Electrician Questions, Answered Before You Call

Heat, smoke, sparking, a shock, water on anything electrical, or lights going bright in one room while they dim in another. Those mean current is going somewhere it shouldn't. A dead outlet with no heat or smell can usually wait for a booked visit.

Call any hour and tell us what you are seeing. Emergencies like a burning smell or water in the panel get handled first. Jobs that can wait get booked for a time that suits you, which usually costs less than an after-hours visit.

Switch off the breaker for the problem circuit if you can reach the panel without standing in water. Unplug what's on that circuit and keep people away from it. If you see smoke or flames, get everyone out and call 911.

It depends on the job, the parts, how easy the wiring is to reach, whether a permit is needed and the time of day. A swapped outlet and a new service panel are very different jobs, so the price comes after the electrician has seen what is there.

Yes. You get a quote for the job before the electrician starts on it, and you only pay for work you agreed to. If something unexpected turns up behind a wall, you hear about it and decide before anything changes.

After-hours visits carry a higher rate than a weekday appointment. If the problem is safe to leave once the circuit is off, booking a daytime visit is the cheaper way to get it fixed.

Panel upgrades, new circuits, EV chargers, generators and rewiring usually need one. Swapping an outlet or a light fixture usually does not. The electrician handles the permit when the job needs it, and local rules decide the details.

Often, yes. A load calculation shows whether the panel has room. If it is close, a lower-amp charger or a load management device can avoid a full upgrade. If it has no room, the panel gets upgraded first.

It can be, if the connections are done right. Aluminum branch wiring from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s tends to loosen at outlets and switches and run hot. The usual fix is approved copper pigtails at every device, or replacing the circuits.

Usually, yes. A fuse box is often too small for central air, an electric range or a car charger, and swapping in bigger fuses to stop them blowing is a fire risk. Replacing it with a breaker panel sized for the house fixes both problems.

An overloaded circuit, a short, a ground fault or a breaker that has worn out. If it trips again the moment you reset it, leave it off and call, because the breaker has found a fault it will not tolerate.

Either no power is reaching it, it still senses current leaking on the circuit, or the outlet has failed. Check for another tripped GFCI or breaker first. If it still will not hold, the fault needs tracing.

Most homes get two legs of power, and losing one takes out about half the breakers at once. It can be the utility side or your meter and panel. If lights are going brighter in some rooms, call right away.

Type it into the checker on our Areas page and you'll see your city straight away. Don't see your ZIP? Call anyway and we'll check your address.

Each state on the Areas page lists the cities and towns we cover, with a page for each larger city that explains what electrical work there usually involves.