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Default Flickering/dimming lights

Tony B. wrote:
Hi all,

I have a newer home built in 2003 with a 200 amp service. I have an
espresso machine that has a PID controller installed on it... The
controller switches the water boiler power on and off about once a
second to maintain a certain boiler temperature in the machine...

The small espresso machine appliace has a 1100w boiler.. the
appliance draws 8-10amps. When the PID controller flips the boiler
power of this device on and off in 1 second intervals, I notice all
the incandescant lights in my house tend to pulsate along with the
power switching from this small 8-10 amp device...

The device is plugged into a 20 amp circuit. There are only 2 outlets
on this circuit, and the other outlet is not used...

Now please also understand that the "pulsating" is very hard to
notice... it is more pronounced in the lighting runs furthest from my
electrical panel where it is just barely noticeable. I just happened
to put two and two together a few days after I started using this PID
device when I was in the shower one morning and barely awake.. I
thought it was just me at first but on further investigation, linked
it up with the on/off cycle of the espresso machine. On my can
lights in the kitchen (a run closer to my panel), I really have to
concentrate to actually notice it. I probably would not notice if it
were not for the pulsating rythmic effect generated by the once per
second switching.

On other lighting close to the panel, it is either hardly noticable or
non-existant.

Is it common or acceptable for lighting on other circuits to feel the
effects of a small device such as this? Is this something I need to
be concerned about or is it just a minor annoyance...

Thanks for any advice you can offer..

Tony B.


You described, very well, a perfectly normal situation. Rest easy.

BTW, that's not a "small" appliance. It's pulling some pretty hefty
currents cyclically, from your descrip.

HTH
Pop`