Power line quality or wiring/switch issue ?

[youdontwannaknow]

I have been noticing lately that more bulbs are fusing/blowing out more often than I can remember. Sometimes I have noticed the lights flicker too - nothing continuous but more like a quick blink. They don't go off but just dim for a fraction of a second. And no there are no heavy drain devices switching on at that time.

Most bulbs have blown out when switched on but today morning one blew when it just on for a few minutes. I use good quality bulbs and the home is not too old built in 2002 and build materials were good too so I am hoping the switches are of good quality.
So do u think this might be a power company issue or a home issue ? The power company has not responded for a month of my complaint so I am wondering if I should call an electrician ? Any advise ?

 

[datech]

Are there any big power users (industrial) in the area? Any tree interference with the power lines? Are you near a transformer?

Utilities do sometimes have transients from switching in or out equipment or different generators.

If you call an electrician would you pay him (by the hour) to sit and watch a meter for spikes? Maybe you could get one of those recording devices that monitor power or somehow monitor the power yourself.

 

[MolaKule]

Yes, call an electrician and have him check the home over and measure the AC voltage at the house.

He may put a monitor on the line to record any anomalies.

If he then finds it is a Power Company problem, you can then tell the Power Company to get their keesters out to the neighborhood and fix the problem.

It sounds as if you are having voltage surges, which are short term rises in voltage over say 120V rms.

Have you noticed any unusual noises in your AM radio when played inside the house?

 

[eljefino]

Sounds like a loose neutral, and a great reason to get an electrician or the PoCo involved. If it's another home in your block it can still affect you. Does your situation improve if you're running an electric stove/ dryer? This can stabilize things.

 

[SrDriver]

+1 on the loose neutral.

Get an electrician ASAP before you damage electrical equipment like your refrigerator, etc., which will end up costing you a pile of money!

 

[Schmoe]

Had a similar problem, turned out my transformer was bad. Check into that.

 

[youdontwannaknow]

loose neutral check at the whole house level or at each switch/outlet ? this bulb situation is across the whole house.

Another thing I have noticed not sure if its related to this -
When I turn on the light there is a very subtle 'scratchy' sound that sometimes comes from the switches. Almost sounds like sparking in there. If it was one switch I can say perhaps that one switch's contacts are going bad but its more than one.

These power recording/monitoring devices - are those consumer level available ? are they expensive ? The only ones I am aware of are power meters that show power consumption, power factor, and I can get that from the library. But I guess that's not the same thing you are referring to ?

 

[crazyoildude]

put a gauge on the line and see whats going on if the power coming into the house is all over the place the transformer is bad...on the other hand cheap bulbs are everywhere

 

[supton]

I have a switch or two that is crackly. I think it's from the CFL's having a high start up current. And the usage of a cheapo light switch.

Loose neutral feeding the house, bad thing. In a pinch you can shove DMM leads into the wall socket. You want something with a digital readout, to read actual line voltage. Actually, this might be a great time to get one of those Kill-A-Watt devices -- you know, the things that tell you what an appliance is pulling for power. They usually (always?) have an AC line voltage readout which would work perfect for this application; you could then use it later on to see how much your cell phone charger costs you.

 

[tom slick]

Do some lights get brighter when you turn on appliances?