Power out?
Sparks? Burning smell?
Don't wait. Call the closest shop right now. A real person answers our after-hours line, not a robot, and we roll a truck.
If you smell gas or see active flame, call 911 first.
Is this an emergency?
If anything on the left list applies, call now. If you're on the right list, the regular request flow gets you a written quote from the local team.
Active danger or full power loss
- Burning smell from an outlet, panel, or fixture
- Visible sparks or arcing from any outlet, switch, or panel
- Whole-home power loss with neighbors still on (not a utility outage)
- A breaker that won't reset or trips immediately
- Outlets or switches that are warm or hot to the touch
- Water contact with electrical (flooding near panel, fixtures)
- Storm damage with downed lines (also call your utility)
Important, but not emergency
- One outlet or switch not working, no smell or heat
- Lights flickering occasionally in one room
- Panel that's old but stable (FPE, Zinsco) - call to plan the upgrade
- Buying or selling a home, inspector flagged something
- Adding a circuit, upgrading service, or installing an EV charger
- Any new install where you have time to plan
What to do until we arrive.
Trip the main breaker at the panel to cut power to the whole home. Then leave anything alone until we arrive. Don't try to find which outlet it's coming from with the power on.
Don't touch anything, keep pets and kids away, kill the breaker for that circuit at the panel if you can identify it. If you can't, kill the main.
Don't keep flipping it. Repeated reset attempts on a faulted circuit can damage the breaker and the panel. Leave it tripped and call us.
Stay out of the area until power is killed at the main. Don't enter standing water that's near outlets, fixtures, or the panel. Call us before turning anything back on.
Common emergency questions, answered fast
What counts as an electrical emergency?
Burning smell from outlets or panel, smoke or sparks from any electrical equipment, total power loss without a utility-side outage, partial power loss across multiple circuits, or a panel that is hot to the touch. Anything where you suspect a fire or shock risk is an emergency. We dispatch on those calls regardless of time of day.
Should I shut off the main breaker before you arrive?
If there is smoke, sparks, a burning smell, or any active hazard, yes. Kill power at the main and get clear of the affected area. If the situation is intermittent (a circuit that trips on and off, lights that flicker) you can leave the main on and just turn off the affected circuit at the panel. Don't touch wet electrical equipment under any circumstances.
How fast can you actually respond?
For active emergencies inside our regular coverage zone, we aim for same-day dispatch when crews are available. Realistic arrival is usually within a couple of hours when traffic and crew positioning allow. We tell you the honest timeline on the call rather than promising a number we cannot hit. Outside the regular zone we still respond, just with a longer drive.
Do you charge extra for after-hours dispatch?
Yes, after-hours and weekend service has a higher labor rate than scheduled work because the crew is being pulled outside normal hours. We tell you the rate on the call before we dispatch so there is no surprise on the invoice. For genuine fire-or-shock emergencies the rate conversation does not slow us down getting there.
What if the issue is the utility company, not my system?
If we identify a utility-side issue (damaged drop, transformer, meter base damage that is the utility's responsibility) we tell you immediately and help you open a ticket with the utility. We do not bill emergency service rates for the time spent confirming a utility issue if that is what is actually going on.
Will you fix it on the same visit?
When we have the parts on the truck, yes. For specific panels, breakers, or service equipment that needs to be sourced, we make the system safe at the first visit and schedule the replacement install as soon as parts arrive. We do not leave a customer in an unsafe state regardless of parts availability.