I have very recently started hearing a popping sound in my sitting room, after which the lights start flickering. The pop has occurred, perhaps, three times over a several day period. I don't know exactly where the sound is coming from and suspect it is from one of the outlets in that room. Any ideas on the cause? Thanks, Joe

Mostly a loose wire connection at a receptacle or switch. Need to pull out each one looking for a loose connection. Many homes are wired with push in connections on receptacles, these are prone to loose connections.

Thanks for the direction. I pulled all switches and found each one had old two pole switches with the black wires connected and the white ones taped together. I bought new double pole switches and replaced the old ones. The two outlets are new. Some of the receptacles are in boxes without grounding wire screws so I'll probably need to replace those. After I put in the new switches there was about 10 seconds of light flickering and then it stopped. I'm not sure if the issue is a loose connection elsewhere in the circuit or a grounding issue in the sitting room. I will continue my investigation.

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Originally Posted by tkrussell

Mostly a loose wire connection at a receptacle or switch. Need to pull out each one looking for a loose connection. Many homes are wired with push in connections on receptacles, these are prone to loose connections.

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Turned out to be an issue with the bus bar that was creating a short. One slot on it was a little corroded and was creating the short. That slot is now open and the damaged breaker replaced... no more issues. An electrician I know will replace the panel.