light flickers when AV system powers on

[MR.MAGOO]

I began noticing a floor standing lamp would very briefly flicker when I powered on my AV system. I removed the power cord of the Yamaha RX-A1020 AVR from the Panamax M5300-PM and plugged it directly into another wall socket on a different wall (not into a power strip). No more flicker, but am I creating another problem by having the RX-A1020 plugged directly into the wall?

I have few pieces of gear plugged into a Panamax M5300-PM, then the Panamax is plugged into a standard 2 socket 120 volt, 15 amp wall socket of which one socket is 'switched' (the floor lamp), the other socket 'not switched' (the Panamax).

 

[2channel lover]

I began noticing a floor standing lamp would very briefly flicker when I powered on my AV system. I removed the power cord of the Yamaha RX-A1020 AVR from the Panamax M5300-PM and plugged it directly into another wall socket on a different wall (not into a power strip). No more flicker, but am I creating another problem by having the RX-A1020 plugged directly into the wall?

I have few pieces of gear plugged into a Panamax M5300-PM, then the Panamax is plugged into a standard 2 socket 120 volt, 15 amp wall socket of which one socket is 'switched' (the floor lamp), the other socket 'not switched' (the Panamax).

Idk about a problem, but the RX-A1020 is exposed...a cheaper surge protector might not be a bad idea.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Sounds like the second plug is on a different circuit. That would account for the flicker stopping, not that the Panamax is out of the equation.

I wouldn’t worry about the flicker if it’s only on power-up. If it bothers you, then plug the lamp into the outlet that you moved the Yamaha to.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[highfigh]

I began noticing a floor standing lamp would very briefly flicker when I powered on my AV system. I removed the power cord of the Yamaha RX-A1020 AVR from the Panamax M5300-PM and plugged it directly into another wall socket on a different wall (not into a power strip). No more flicker, but am I creating another problem by having the RX-A1020 plugged directly into the wall?

I have few pieces of gear plugged into a Panamax M5300-PM, then the Panamax is plugged into a standard 2 socket 120 volt, 15 amp wall socket of which one socket is 'switched' (the floor lamp), the other socket 'not switched' (the Panamax).

The floor lamp is on the same circuit, but the switch is remotely located. The neutral, however, hasn't been cut. It could be that the hot to the lamp is connected to the same hot used for the bottom receptacle. The side of the outlet, where the screws are located, has a small strip between the pairs and that was cut to allow separate control of the upper receptacle. The amp turns on and the voltage drops- it's normal.

If you see lights flicker when the fridge or other appliances turn on, call the power company and have them check the connections at the weather head- if they're the barrel-type with anti-corrosion compound inside, they can dry out and become resistive.

 

[BMXTRIX]

It is worth reading a bit of these results to see what really applies to your setup:

https://www.google.com/search?ei=V7MnW_ThMsWN5wKZ_5Vo&q=why+do+my+lights+flicker+when+i+turn+on+the+vacuum&oq=why+do+lights+flicker+when+va&gs_l=psy-ab.3.1.0i22i30k1l2.28557.28732.0.30780.2.2.0.0.0.0.55.109.2.2.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.2.108....0.8149eR4fTlk

Obviously, you don't have a vacuum, but the concept is the same. A piece of equipment with high power draw is lowering your voltage on that circuit briefly causing the lights to dim. Unplug your AV gear and plug a vacuum into the same outlet and see if the same thing happens. I bet it will.

Has anyone tried a UPS with their A/V gear to stabilize the voltage and lower inrush current that may impact lights?

From what I looked at, it doe appear that some people notice it more than others, and that incandescent lights are more susceptible to noticeable voltage drops from inrush current.

I mean, simply switching to a LED light bulb could visibly fix the issue for you. But, since both the light and the AV gear are on the same circuit, it is something that you will likely have to deal with forever. I expect a decent UPS would resolve the issue.

 

[Speedskater]

It's not unusual for some big power amplifiers to cause light dimming on turn-on. That would be for traditional incandescent bulbs. Modern high tech lights will react differently. It's caused by big filter capacitors charging and it's a voltage dip not a spike, so surge suppressors are not involved. If an amp's big enough to dim the lights. it would need a huge UPS (and unneeded).
Some amps have soft-start circuits to avoid the problem. Large home theater systems may need to turn on the many amps on one at a time.
It's better to have high tech lights on a different circuit anyway.

 

[hemiram]

My house was loaded with loose screws on almost every outlet. I had a dog that walked like he had concrete feet and lamps would flicker as he passed. I finally just went all over the house and tightened all of them and stripped new ends if the wires looked cooked. I also replaced any outlets that were not holding plugs tightly. One thing that place had was the highest line voltage of anywhere I lived. Most of the time, it was 120 on the nose. The house I grew up in was 105-107 most of the time.