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Serious question, I just finished my 500th service call for flickering lights
It hit me that 90% of the time, it's a loose neutral at the panel, not the fixture. I've had apprentices argue it's always a bad bulb first. What's your go-to diagnostic step for a flicker call?
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bettykim18d ago
Check voltage at the fixture first. Honestly, a quick test at the source saves so much time over swapping bulbs at random. You're right to suspect the panel.
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mark73118d agoMost Upvoted
Swapping bulbs at random" was my go-to move for years. @bettykim's advice to check voltage first actually saved me a whole weekend on a recent job. I don't skip that step anymore.
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coleman.avery5h ago
Oh man, I learned that the hard way too. I spent an hour swapping a porch light before I finally checked. The voltage at the fixture was all over the place. Turns out it was a bad connection in the switch box, not the bulb at all. That one simple check cut my troubleshooting time in half, no joke.
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