Old Apartment Lights Flickering

[markanderson785]

Just moved into on small apartment building in a complex of several same units, i.e.-small houses. Lights are flickering throughout the apartment on minimal load with no seeming connection between load, appliance and flickering,-can occur when only one light is turned on. Flickering seems to diminish as light or appliance remains on.

What is the general probabliity this is a utility problem versus a bad wiring problem or connection between the two.

I need to isolate the problem to proceed. Can use VOM and have basic electrical/electronics knowledge.

Will the utili. company help with this; what do they usually do if I complain?

[HayZee518]

Power Co won't help unless problem is isolated to their lines and your servoce drop.
How old is this aprtment complex? Do you have fuses or circuit breakers.

[kactuskid]

You should call the power company and thell them what's happening. They should come out for free and check their side of the service. Sounds like there's a loose wire. If after they check their side and they don't find a problem then you need to contact your landlord and tell him what's going on so he can hire a licensed electrician to come in and check the panel connections. You being a tenant should not do anything

[markanderson785]

Originally Posted by HayZee518

Power Co won't help unless problem is isolated to their lines and your servoce drop.
How old is this aprtment complex? Do you have fuses or circuit breakers.

Thanks to all for the replies. Just guessing, looks like it mighta been built in the 40's, maybe 50's? Has old plumbing fixtures. Has circuit breaker box. There's a series of these small one unit buildings in the same complex, but haven't looked at the supply lines yet to see how they are routed. This is a very erratic phenomonon, with no telling what is triggering it (maybe the wind?). Mostly I am worried about fire hazard now.

I live in a backwards city that is alot like the sterotype you see on tv of some backward ignorant town in the deep south. They recently evicted a bunch of long time trailer residents because one complained about substandard wiring in the park. Those people wound up homeless, all because the landlord was too cheap to fix anything. Also housing prices here have skyrocketed so am a little afraid to complain about this.

Our electric company is not very user friendly either.

[markanderson785]

Originally Posted by kactuskid

You should call the power company and thell them what's happening. They should come out for free and check their side of the service. Sounds like there's a loose wire. If after they check their side and they don't find a problem then you need to contact your landlord and tell him what's going on so he can hire a licensed electrician to come in and check the panel connections. You being a tenant should not do anything

That's the way it's supposed to work, but around here who knows. Typically the landlords here just give notice to move when someone complains and I am month to month. Mostly I'm worried about fire potential. Yes, it does seem to act like a loose wire or ground-very intermittent, not load dependent. Comes and goes.

[HayZee518]

Are your breaker panels Federal Pacific? The mains in FP are reknowned to start burning between phases or at least smouldering.

[markanderson785]

Originally Posted by HayZee518

Are your breaker panels Federal Pacific? The mains in FP are reknowned to start burning between phases or at least smouldering.

Great, good news. How can I tell if they're Federal Pacific, will it say so on the box?

[HayZee518]

On the front stamped in the metal should say FPE or inside the door FPE