Service
Electrical repair and troubleshooting
Something stopped working, keeps tripping, or doesn’t seem right. We track down the actual cause, fix it properly, and tell you plainly what we found.
- 5.0 on Google
- Licensed, Bonded & Insured
- WA Lic. WESTPEL745M7
Common calls
- A breaker that trips again after a reset
- Outlets or lights dead in part of the house
- Lights that flicker or dim
- A GFCI outlet that won’t reset
- A switch or outlet that feels warm or buzzes
When to call an electrician
- A breaker trips again right after you reset it.
- Outlets or lights stopped working in one part of the house.
- Lights dim or flicker when an appliance starts.
- A switch, outlet, or cover plate feels warm, buzzes, or smells hot.
- A GFCI outlet won’t reset, or trips with nothing plugged in.
- You bought a house and want the wiring looked at.
If you smell burning or see scorch marks at an outlet or panel, switch off that breaker if you can reach it safely. If there is smoke or fire, call 911 first.
What we repair
Most service calls come down to a handful of things. A connection has worked loose, a device has worn out, a circuit is carrying more than it was built for, or something was wired wrong years ago.
- Outlets, switches, and GFCI or AFCI devices
- Breakers and panel connections
- Light fixtures and ceiling fans
- Bathroom exhaust fans
- Damaged, overloaded, or outdated wiring
What the symptom usually points to
A symptom narrows the search. It doesn’t replace testing, but it tells us where to start.
- A breaker that trips under load: too much on one circuit, such as a space heater and a hair dryer sharing a bedroom circuit.
- A breaker that trips the instant it’s reset: a short circuit or ground fault in the wiring, a device, or an appliance.
- Lights that brighten in one room while they dim in another: a loose neutral at the panel, the meter, or the service. Treat that as urgent.
- Dead outlets near a bathroom, kitchen, garage, or exterior wall: often a tripped GFCI somewhere else on the circuit.
- A switch or outlet that is warm, buzzing, or discolored: a loose or failing connection that is heating up.
Outlets, switches, and devices
A good share of repair work is replacing devices that have worn out or were never right for where they were installed.
Older homes often still have two-prong outlets with no ground wire behind them. There are code-compliant ways to deal with that, from GFCI protection to running a new grounded circuit. We explain the options and what each one does and doesn’t give you.
- Outlets that no longer grip a plug
- GFCI protection in kitchens, baths, garages, and outdoors
- Switches, dimmers, and fan controls
- Two-prong and ungrounded outlets
Process
How a service call goes
Listen first
You tell us what’s happening and when. That often narrows it down before a cover comes off.
Test, don’t guess
We trace the circuit and test until we find the cause, not just the symptom.
Explain, then fix
You hear what we found and what it takes to fix it. Then we make the repair.
Check the rest
While we’re there, we look for related problems on that circuit so you aren’t calling back for the same thing.
What a repair costs depends on
You hear what we found and what the repair involves before we do it.
- How long the fault takes to find. A problem that comes and goes takes longer than a dead outlet.
- Access: an attic, a crawl space, or finished walls.
- Parts. A standard outlet costs little. An AFCI breaker or a specialty fixture costs more.
- Whether the repair uncovers something larger, such as an overloaded circuit or damaged cable.
Do we cover your address?
Our service area page lists every community we work in.
From a customer
Ed is very responsive and thorough with his electrical work. He goes into the tough small spaces to fix our outlets and he also does a quick inspection to make sure our wiring is fine.
Questions
Things people ask us.
Does WestPeak Electric do electrical troubleshooting and repair?
Yes. WestPeak Electric is a licensed electrical contractor (Washington license WESTPEL745M7). We do electrical troubleshooting and repair throughout our service area. Call or text 360-521-6913, Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 5 PM.
Why does my breaker keep tripping?
A breaker trips when a circuit draws more current than it’s rated for, or when it detects a short or a ground fault. A space heater sharing a circuit is a common cause. So is a failing appliance, a loose connection, or a worn-out breaker. If it trips again right after a reset, leave it off and have it checked.
Is a flickering light something to worry about?
One bulb flickering is usually the bulb or the fixture. Lights that dim across a room or the whole house, especially when a large appliance starts, point to a loose connection or a problem with the service. That is worth a call.
Do small repairs need a permit in Washington?
Some like-for-like replacements don’t. New circuits and panel work do. We’ll tell you which applies to your repair before we start.
Why are my outlets dead when no breaker has tripped?
Look for a tripped GFCI outlet first. One GFCI in a bathroom, kitchen, garage, or outside often protects other outlets farther along the circuit, and pressing its reset button brings them back. If that isn’t it, a connection has probably failed somewhere on the circuit and it has to be traced.
Is it safe to keep resetting a breaker?
Reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off. A breaker that keeps tripping is doing its job, and every reset sends current back into whatever is wrong.
Related
Related services
Request an estimate
Have an electrical project coming up?
Tell us what’s going on. We’ll ask the right questions, look at the job if it needs it, and give you a clear scope and price.
- 5.0 on Google
- Licensed, Bonded & Insured
- WA Lic. WESTPEL745M7