If the lighting in your home or business flicker when your HVAC (heating or air conditioning) system turns on it is not normal.
Question: So, Why do my lights flicker when my heating or air conditioning system comes on?
Answer: The most amount of power your unit will consume is when it first starts. It takes more power to start the system than it does to run the system. With this being the case, some homeowners, businesses and property managers experience lights flickering due to the power usage on start up.
Solution:
You need to have your system checked by an HVAC professional because the problem can be solved and, in most cases, save you a ton of money in lower energy bills before a major expensive repair is needed.
Detailed Response:
As I mentioned above, as system starts up, a tremendous amount of energy is required to start those components. On most residential and commercial units other parts give certain motors, like a compressor or blower motor, that needed electrical energy to startup properly. As those parts age they lose their effectiveness and sometimes those lights flicker. Eventually those essential primary components die by burning out as they struggle to start without the necessary power. Then an inexpensive part becomes an expensive repair.
This is an excellent example on why preventative maintenance is recommended by all HVAC manufactures. An experienced HVAC technician can find those small problems before they become significantly larger ones.
If you are having this issue please call a qualified heating and air conditioning contractor to evaluate your system. They should offer you solutions to stop the lights from flickering and to help you start saving energy. If you are located in our metro NYC & Long Island service area we’d love to help! Give us a call at 516-348-6300 or email us to schedule a service call at service@pipedoc.net
