OK, we have a relatively new gas furnace, for forced hot water, baseboard heat. There has also been extensive upgrades made to the electrical service.
Can anyone tell me why, when we have the heat on, the lights, TV, computer or any thing else electrical that is also on, will dim.
The heating system has a delay, so it takes a few minutes to come on once the thermostat has been raised. The power does not fade when the furnace initially kicks on, only after it’s been running, and it does not appear to be related to the on off cycle of the furnace.
I first noticed the problem late in the season last year, and let it go. Now that we are using the heat again, the same thing is happening. We went all summer, using A/C, etc.. without any evidence of this problem.
I have discussed the issue with my electrician, and he said that the dimming is normal and shouldn’t be of concern. But in my opinion, the dimming is too frequent, too random, and too severe to not look into.
This is a small, efficient, new, gas furnace heating just under 1500 square feet. The electrical demands aren’t much more than a light bulb. Why is this happening?
Replies
Breakers buzzing?
How big is your incoming service?
What else is wired on the circuit with the circulating pump for the baseboard heat?
I wonder about wire sizes (copper?), connection integrity, and grounding issues. This an issue worth understanding & fixing as it could be serious not just annoying.
(Furnaces heat air, boilers heat water)
The circulator (pump) won't turn on until the water temp has risen, so I suspect there is a wiring problem with the circulator(s).
Get a new electrician, dimming isn't normal with the types of loads imposed by a circulator, and have it checked out ASAP
I think you meant to direct your response to LEANAP.
Bob I think you are right. The circulator pump sounds iffy. In defense of the unnamed electrician it could be a bad winding on the pump. Probably depends on how the question was presented.
Hmm. It could be normal. Hard to say.
If the electrician is reputable he should be willing to come out and give everything a once over. If for no other reason than to protect his reputation and keep you happy he should do this for free or at most a nominal cost. A lug may be loose. A breaker might be defective or not completely seated. Either of these should be easy to spot by checking for heat, comparing voltage drop across the connections or directly checking resistances.
Checking the amperages on individual circuits, neutral and grounds would also be a good start as would checking all the lugs and set screws for tightness. Even good electrical contractors can make mistakes. The difference between good and excellent is in how they handle errors and call backs.
Thank you for the reply.
I did call my electrician back, and he will come to check it again. The panel is new, 220, I beleive, and the 2 pumps are on their own circuit. Quite a mystery, I'll let you know how it turns out.
> the dimming is too frequent, too random, and too severe to not look into.
Randomness is a real pain in troubleshooting. Before your electrician comes back, see if you can find a way to reliably reproduce the problem. Lots of times I've been told "It won't screw up when you're around." So, set the thermostat high, cycle it on and off, put the system thru its paces and keep track of how it acts. That way you'll be prepared to make the most efficient use of your electrician's time.
-- J.S.
I wonder if heating is just a read herring. Maybe the first time that it was noticed was when after the heating equipment was changed and started associating that with the flickering.
Specially if the it is "random".
If it is then that can be many problems. The first would be to check all of the connections up to the meter.
Then try to get the power company to check the supply connections and also if you have a coopertive power company install a powerline monitor for a week or two.
Good point. Anything he can do to consistently reproduce the problem will certainly narrow the search. If done in a rational, I had a customer claim that the lights would blink when he took the aluminum foil skull cap off (Something about the interaction of the CAT scan satellite with the microchips covertly inserted into his molars.), and scientific manner it is sure to be appreciated by the electrician.