put in one of the bathrooms. Not cheap, integrated LED light. It seems like it flickers ever so slightly when the furnace motor is running, Does it in when the A/C or forced air heat is on. I've not tried to troubleshoot it yet, but I think that's gonna be the culprit.
 
If the issue can't be replicated, you are still missing a contributing factor. Is there a curling iron, hair straightener, or some other large, cycling resistive load that the homeowner is forgetting was plugged into the bathroom circuit?
 
AC\DC said:
But how would any of that affect? An incandescent. That’s on a separate breaker. He would have to have a voltage drop across his whole system rhythmic like that to do what he saying… and then if he had that voltage drop, he be having other issues not just two light fixtures

He’s getting his information from the homeowner he can’t re-create it. Something’s fishy.
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Ya. It is a shot in the dark. I was trying to sort through electrical loads that would have a slower cycle. Or moving parts. Like the drum of a washer or dryer was knocking poor splices or something. The periodic lose connection would have a increased impedance and might dip voltage enough for the sensitive lights vs most other equipment wouldn't notice.

Like we have both said, it is almost impossible to narrow down without a power monitor.
 
Elect117 said:
Ya. It is a shot in the dark. I was trying to sort through electrical loads that would have a slower cycle. Or moving parts. Like the drum of a washer or dryer was knocking poor splices or something. The periodic lose connection would have a increased impedance and might dip voltage enough for the sensitive lights vs most other equipment wouldn't notice.

Like we have both said, it is almost impossible to narrow down without a power monitor.
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Exactly! First thing I would do is either deploy a real scope or power analyzer. One thing to keep in mind, many share a transformer! That means check the mains FIRST! Your issue could be further than you think. I recall one recently I was tossed into. I locked onto the issue immediately from experience and asked if someone had a fence charger in the area. Yup, and neighbor was like 500ft away but those pulses were both obvious.

The fix for that was he approached his older neighbor with the issue, he helped him to fix the wiring drama, and life moved on!
 
(1) At the university, we had a a laboratory with many computer controlled devices.
(2) In different department, there was daily use of an old elevator, daily, at odd times.
(3) At odd times each day, the Lab computer controlled devices would "reboot', killing data.
(4) Trouble Shooting:
By placing Oscilloscope on the feed into the lab, and monitoring for hours, and hours,
we determined that the elevator was pulling down, and spiking up, the feed on that side of building.
Only the laboratory computers were tricked into rebooting; very sensitive, and safety protected.
All other personnel in building recalled only a 'possible' blip.
(5) Point is, the problem was in an adjacent electrical load.
(6) Application is, perhaps a neighbor's residential electrical load is causing a spike / flicker.

* Also, incandescent lights seldom flicker
because they are thermionic (heat driven) with a thermal time cycle of aprox. 1/10 second.
* But, LED are run off instantaneous elecric power,
and their power-on cycle is 1/60 or 1/120 of a second, very flicker sensitive.
* Example: We have seen motion-detector-driven electronic-switches flicker faintly continually.
due to being loaded to the max wattage. The LED lamps in the long hallway flickered faintly, often.
These were 1200 W electronic switches loaded to 1200 W of LED lamps.
 
Did they get a new dishwasher or dryer?

Fact is, these new appliances with solid state controls, touch screens, Bluetooth, and VFDs, will wreak havoc with LED drivers, AFCI breakers, and sometimes even GFCIs. And there is really little to nothing that can be done.

Got a call from a customer after I wired his laundry room addition. He said the tenant reported random tripping of the GFCI circuit in the laundry room. I asked him what the tenant was doing when it happened. He said it only happens when he starts the laundry with his Bluetooth.

I said “tell him to put his &$/@ phone away, walk his happy ass to the laundry room, and push the button”.
 
Just something I remembered. Bro bought a real, commercial color laser printer. The big dog. That thing was causing all sorts of light dimming. Enough that I dug into the electronics, convinced that can't be right. In fact it was! Stupid thing hits the line at like 800W off and on for a heater unit. I guess they just sit there all day sucking down the juice so they can be ready to rip at a moment's notice. He wanted commercial and he got it!
 
AC\DC said:
Got to remember when we’re helping him he said it did it with an incandescent bulb !
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really should just have a simple logger installed to figure out if there is a simple voltage drop. Many/most LED lights are a cheap build without quality regulation, so they are as voltage sensitive as incandescent.
 
fastline said:
Just something I remembered. Bro bought a real, commercial color laser printer. The big dog. That thing was causing all sorts of light dimming. Enough that I dug into the electronics, convinced that can't be right. In fact it was! Stupid thing hits the line at like 800W off and on for a heater unit. I guess they just sit there all day sucking down the juice so they can be ready to rip at a moment's notice. He wanted commercial and he got it!
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School printer, same story.
 
hbiss said:
All laser printers used to be like that years ago until the Energy Star program. I got calls all the time about lights flickering from businesses that could afford a laser.

-Hal
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Odd thing is that is a modern, badazz printer! I would say two engineers in a room were not prepared for that sort of electrical BS! lol
 
ptonsparky said:
A POCO engineer was at the school doing a PQ check and we were there at the schools request. My help and I recognized the pattern immediately and had located it before the engineer was done with his tests. Made my day when the engineer asked “who are you?”
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Ha! I'm willing to eat shi* when I drop the ball. The reality was when I tore into it, found a serious heater, and found said heater in the books that clearly stated the function. We gave that gurl her own fat power supply.

I was also happy this was a personal deal, and I didn't have to eat pie in front of 'others'....lol But I did mention the hot fence deal. That is something where experiences tap you on the shoulder. Like you, I noticed that pattern.
 
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