I've seen several posts about this, and a bad neutral connection seems
to be the typical culprit. Ours is most noticeable when the washing
machine is agitating - the lights pulsate with the agitator. But they
will also brighten/dim when even the coffeepot heating element cycles
on and off.

Now, here's the strange part: I started by calling the electric
company, and they came out, checked my panel, said it looked good - no
loose connections or anything (at this point I checked, and the lights
would still flicker with the washer). Then they went out to the meter,
put on a "Beast" to load the incoming side heavily - voltage remained a
steady 120 on both legs. They checked all the connections and all
appeared to be tight, although on one or two, they were actually able
to turn the bolt a little bit. Put it back together, and suggested I
call an electrician. After they left, though, I checked, and the
problem had disappeared! It stayed that way for about 2 weeks, then
came back, just like before. So I called them out again, they did the
same thing again, snugged the connections at the external box a bit,
and pronounced it "no problem found". I went inside and cranked up the
washer - voila! Problem solved again!

Now, my question is: if this happens again, how should I proceed?
Could further tightening of an already apparently tight connection have
that big an effect? And if it did fix the problem the first time, why
did it return after 2 weeks?

wrote:

I've seen several posts about this, and a bad neutral connection seems
to be the typical culprit. Ours is most noticeable when the washing
machine is agitating - the lights pulsate with the agitator. But they
will also brighten/dim when even the coffeepot heating element cycles
on and off.

Now, here's the strange part: I started by calling the electric
company, and they came out, checked my panel, said it looked good - no
loose connections or anything (at this point I checked, and the lights
would still flicker with the washer). Then they went out to the meter,
put on a "Beast" to load the incoming side heavily - voltage remained a
steady 120 on both legs. They checked all the connections and all
appeared to be tight, although on one or two, they were actually able
to turn the bolt a little bit. Put it back together, and suggested I
call an electrician. After they left, though, I checked, and the
problem had disappeared! It stayed that way for about 2 weeks, then
came back, just like before. So I called them out again, they did the
same thing again, snugged the connections at the external box a bit,
and pronounced it "no problem found". I went inside and cranked up the
washer - voila! Problem solved again!

Now, my question is: if this happens again, how should I proceed?
Could further tightening of an already apparently tight connection have
that big an effect? And if it did fix the problem the first time, why
did it return after 2 weeks?


Bet the service conductors are aluminum.
They tend to "creep" and loosen, causing high resistance.
There are very specific procedures for preparing the
conductors and torquing connections to resolve the problem.
Talk your way to the top and get them to send someone experienced.

Jim