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  3. 182161-72674

I need some help with power in my home!

This is a vulnerable question. I've been doing this hobby for way too long to not know the answer to this. I have seen lots of products marketed for power, but I've never had the need. But here we go...

The power in our house is really unstable. Lights flicker when I turn on the kettle. The space heater nearly takes us down. 

Is there some sort of regulator type thing that stores power and sends it safely and consistently to my stereos? Like a block that sits between the wall and all of my components?

128x128nickrobotron
holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

… If you're remotely handy and have some basic electrical knowledge, you can kill …

Electricians are called Sparkies in Australia… 😀

spatialking's avatar
spatialking
612 posts
 

Gosh, I forgot about aluminum wiring.  If you have it, you definitely need an electrician to bring the connections up to code. The issue is AL with 120VAC circuits.  The 240VAC circuits are okay for AL due to the way they terminate.  

I rented a house with AL wiring one time, beautiful home, but one day it almost burned down due to AL wiring.  I walk away from any home for sale today if it has AL wiring.

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

Gosh, I forgot about aluminum wiring…

It is not uncommon in some copper wired homes to have aluminium or aluminum between the service tower and homes.
I am not sure what is running down from a pole, but I think that often steel.

Hence a Sparkie can figure out whether it is between the service and the house, or within the house.

Aluminium is not by definition ”out of code”… and the power company is not usually prone to pulling out the wire from the service point to the house.

invalid
1,247 posts
 

Most power companies use aluminum wire from the transformer to the main service feeder wire. The problem with aluminum wiring throughout the house is it can loose a good connection over time with temperature changes it's called creep.

erik_squires
16,395 posts
 

Maybe it’s just me but I think the diagnosis are getting ahead of themselves.

It’s hard to tell how much of the OP’s writing is hyperbole but I’ve had all of those problems without a loose incoming neutral or aluminum wiring.

In my cases, the flickering lights were caused by old switches, old backstabbed outlets and bad wiring in the panel.  Hard to tell which fixed which but fixing all three solved all my flickering problems.  Not an aluminum wiring or main breaker wiring issue.

 

The light switches were old and the neutrals in the panel had too many in one screw location. I fixed it with overkill and replaced the breakers with CAFCI breakers. Not needed but compliant with the latest NEC.

In the case of space heaters causing other issues, yeah, a lot of old homes have too few circuits for the appliances.

As many have recommended next step for the OP is the same: Hire a licensed electrician to come fix it.

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