─ Troubleshooting and Repairs
Home and Business Electrical Repair Services. When Something Feels Off, Let's Figure It Out.
Electrical problems rarely announce themselves clearly. Something stops working, or something starts acting strange, and you’re not sure if it’s a $50 fix or a $5,000 problem.
That uncertainty is stressful. We get it. The goal of this page is to help you understand what you’re seeing so you can decide what to do next. And if you need us, we’re a phone call away.
Copper Creek Electric handles electrical troubleshooting and repairs for homeowners and businesses across the Nashville area. We diagnose first, fix second. We don’t guess and bill you for it.
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─ Power Surges
Flickering Lights and Power Surges
Occasional flickering when a major appliance kicks on, like a refrigerator compressor or an AC unit, is usually normal. Persistent flickering, or flickering that happens without an obvious cause, usually isn’t.
Common causes:
- Loose wiring at a fixture, outlet, or in the panel
- A failing light fixture or an incompatible dimmer switch
- Overloaded circuit or undersized wiring
- A loose connection at the utility meter or service entrance
The last two on that list can be serious. If the flickering is widespread across multiple rooms or you’re also noticing power surges, call us. That’s worth a look.
─ Panels
Tripped Breakers and Electrical Panels
A breaker that trips once after you plug in too many things is just doing its job. A breaker that keeps tripping under normal use is telling you something.
Possible causes:
- The circuit is overloaded for how it’s being used
- A short circuit somewhere in the wiring or a connected device
- A ground fault on the circuit
- A failing breaker that needs replacement
Resetting the breaker is fine. But if the same breaker keeps tripping, don’t just keep resetting it. Call us and let’s find out why.
If a breaker feels hot to the touch, if you hear crackling or buzzing from your panel, or if you smell burning, turn off the main breaker and call us immediately. Do not wait on this.
─ Outlets and Switches
Dead Outlets and Switches
An outlet that stops working isn’t always a big deal. Before you call anyone, check a few things:
- Check if other outlets in the room are dead, too. If so, it might be a tripped GFCI outlet that controls a string of outlets in the room.
- Look for a GFCI outlet, the kind with the test and reset buttons, in the bathroom, kitchen, or garage. Press reset and see if the dead outlet comes back.
- Check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker.
If none of those fix it, the outlet, the switch, or the wiring behind it may need attention. We can track down the problem and fix it correctly.
─ Caution
Burning Smells or Unusual Sounds
This one is not a wait-and-see situation.
A burning smell near an outlet, a switch, or your electrical panel means something is overheating. Buzzing, crackling, or sizzling sounds from walls or electrical equipment mean something is arcing. Both of these are fire hazards
Electrical fires can smolder inside walls for hours before becoming visible. Burning smells and unusual sounds are warnings. Take them seriously.
─ Concerns
Older Home Electrical Concerns
If your home was built before 1980, there’s a reasonable chance the electrical system has things in it that are outdated or potentially unsafe. Not because people were careless back then, but because codes, materials, and our understanding of electrical safety have evolved significantly.
Things worth knowing about in older homes:
- Knob-and-tube wiring: This older wiring style lacks a ground wire and wasn’t designed for modern electrical loads. It can be fine in some cases and a concern in others. Have it evaluated.
- Aluminum wiring: Used in some homes from the 1960s and 1970s, aluminum wiring requires specific outlets and connections to be used safely. Improperly connected aluminum wiring is a fire risk.
- Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels: These older panel brands have a documented history of breakers failing to trip during overloads. If you have one of these, we’d recommend an evaluation.
- Two-prong outlets: These lack a ground wire and don’t support three-prong plugs safely. They can be updated.
You don’t need to panic about any of these. You do need to know about them. A home safety inspection is the right starting point.
─ Call Us
When to Call an Electrician (and When It's Urgent)
Call us soon, but it can wait until business hours:
- An outlet or switch that stopped working, and your basic troubleshooting didn’t fix it
- A breaker that keeps tripping under normal use
- Flickering lights that aren’t tied to an obvious appliance load
- You’re adding an appliance and need a new circuit
- You want a safety inspection on an older home
Call us today, don’t put it off:
- Sparks from an outlet or switch
- A breaker that won’t reset at all
- Power out to a significant portion of your home with no obvious cause
- Any electrical issue after a storm or flood
Call us immediately and consider calling 911:
- Burning smell from an outlet, switch, or panel
- Buzzing or crackling sounds from walls or your electrical panel
- Visible scorching or smoke near any electrical component
When in doubt, call. It’s always easier to tell you everything is fine than to explain why you should have called sooner.
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