How We Fixed Flickering Lights in Seksyen 7, Shah Alam

The Customer's Complaint

Encik Hafiz contacted us about a frustrating problem in his single-storey terrace house in Seksyen 7, Shah Alam. For the past few months, the lights throughout his house had been flickering randomly. It started as an occasional flicker, barely noticeable. But over time, it got worse.

"At first I thought it was the light bulbs," Encik Hafiz told us. "I replaced almost every bulb in the house, but the flickering continued. Some nights, the lights would dim and brighten on their own, like a haunted house. My wife was worried it might cause a fire."

As experienced electricians in Shah Alam, we knew these symptoms pointed to something more serious than faulty bulbs. Flickering lights that affect the whole house usually indicate a problem with the main electrical supply or connections.

What Causes Lights to Flicker?

Before we arrived, we explained to Encik Hafiz some common causes of flickering lights:

• Loose bulb connections - The simplest cause, but wouldn't affect the whole house
• Faulty light switch - Would only affect lights on that switch
• Loose wiring connections - Can cause intermittent flickering
• Loose neutral connection - Affects the entire house, can be dangerous
• TNB supply issues - Would affect neighbours too

Since the flickering affected multiple rooms and his neighbours had no issues, we suspected the problem was in his DB box or main incoming connections.

Our Investigation

When we arrived at Encik Hafiz's home, our electrician Rizal started with a systematic inspection.

Voltage Testing: Using a multimeter, we measured the voltage at several outlets. The readings were unstable, fluctuating between 220V and 245V. Normal voltage should be steady at around 230V. This confirmed our suspicion of a loose neutral.

DB Box Inspection: Opening the distribution board, we found the culprit almost immediately. The main neutral bar had several connections that were visibly loose. One terminal had darkened from heat buildup, a clear sign of arcing caused by poor contact.

Thermal Scan: Our thermal camera revealed hotspots at multiple connection points. The loose neutral terminal was running at 65°C, well above the safe operating temperature. Left unchecked, this could have eventually caused a fire.

What We Found

Our inspection revealed:

1. Loose main neutral connection - The primary cause of voltage fluctuations
2. Corroded terminal screws - 18 years of humidity had degraded the connections
3. Undersized neutral wire - The original installation used a smaller gauge than recommended
4. No torque applied to terminals - Previous work wasn't done to proper standards

The Solution

We explained the findings to Encik Hafiz and got to work on the repairs:

Immediate Repairs:

• Cleaned all corroded terminals with contact cleaner
• Replaced the damaged neutral bar with a new copper bar
• Re-terminated all connections with proper torque settings
• Upgraded the main neutral wire to the correct gauge
• Applied anti-oxidant compound to prevent future corrosion

The entire repair took about two hours. We made sure to test every circuit afterwards, confirming stable voltage readings throughout the house.

The Result

After the repair, we measured the voltage again. This time, it held steady at 232V with no fluctuations. We asked Encik Hafiz to turn on multiple lights and appliances simultaneously. Everything worked perfectly with no flickering.

If you're experiencing similar issues with flickering lights in your home, don't ignore it. What seems like a minor annoyance could be a sign of a serious electrical problem. Our team can diagnose and fix the issue before it becomes dangerous.