My house power sometimes flickers at same time (but not always.. like only once in two days at night). All the panels, breakers and connections were tightened to the component torque standards. Since the flickering is entire house, then it is either the POCO (Power Company) connections or the corroded service breaker outside which has been exposed to the rain and sun for nearly 20 years.
It's difficult to replace this because it's live and it will take so long process for city hall to give us permit to cut the electricity to the entire townhouse compound with 5 houses. I bought it used 10 years ago. The following are the details of the lugs and terminals from another breaker of same model I replaced inside the house:
I need to know something. The wires connected to it in the exposed breaker in first picture above was AWG 1 copper. When exposed to the elements (sun and rain). Can either the copper or aluminum rust or corrode (see the blue arrows)? Can this cause flickering? Isn't it that flickering is only caused by loose connection, and it's not loose? Perhaps only dirt covered the intact connections underneath it above (in the first picture)?
If the flickering is not caused by it. Then it's the POCO transmission lines or source that may be the problem (at least I need to know). I'm sure it's not inside because the panel and all connections are not loose and even torqued to exact specifications. Thank you.
Best Answer
Yes, that is a very serious situation. You have a breaker in direct weather that isn't made for that service, and worse, you have aluminum wiring in and out, which is vulnerable to corrosion from weather. That needs to be looked at every year or two to clean up the wires and lugs and refresh the No-Ox.
Yes you can de-energize it. You need to pull the electric meter that is before it.
However, when you call up the electric company to have them do this, they will probably inform you that you have a smart meter and they can shut it off remotely by typing a few things on a keyboard. So do that.
And then, do something about all that gear being exposed to weather, because that is the root of the problem.