What we get called for
Most electrical faults announce themselves well before they become dangerous. The trouble is that the warning signs are easy to live with, so they get tolerated for months.
- A breaker that trips repeatedly, or one that will not reset
- Outlets or whole rooms with no power
- Lights that flicker, or dim when an appliance starts
- Outlets or switch plates that feel warm
- A buzzing sound from a switch, outlet, or the panel
- A burning or fishy smell near a device or the panel
- Mild shocks from appliances or faucets
- GFCI outlets that trip constantly or will not reset
Stop and call if you smell burning
A burning or fishy smell, visible scorching, or sparking is not a wait-and-see problem. Switch off the circuit at the panel if you can do so safely, and call an electrician the same day.
How we diagnose a fault
A tripping breaker is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It might be an overloaded circuit, a failing breaker, a short in a cable, a loose neutral, or an appliance that is faulty rather than the wiring.
Swapping the breaker fixes exactly one of those. So we trace the circuit and isolate the fault before recommending any work.
What tracing actually involves
- Establishing what is on the circuit and what it draws
- Measuring load to separate overload from a fault
- Isolating sections to narrow where the problem sits
- Checking terminations at the panel, devices, and junctions
- Testing GFCI and AFCI devices rather than assuming they are fine
- Ruling the appliance in or out before blaming the wiring
Repairs we carry out
Once the fault is identified, most repairs are straightforward. The value is in identifying the right one.
- Replacing failed breakers, outlets, and switches
- Repairing loose or burnt terminations
- Correcting reversed polarity and open grounds
- Repairing or replacing damaged cable runs
- Adding dedicated circuits where a circuit is genuinely overloaded
- Replacing failed GFCI and AFCI devices
- Making safe and correcting unpermitted previous work
How a service call runs
- 1
Describe the symptom
What happens, when it started, and what else is on that circuit. That often narrows the search before we arrive.
- 2
Diagnose on site
We trace and isolate the fault. This is the part a service call pays for, and it is the part that determines whether the repair actually holds.
- 3
Explain and quote
We tell you what we found, what it will take to fix, and whether anything else we noticed needs attention now or can wait.
- 4
Repair and test
Most repairs are completed on the same visit. We test the circuit under load before leaving rather than assuming it is resolved.
Older wiring found in Greater Boston homes
The housing stock around Boston means we regularly find wiring that predates current practice. None of it is automatically an emergency, but all of it changes how a repair should be done.
- Knob-and-tube wiring, often partially replaced and spliced into
- Aluminium branch circuits from the 1960s and 1970s
- Cloth-insulated cable with embrittled insulation
- Two-prong outlets with no equipment ground
- Ungrounded three-prong outlets, which look safe and are not
- Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels with known breaker concerns
When a repair needs a permit
Replacing a failed device on existing wiring generally does not require a permit. Replacing cable runs, adding circuits, or altering the panel does, and it is inspected by your town's wiring inspector.
We tell you which category your repair falls into before starting. If a contractor offers to skip a permit that is required, that is a liability moved onto you.
Related residential services
Jobs we're often asked about alongside this one.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my breaker keep tripping? +
- Usually one of four things: too much load on the circuit, a short somewhere in the wiring, a ground fault, or a breaker that has failed. Only tracing the circuit tells you which. Replacing the breaker without diagnosing fixes it only if the breaker was the fault.
- Do you charge for a diagnostic visit? +
- A service call fee applies for diagnostic work, because finding the fault is the job. That fee is credited toward the repair if you go ahead with it. Estimates for planned work such as panel upgrades or new circuits are free.
- Half my outlets stopped working. What causes that? +
- Most often a tripped GFCI upstream that also protects other outlets, or a loose connection at a device in the middle of the run. Both are common and both are quick to fix once located.
- Is a warm outlet or switch dangerous? +
- It should be looked at promptly. Warmth usually means a loose or deteriorating connection, which generates heat and gets worse over time. It is one of the more common precursors to an electrical fire.
- Can you work on knob-and-tube or aluminium wiring? +
- Yes. Both are common in this area. Neither is automatically an emergency, but both need specific handling, and we will tell you honestly whether a repair is sound or whether that section should be replaced.
- Do you offer same-day repairs? +
- We prioritise safety issues such as burning smells, sparking, and scorching. For those, call rather than submitting a form. Our standard hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.