What Are the Causes of a Flickering Chandelier?

Large Electrical Appliances

• Your chandelier or other electrical appliances in your house may normally flicker when an appliance that consumes a high amount of electricity, such as an air conditioning unit or a clothes dryer, first turns on. Even though the flickering lights on your chandelier may be alarming, the flickering is normal and does not indicate a problem with the chandelier or the house’s wiring. If you see that the chandelier flickers when you turn on a smaller electrical appliance such as a television or a blender, then this indicates a problem with the electrical system.

Electrical Connections

• Your chandelier’s lights flickering randomly may be caused by loose or failing electrical connections in the portion of the house’s electrical system that supplies electricity to the chandelier. If the electrical connections loosen all the way, the electricity may arc and cause a fire. You need to have an electrician look at the wiring in your house immediately, since the randomly flickering lights on the chandelier may indicate a dangerous problem.

Dimming and Brightening Simultaneously

• When the chandelier’s lights flicker but the lights in another room become brighter at the same time, you are dealing with a problem in the house’s electrical system. A worn neutral connection in the wiring between the house’s breaker panel and the electric company’s transforming is causing the flickering and brightening of lights, which is a major problem you should not ignore. If the neutral connection fails completely, the electrical system can send unsafe levels of electricity to your appliances, causing the appliances to explode, start an electrical fire or electrocute anyone touching the appliance.

Neighborhood Problem

• If your neighbors are experiencing flickering lights as well as you, then the problem could be much larger. The flickering may be experienced throughout the neighborhood on a hot day when numerous air condition units are running and the electrical system in the neighborhood is being pushed to its limits. If this is not the case, then the flickering may be from the transformer or the local electrical grid cannot supply enough electricity to the neighborhood because of damage to the system. You need to contact your electrical company so that it is aware of the problem and can take corrective action.