This is a weird situation. When my wife uses her hairdryer, the lights dim in the house. But…not always. It seems to only happen during the winter and only on certain days. At first I thought it was because there are 2 rooms that are heated electrically, which would only be on during the winter. I thought it was that the house had been wired wrong when these electrical baseboard heaters were installed. However, last time this happened, I went around to the rooms that are heated electrically, and turn off the thermostats. The problem still occurred.
The only other thing I can think of is that the problem seems to happen after we have a snow or rain storm. Could moisture be getting into the electrical connections to the house?? This may be coincidence…I can’t be sure. The problem does not happen at all during the spring, summer or fall. Only in the winter.
Any ideas???
if the baseboard heaters are wired in they should be on a different circuit from the receptacle.
heaters and large motors can draw a large amount of current when they start causing a slight voltage sag on the leg of the power they are on. you might see the lights dim and hear the refrigerator start.
you may have more things on during winter which might make the sag be more frequent.
if it happens all the time or to a large amount (lights get much dimmer for longer) then it is a sign that what is causing it is wearing out and should be replaced.
When it happens, try using the hairdryer from a few different receptacles throughout the house. If it does it on some, but not others, those circuits are being overloaded. If it happens on all circuits, your service might be a little weak.
Most hairdryers are over 1,300 watts. That’s a lot. You might be able to find a hairdryer that uses less wattage - possibly a travel hairdryer.