A quick dip when the heat pump starts can be normal. A deep, new, or worsening one is not.
Three causes cover almost every call we get for this.
Lights and a big load on one circuit means the lights feel every start. A dedicated circuit fixes it.
A loose lug at the main breaker, the meter or the utility splice. Every surge becomes a visible dip, and it worsens.
A 100 A service in a house that added a heat pump, an EV charger and an induction range.
Takes a minute, costs nothing, fixes it more often than you would think.
Watch for any light that gets brighter when the appliance starts. That is a loose neutral — call now.
Still happening? That's our job.
A loose service connection carries the whole house's current through one bad joint, and heats every time the appliance starts.
Online or by phone. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour.
Traced to the box or device it lives in. Exact price before any work, you approve it first.
Right parts, tested under load, next connection checked so it does not come back.
Lights dim for a moment when a large appliance starts because motors and compressors draw several times their running current for a fraction of a second. A slight, quick dim is normal. A deep dim, one that lasts more than a second, one that is new, or one where some lights dim while others brighten is not: those point to lights sharing a circuit with the appliance, a loose or corroded connection at the panel or service, or a service too small for what the house now runs. We measure the voltage drop under load and tell you which.
Repeated deep dips and the surges that follow shorten the life of anything with a circuit board. Fixing the cause removes it; a surge protector handles the surge side.
Only if the service is the bottleneck. A loose lug or a shared circuit is a far cheaper fix, and we check those first.
Exact price after we measure, before any work starts.
Usually within a day. Lights that brighten while others dim: same day, call (206) 486-6373.
Licensed electricians across South King and Pierce County. Exact price before any work starts.