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I read the post about a similar problem but we have circuits on both even and odd sides of the panel that are down. We've had flickering lights for about a month now and finally it's caused and outage. The crazy part is... the power has come back on twice and both times within an hour. The house was built in 1950 and I think a common neutral is loose somewhere in a J box. Any suggestions?

RT Mac
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    The breaker locations are 1,2,3,4... Number 1,3,5 are odd. number 2,4,6 are even. it is not "sides of the panel" as there are odd and even on both sides. You will find L1 are normally odd and L2 are normally even so this can still be the issue. Call power company! – Ed Beal Dec 11 '18 at 15:40
  • are half your circuits out?? I.e. The circuits on one pole? "Pole" varies by panel... on Pushmatic it'll be the left or right side.... FPE/Zinsco could be anything... All other panels it will work as described in my answer here... – Harper - Reinstate Monica Dec 11 '18 at 22:06

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I'm a little confused by "lights out in part" vs. "caused an[d] outage". If you have really had everything go out ("outage"), then this is definitely "call utility" time. If you measure the voltage (when things are working...) and see an imbalance - e.g., 140V on one circuit and 90V on another - then it is definitely "call utility" time.

Do you have a multimeter that you can test voltage? If so test outlets on both sides and see if you get consistent results. If you have a neutral problem it may actually be at meter or outside and is then a utility problem. I suggest calling the utility and telling them you have "intermittent outage and possibly a lost neutral". They should come out quickly to investigate. If the problem is on their side they will normally fix at no charge. If they determine it is on your side then you will need to call an electrician to diagnose a panel problem.

CALL THE UTILITY FIRST!

From what you've described (not 100% clear), it may really be a panel problem. But the problem sounds "big" enough that it could really be a utility issue. If you call the utility and they determine everything is OK up to the panel, there will generally not be any charge (they are concerned because these are potential life-safety issues and will normally send someone to check without any charge).

manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
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    It sounds like a utility problem but the op doesent under stand how a panel is wired. I tried explaining in a comment, but defiantly time to call power company. – Ed Beal Dec 11 '18 at 15:43