Update: I had a weird flicker in a 1970s house that turned out to be a bad neutral in the panel

I was finishing up a kitchen remodel in an old bungalow in Tacoma, and the homeowner mentioned a light in the living room would dim for a second whenever the fridge kicked on. I figured it was just a loose connection at the fixture. But when I went to check the panel, I saw the neutral bar for that circuit had a terminal that was slightly discolored and warm to the touch. I shut everything down, pulled the wire, and the insulation under the lug was brittle and blackened. The connection had been arcing for who knows how long. I cleaned up the wire end, moved it to a fresh spot on the bar, and torqued it down properly. The flicker stopped completely. It made me realize how often we chase symptoms at the device when the real problem is back at the source. Has anyone else found a bad neutral at the panel that was causing issues halfway across the house?

3 comments

3 Comments

roberts.leo1mo ago

Had the same thing in a craftsman last year. A bedroom outlet kept dropping power to half. Spent ages checking splices in the boxes before I looked at the panel. The neutral for that leg was barely hanging on by a couple strands, all corroded. Tightening it up at the source fixed everything instantly. It's crazy how a tiny spot of heat at the bar can mess up a whole circuit.

baker.holly1mo ago

Sounds like you just got lucky, @roberts.leo.

logan5611mo ago

That discolored terminal you found is a classic sign. How much resistance do you think builds up on a connection like that before it starts to arc and cause voltage drop on the whole circuit?