lights flicker sometimes in my apartment

Question

I live in an apartment building, each unit has a separate electric meter. I have noticed that the incandescent bulbs in the bathroom flicker quite visibly in the morning, but not usually at other times. I am not running anything else except for clocks or possibly the fridge (which cycles itself on and off) or the water heater (ditto). It is winter, so no A/C is running, and we have electric heat (not heat pump).

Why would the lights flicker only at certain times of day? I figure that I only notice it in the bathroom due to it being a small brightly lit room with no windows, not sure if light bulbs flicker elsewhere in the apartment at those times. I sometimes observe a single flicker occasionally in other rooms at night. This did not happen when I lived in houses.

Answer 1

I'd contact the landlord/superintendent/maintenance, and have them investigate.

Electric water heater, electric heater, hair dryer, curling iron, vacuum cleaner. All these devices can draw large amounts of current, which can cause voltage drop leading to flickering lights. Depending on how the building is supplied, the problem could be caused by your unit, another unit, or a combination.

The problem could also be caused by excess moisture generated by showering, a loose wire, an old dying bulb, a loose light socket, etc.