Flickering electrics. Do I need an electrician?

[Belleende]

Recently all the lamps and lights in the house have started to flicker upstairs and down. Also we have a secondary fridge in the dining room. When it's compressor kicks in it is really noisy and this causes one of the lamps to crackle. Also don't know if it is a coincidence but our LCD tv gave up the ghost with no warning. Been in house sincere march 2015, ,looks to have been rewired fairly recently. Do we need a sparky out and if So what should he be looking for?

[PigletJohn]

you mean, when they are on, they flicker off?

does it just happen on ceiling lights, upstairs and down, or do you see it on table lamps plugged into sockets?

Are they incandescent lamps (with a filament), or energy-saving, or LED?

What do you mean by crackle?

[PigletJohn]

I think I know a likely cause, but can you post a pic of your consumer unit, showing the wires around it, and also with the lid open so I can read any labels?

Did you buy the house, and was there any paperwork about rewiring?

[Belleende]

Thank You so much for answering.
When the ceiling lights are on they flicker (halogen spots) upstairs and down. Lamps plugged in also flicker. The lamp that crackled is plugged in. It sounded like an electrical crackle.

[Belleende]

Hard to show wires going into fuse box as they are obscured, but the two wires on the right go into it as does the earth on the far left.

[Belleende]

We bought it in 2015. Should be able to put my hands on the paperwork

[PigletJohn]

I think there is a loose connection. From your description it might possibly be on the main switch inside the consumer unit, rather than on a single circuit. It's possible you will hear something in or around the CU or meter. I can't see any marks of heat in the pics. If it happens when you are using a high-power appliance such as cooker, shower or tumble drier, mention it.

Ask around for recommendations of a qualified local electrician, and when phoning, ask which Competent Person Scheme s/he is a member of (you can check it). If s/he acts bolshy at being asked, find another.

Lists of qualified people are maintained by the registering bodies such as www.niceic.com/find-a-contractor/find-contractors

Preferably one who has been in business several years and is listed as an Approved Contractor and not just a Domestic Installer (this is a lower level of exam).

[PigletJohn]

btw there appears to be an unused space in the row of MCBs big enough to poke a finger in. This is highly undesirable. Tell the electrician the make and model (it may say Crabtree Starbreaker or similar on the casing) and ask them to fit a blank.

It is poor that the original installer did not fit a blank. They cost around 50p.

[johnd2]

Yes piglet John is right that it's likely a loose connection. Be aware that motors in fridges can be damaged by that.
Often the factory connections in the consumer unit are not tightened and the electricians are supposed to check them, but the neutral gets missed.
Although having said that, we had that exact problem at first it was occasional, then it was all the time. We called the electric company as I checked the CU myself, and they said they'd send someone to look, but then someone came and said they just passed their colleagues digging a hole in the road to fix the problem! Apparently you could feel the main cable exploding from pavement level!

[Belleende]

Thanks so much. Sparky it is then.