# AC Motor and Fluorescent Lights

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ac-motor-and-fluorescent-lights/995125>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 25, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ac-motor-and-fluorescent-lights/995125 "2023-12-25T17:11:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ac-motor-and-fluorescent-lights/995125/1 "2023-12-25T17:11:25Z")

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We put a new fridge / freezer unit on the same outlet with a washing machine and a fluorescent light. The fluorescent light (a conventional bulb, low end fixure that is not hard wired - just to add more light in our basement) started flickering. I wasn’t present, but I am told the washing machine was actually unplugged at the time.

Would the fridge & freezer motor(s) not work and play well with a fluorescent bulb (actually a pair of such bulbs in a light fixture)? AC current just blows my mind, plus all that lag-lead junk. I know motors are a different animal (but to the layman, a plug is a plug!) 😃 I had a horrible teacher who couldn’t explain a thing\*. Perhaps an electrician can help me understand what’s happening? Please put it in simple terms. And, bottom line, should this light not be plugged in with a motor?

\*It was.a required circuits course for Sophomore mechanical engineers taught as “just accept this, don’t try to understand”. It turns out, the principles were all from Ordinary Differential Equations - a math course we would not have until next year. :smh:

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**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ac-motor-and-fluorescent-lights/995125/2 "2023-12-25T18:43:17Z")

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Temporarily plug in an incandescent (best) or LED (fair) bulb and see if it flickers.

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**Author:** ![Snipe70e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Snipe70e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snipe70e)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ac-motor-and-fluorescent-lights/995125/3 "2023-12-26T14:04:14Z")

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YOu should have no problem plugging a fluorescent light in the same outlet as a dryer or fridge, if the outlet and circuit are ok. The only thing I could see is as the motor starts there may be a voltage drop in the outlet the light might flicker but should come back up to about the same brightness. But if the tube or ballast is weak then it may keep flickering.

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ac-motor-and-fluorescent-lights/995125/4 "2023-12-26T15:05:36Z")

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Thanks, Snipe70e. That is very helpful.