Or at the switch. I’d check that first.

I should probably get it checked out just to be on the safe side.

(1) Fixture needs replacing.
(2) Loose connection of the +/- wires connecting the fixture.
(3) Loose connection of the +/- wires connecting at the switch

Loose connections can generate heat due to arcing between the connections that are loose, so it makes sense to get your landlord to have it fixed.

I didn't think it was a good thing, but just didn't know if it was seriously dangerous or if I have a few days to get it taken care of!

It would be a little silver can somewhere on the bulb side of the fixture.

They fail eventually. They just twist out. They are cheap. If it has one, replace it.

Otherwise the transformer could be failing. Youd have to replace the fixture if thats the issue.

I should probably have it looked at just to be on the safe side. I just hate having these things done because I usually have to take time off from work to be here while I wait for them. Fortunately, I have a flexible workplace and can work from home if I need to, but it's still kind of a pain. Thanks for your advice!

When i read it, it sounded like the op was talking about a fluorescent light, but re-reading it, it sounds incandescent.

In that case, a loose wire or bad wall switch is probably the problem.

I just moved in about 6 months ago. I don't keep it on at night. I have a night light, but you are right. I should act as soon as possible. Thank you!

This can be a dangerous thing as loose connections generate more heat and can cause corona arcing. Get the electrician to check it out. If you need light you might use a small lamp that you can plug into a wall socket. Better safe then - you know.

I think I knew that it was not a good thing, I just wanted to know how dangerous it was. I should probably just not be such a procrastinator and get it taken care of. Thanks again!

Fix. Also as stated above, call your landlord

is an older woman who is very hands off and lives out of the city so I will have to deal w/ the burden of it and probably have to front the money. She doesn't have a cell phone, text or email so I have to try to reach her on a land line which is a total pain. She is very nice and agreeable, but it's not easy to get anything done.

Thanks again!

telling your landlord you'll get it fixed, enclose the reciept and deduct the cost from your rent check?

Thank you!

Landlords love responsible tenants who pay the rent on time.

in good standing! She's always very nice to me when I talk to her, so I think she will be open to it.

nt

That switch had suffered a long hard life in a house full of children and their friends, with mom and dad yelling whenever they didn't turn the lights off. That poor old switch had probably been flipped two hundred thousand times.

I replaced it with a new switch that may last longer now that our children are grown and living in their own homes.

I'm not very handy so I think I will have to call a professional tomorrow. I am now convinced that it is something I shouldn't let go any longer without having someone taking a look at it. Thank you!

If it has a ballast, that sounds like a bad ballast. If not, it sounds like a loose connection. Call the landlord. It will be less of a PITA once it is fixed, at the very least, and safer in any case. It will be worth it to have it fixed either way. Better safe than sorry.

I am going to look into it tomorrow. I am going to wfh due to some construction in our office, so hopefully I can get someone to come up and take a look. Thank you!

the lamp socket, light switch, a splice connection in a pull box or an intermittent circuit breaker or fuse.

Definitely a job for an electrician but you sometimes can localize the problem by tapping around those items listed above with the handle end of a screwdriver and that should cause the light to flicker. That would offer proof to you landlord that there is an electrical arc that need to be addressed right away.

Arcs are supposed to be contained withing the electrical device enclosures to prevent fires, so that it will only damage the associated wiring or device. However, I've had dozens of cases (both as a volunteer firefighter and as an electrician) where jury-rigged wiring was in the property and an arc really did spread to the structure.

So, best to not take any chances........

I will check into it tomorrow. We get to wfh since we are having this horrible construction work done to the outside of our building w/ jackhammers running all day. It was so disruptive and annoying that my boss gave us all permission to wfh instead of having to put up w/ it (they are going through Wed afternoon) so hopefully I can get someone up here to fix it tomorrow or Wed. Thank you for your advice!