I have a serious problem with my lights flickering. It does this every time an appliance runs, furnace kicks on, dryer or dishwasher running, microwave running, etc. The microwave will run fine for like 5 seconds then all of a sudden it just will seem to lose power and gets weak. Fans and hair dryers also lose power. I called the power company and they came and said everything was fine on their side. They did say that the cable that runs from the top of my house into the meter had several cracks in it. He wouldn't give me an answer when I asked if that could be causing my issues. He just shrugged his shoulders. I checked my breaker box and all the connections seemed fine. I just have no idea what to do. Does anyone have any advice on what to do?

Sorry I have 200 amp service. My home is 30 years old. Thanks

You need to call your utility company and have them verify that they are delivering the proper amount of power to your residence.

There are several possibilities not the least of which is the main service panelboard is failing. But if the meter base or cable from the transformer are compromised, then they need to be corrected first.

You need a smart electrician for this one. Frequently it's a loose connection although finding it could take a while. You can make guesses about this forever, so hire a professional.

Could be a loose or bad connection in the incoming neutral to the breaker panel. Not something for DIYer to play around with. Call a licensed and qualified electrician. If it does turn out to be on the power company's side you will need the electrician's diagnosis to prove it.

Call an electrician.

Quote:

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You need a smart electrician for this one. Frequently it's a loose connection although finding it could take a while. You can make guesses about this forever, so hire a professional.

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This is your only answer. For real.

Basically the Electrician would check voltage out of Meter can, in and out of Disconnect, then In on Panel, then Panel Breakers, 99% of the time it is a Bad Connection, A bad Breaker(s), or a Burn Buss(what the breaker plugs onto. Introducing the Load with the Meter attached will expose the problem.
Just guessing, If the Lights don't get Brighter, Then it is more likey NOT to be the Neutral.

I have a similar problem.. I traced mine to a loose main braker where it connects to the buzz bar...

Tableclocks,

Did you mean to say, "Bus" bar? If you have not tried to repair this failure, then I strongly suggest that you get a licensed electrician to fix this for you.

The only safe way make the repair is to pull your meter and more than likely your POCO will not allow a homeowner to do that.

OK... thank you for correcting me... its a bus bar...

Buss Bar.

Just wanted to thank everyone for your replies. Luckily my daughter's boyfriends father just happens to be an electrician. He came out and noticed right away what my problem was. The main service cable coming into the house had large cracks in the sheathing. He guaranteed me that was the problem. He agreed to help me change it and do a complete service upgrade. I called the power company to have the service disconnected. The technician came and disconnected our service. He was shocked when he pulled the meter from the meter box. The neutral wire was completely corroded. The aluminum looked like white powder and was disintegrated in spots. We installed new service cable using 2/0 copper wire, and installed a conduit mast to house the wiring. We also installed a new meter box and a 40 circuit Square D panel. My electric is now back to normal. Also since we used copper and conduit, I'll never have that issue again to worry about! Again, thanks for the replies!

And thank you for giving us a description of the actual problem and repair...
(knew it was neutral)

Don't hear a lot of good stories with aluminum.

When I said Buss Bar, I was correcting the spelling from Buz, Bus, to Buss.
Since it was the Neutral, I bet some lights got brighter when something else was turned on.