electrical service
Urgent Electrical Service
Burning smells, dead circuits, or a hot panel are not wait-and-see problems. Call and describe what's happening — we'll tell you what to do next.
When electricity misbehaves, treat it as real
Electrical failures rarely announce themselves as clearly as water does. The signals worth an urgent call:
- Burning or fish-like odors with no obvious source
- A panel, breaker, outlet, or cord that is hot, buzzing, or discolored
- Repeated breaker trips on the same circuit
- Flickering or dimming across multiple rooms — especially with any crackling sound
- Any sparking, smoke, or scorch marks
If there is open flame or spreading smoke, leave and call 911 first. Electrical fires inside walls can burn out of sight before detectors trigger.
What you can safely do before we arrive
Switch off the affected breaker if you can identify it and reach the panel dry-handed on a dry floor. Unplug equipment on the affected circuit. Don’t remove panel covers, don’t work on anything energized, and don’t run extension cords as a workaround — temporary cords across occupied spaces start their own set of problems.
What the diagnosis looks like
We trace the fault to its source rather than treating the symptom — a tripping breaker might be a failing appliance, a damaged conductor, moisture in a junction box, or a panel connection breaking down. Older Valley housing adds its own patterns: mid-century branch circuits with no ground, aluminum branch wiring in some 1960s–70s construction, and panels from manufacturers with documented failure histories. You get told what actually failed, what it affects, and what the repair involves before work proceeds.
Commercial and industrial faults
For facilities, an electrical fault is an operations problem. Tell us what the affected equipment does, whether production or occupancy is stopped, and any access or shutdown rules. We scope the repair around keeping the rest of the building live where the electrical system safely allows it.
Questions about this service
When should I call the utility instead of an electrician?
If the whole street is dark, a line is down, or the problem is on the utility side of the meter, call LADWP or your local utility first. If your neighbors have power and you don't — or only part of your building does — the problem is likely on your side, and that's an electrician's job.
Is a warm breaker or outlet cover dangerous?
Warmth with a burning smell, discoloration, or buzzing is a stop-using-it-now situation. Mild warmth on a heavily loaded circuit can be normal, but it's worth describing on a call rather than ignoring.
Can I just keep resetting a breaker that trips?
No. A breaker that trips repeatedly is doing its job — protecting a circuit with a real problem. Resetting it over and over defeats the protection and can overheat the wiring behind your walls.
