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In article ,
(Cheryl) says...
Hello. It's possible I can't give enough information here for a
diffinitive answer, but I'm asking anyway. My lights and other
electrical appliances have recently been experiencing surges of
power; lights go brighter, refridgerator goes louder, etc. I'm afraid
this is going to damage something, or cause a fire. I've called the
power company and their annoying automated messages state that
flickering lights (etc) are usually caused by interier wiring, yet
others I've spoken to say that nothing can cause EXTRA power to be
supplied to the affected appliances, diminished yes, extra (surges)
no. It also doesn't effect one or two circuits, either, but pretty
much the whole house. Should I contact an electrician, or have the
power company come out and inspect? They say they'll charge me $80
for the visit if the problem isn't in their wiring, and they might
not be able to resolve it for that price.

What you describe is caused by a bad neutral circuit. It is probably
the power company's fault, though if your aluminum lead-in wire was not
installed properly the fault may be yours. It is a VERY dangerous
condition. The neutral is bonded to the ground in your breaker box, so
every ground circuit in your house may be carrying a lethal voltage.

If you are not able to troubleshoot this yourself, CALL AN ELECTRICIAN
IMMEDIATELY! I would also be smoking the power company's lines about
the stupid pencil pusher who couldn't tell there was a dangerous
condition at your location. They should have had a crew on your
doorstep within 2 hours.

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http://home.teleport.com/~larryc