All jokes aside, this is not a sign that your house is haunted. It usually means that there’s a short in the circuit somewhere. If it’s just happening with one light, then you have a couple different things you can try. First, and you’ve probably already guessed this one, you can try replacing the lightbulb. If that fixes the issue, then the rest of the light is probably fine. If the flickering continues, then the issue is likely elsewhere.

Try unplugging the light and plugging a different light in to see if the issue continues. If that fixes the problem, then the short is probably in the wiring for the light itself. You can try having the light repaired, but it would probably be easier just to replace it. If the new light that you just plugged in starts to flicker as well, then the issue is probably located in the outlet. That’s a bigger issue, and one that you should have looked at by a professional electrician as soon as possible. A short circuit in the electrical system in the walls can pose a serious risk of fire or electrocution. That’s obviously not something you want to risk. You should also call an electrician if the flickering issue extends to multiple lights throughout the house, as that almost always indicates a problem with the circuit itself.

All lights give off some level of heat, depending on their wattage and the type of bulb being used. You should start to be a little concerned if one or more of your lights start to give off a significant amount of heat, though. Electrical current will throw off heat as it meets resistance in whatever medium it’s moving through. More current moving through a wire means the wire is going to expel more of it as heat. If your light is giving off a lot more heat than normal, you should turn it off and call for an electrician. That could mean that the circuit is overloaded, or that some other issue is shunting off more current to that light than it should be getting. Waiting to have it dealt with could result in having the light burn out, or worse.

Anderson Electric Corp. provides comprehensive electrical services in Wayne, NJ. If you need a light fixed, or any other kind of electrical service, we can help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert electricians.