Electrical tips

A breaker that trips is doing its job. Unplug everything on that circuit and reset it once. If it holds, add loads back one at a time to find the culprit. If it trips immediately with nothing plugged in, there is a fault in the wiring — stop and call us. Never replace a breaker with a larger one to stop the tripping; that removes the protection, it does not fix the fault.

First check whether the fault is downstream — GFCIs protect other outlets on the same circuit, so the problem may be in a different room. Unplug everything downstream and try again. A GFCI that will not reset with nothing connected has usually failed, and they do wear out.

That is not normal and it is worth acting on the same day. Warmth means resistance, resistance means heat, and heat in a wall cavity is how electrical fires start. Stop using it and call us.

Look at the brand on the panel door. Both are known fire risks, both are decades out of production, and many insurers will no longer cover a home that still has one. If you have either, replacement is not optional maintenance.

It depends on the service size and what is already on it. A Level 2 charger needs a dedicated 240V circuit and real spare capacity. We assess the panel first — that is what decides whether this is a simple install or a service upgrade, and it is worth knowing before you buy the charger.

A brief flicker as a large motor starts is normal. Persistent dimming, or dimming that affects only part of the house, can indicate a loose service neutral — which is a genuine hazard and worth having looked at rather than lived with.