Frequently Asked
Questions
Real answers to the questions we hear every day from homeowners. If yours isn't here, call us.
Breakers, GFCIs & Tripping Power
A breaker keeps tripping. Should I just keep resetting it?
No, a breaker that trips again is doing its job, and resetting it over and over hides the problem instead of fixing it. The breaker is reacting to too much current, usually an overloaded circuit, a failing appliance, or a short or ground fault in the wiring. The fix is to find out which, not to force it back on. We'll meter the circuit, see what's pulling the load, and trace any fault to the real spot. Start on our circuit breaker repair page or call (555) 123-4567.
What's the difference between a breaker and a GFCI?
A breaker protects the wire from overload and short circuits; a GFCI protects you from a shock. The breaker in your panel trips when too much current flows or two conductors touch. A GFCI watches the current going out against the current coming back, and the instant a small amount leaks somewhere it shouldn't (through a person, for example), it cuts power in a fraction of a second. That's why code puts GFCIs at outlets near water and why a tripped GFCI button is a separate thing from a tripped panel breaker. Our outlet and switch repair page covers both.
Half my kitchen counter outlets went dead but no panel breaker tripped. Why?
A GFCI somewhere on that circuit almost certainly tripped, and the dead outlets are wired downstream of it. One GFCI device can protect several plain outlets fed after it, so when it trips, all of them go dark while the panel looks fine. Find the outlet with the TEST and RESET buttons (often in the kitchen, a bathroom, the garage, or an outside wall) and press RESET. If it won't hold, something on that circuit is faulting and needs to be found, which is straightforward electrical troubleshooting.
My outlets only have two slots and no ground. Is that a problem?
It means the circuit isn't grounded, which is common in homes wired before the 1960s and worth correcting. Two-slot outlets have no equipment ground, so anything with a metal case (a tool, a microwave, a computer) has no safe path for fault current. The right fix depends on what's behind the wall: sometimes we can run a ground, sometimes the answer is a GFCI to provide shock protection where a true ground isn't practical, and sometimes the wiring itself is due for replacement. We'll tell you which on a visit. See outlets and switches.
My lights brighten and dim on their own. What causes that?
Lights that brighten and dim as big appliances cycle usually point to a loose neutral, and that one deserves a same-day look. When the shared neutral connection loosens (at the panel, the meter, or even the utility's side), voltage swings between circuits, so one side surges bright while the other dims. Left alone it can damage electronics and, in the worst case, overheat a connection. Don't sit on this one, call (555) 123-4567 and we'll track down where the neutral is failing. More on our wiring repair page.
An outlet feels warm or buzzes when something's plugged in. Is that dangerous?
Yes, treat a warm or buzzing outlet as a problem to fix now, not later. Heat at a receptacle usually means a loose connection, and the most common cause is a device that was "backstabbed" (the wire pushed into a spring-clip hole on the back) instead of wrapped under the screw. Those clips loosen over time, the connection heats up, and that's how scorched outlets and wall fires start. Stop using it and have it replaced and side-wired. This is a quick outlet and switch repair.
Electrical Panels & Service Capacity
How do I know if my electrical panel needs upgrading?
The clearest signs are a panel that's full with no room for new circuits, an old fuse box or 60 to 100 amp service feeding a house that now runs central air and modern appliances, or a panel made by a brand later found unsafe. Add in breakers that trip under normal use, double-tapped breakers (two wires on one breaker), or scorching inside the cabinet, and it's time. We'll do a load calculation and tell you whether you actually need more service or just a cleanup. Details on our electrical panel upgrade page, or call (555) 123-4567.
Do I need 200 amp service, or is 100 amp enough?
It depends on your loads, not on a round number, so we run a calculation before recommending either. Plenty of smaller homes do fine on 100 amp service. But once you stack central air, an electric range, a dryer, and especially an EV charger or a future addition, 100 amps fills up fast and you're out of capacity. A 200 amp service gives that headroom and is what most homeowners adding big loads end up with. We size it to your real list, then handle the permit and the utility coordination. See panel upgrades.
My panel is a brand I've heard is unsafe. Should I worry?
If your panel is one of the brands later found unsafe, replacing it is the right call, even if everything seems fine today. The trouble with these panels is that some breakers can fail to trip on an overload or short, which defeats the one job the panel exists to do. You usually can't tell a good one from a bad one by looking. We see them still in service in 1960s through 1980s homes around here, and swapping the panel for a modern one with properly rated breakers is the fix. Start with an electrical inspection.
My house has aluminum wiring. Is that a fire hazard?
Aluminum branch wiring isn't automatically dangerous, but the connections need the right treatment and a lot of them never got it. Aluminum expands and contracts more than copper, so at outlets, switches, and splices it can loosen over the years, and a loose connection heats up. The accepted fix isn't to rip out every wire; it's to make the connections safe with approved connectors (an AlumiConn-style fix) and devices rated for aluminum. We find this in 1960s and 70s homes regularly. Our wiring repair page explains the approach.
What is knob-and-tube wiring and does it have to come out?
Knob-and-tube is the old wiring method (separate cloth-insulated hot and neutral run through ceramic knobs and tubes) found in homes built before the 1950s, and it doesn't always have to come out, but it usually should. It has no ground, the insulation gets brittle with age, and it overheats badly when buried in modern insulation or overloaded by today's electronics. Where it's still live and feeding rooms you use, the safe long-term answer is to replace those circuits. We can stage whole-home rewiring in phases so it isn't all at once.
Permits, Code & Inspection
Do I really need a permit for electrical work?
Yes, most electrical work beyond swapping a like-for-like device needs a permit, and we pull it. Panel changes, new circuits, service upgrades, EV chargers, generators, and rewiring all require a permit and an inspection in nearly every jurisdiction. That's not red tape for its own sake: the permit triggers an independent inspection that confirms the work meets code. We handle the paperwork as part of the job so you're not chasing it, and the work gets inspected.
What does the inspector actually check?
The inspector confirms the work meets the electrical code: proper wire sizing and breaker ratings, correct grounding and bonding, neutral and ground kept separate where they should be, GFCI and AFCI protection where it's required, secure connections, and safe clearances. They're the independent check that the work was done right, which is exactly why permitted work is worth more than a cash-corner job. We schedule the inspection, meet the inspector if needed, and don't close the wall until it passes. See our electrical inspection page.
Can you just do the work without a permit to save money?
No, and we'd steer you away from anyone who offers to. Unpermitted electrical work comes back to bite you: it can void your homeowner's insurance after a fire, it surfaces at the worst time during a home sale inspection, and there's no independent confirmation the work is safe. The permit fee is a small part of the job. We don't cut corners on code, because the whole point of hiring a licensed electrician is the work that holds up when it matters.
Why does code keep requiring AFCI and GFCI breakers now?
Because those two devices stop the two ways home wiring actually starts fires and shocks people. A GFCI cuts power when current leaks to ground (the shock risk near water and outdoors). An AFCI senses the signature of an arcing connection, the kind a loose backstabbed wire or a nicked cable makes, and trips before that arc can ignite the wood around it. Newer code requires them in more rooms because they work. When we add circuits or upgrade a panel, we bring that protection up to current code.
EV Chargers
Can my house handle a Level 2 EV charger?
Often yes, but it comes down to spare capacity in your panel, which is why we run a load calculation first. A Level 2 charger runs on a 240 volt circuit and can pull as much as a range or two, so the question is whether your service and panel have room once everything else is accounted for. If they do, it's a dedicated circuit from the panel to the garage. If the panel is already full or you're on 100 amp service, we'll talk about a panel upgrade or a load-management device first. Start on our EV charger installation page.
Why can't I just plug my car into a regular outlet?
You can use a standard outlet, but it charges so slowly that most people outgrow it fast. A regular 120 volt outlet adds only a few miles of range per hour, so an overnight charge might not refill a daily commute. A 240 volt Level 2 circuit charges several times faster and is its own dedicated line, which keeps the rest of the house off that load. It also has to be a circuit sized and protected for continuous EV draw, not a convenience outlet pressed into duty. We size and install it properly, permit included. See EV charger installation.
How much does it cost to install an EV charger?
The biggest cost driver is the distance from your panel to where the car parks, and whether your panel has room, so we quote it after a look rather than over the phone. A garage right on the other side of the panel wall is a short, clean run. A detached garage, a finished basement to fish through, or a full panel that needs upgrading first all add to it. We'll give you a written, itemized price that covers the circuit, the permit, and the inspection, with financing available if you want to spread it out.
Surge Protection
Do I need whole-home surge protection if I already use power strips?
A power strip protects only what's plugged into it; whole-home surge protection guards the whole house, and the two work best together. The big surges, a nearby lightning strike or a utility event, come in through the service and hit everything at once: the panel, hardwired appliances, the control board on the range, anything a strip can't reach. A surge protective device installed at the panel clamps those before they spread, and your point-of-use strips handle the smaller stuff at the desk. Our whole-home surge protection page explains how it mounts.
Is a whole-home surge protector worth it?
For most homes today, yes, because so much of what's expensive in a house is now electronic. A modern home is full of circuit boards: the range, the laundry, the garage door opener, the TVs, the network gear. One bad surge can take out several at once, and a panel-mounted device costs far less than replacing them. It installs at the panel in a single visit and protects everything downstream. We can add one when we're already in the panel, or as a standalone job.
Pricing, Estimates & Financing
How do you price electrical work?
We price by the job, not by a vague hourly guess, so you know the number before we start. For installations and upgrades we look at the work, account for the panel, the wire runs, the devices, the permit and the inspection, then hand you a written, itemized estimate. For service and repair calls there's a diagnostic fee that covers the trip and the troubleshooting, and we go over the repair price with you before any work begins. No surprises after the fact.
Do you provide free estimates?
Free estimates for installations and upgrades like panels, EV chargers, generators, and rewiring, yes. For diagnostic and repair calls a service fee applies, which covers the electrician's visit and the time to find the actual fault rather than guess at it. If we do the repair, that's all rolled into a price we agree on up front. Call (555) 123-4567 to set one up.
Do you offer financing?
Yes. We partner with trusted providers to offer flexible financing options, including sample plans like 12 months at 0% interest or 60 months at 7.99% APR. That makes a bigger job like a panel upgrade or whole-home rewiring easier to handle. Apply online or call us at (555) 123-4567 and we'll walk you through it.
Licensing & Hiring an Electrician
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Summit Electric holds a State Electrical Contractor License #000000, and the company has been family-owned since 1985. Every job is backed by liability insurance and a satisfaction guarantee, the work is permitted and inspected, and our electricians are background-checked before they ever set foot in your home.
Does hiring a licensed electrician really matter?
It matters most for the work you can't see once the wall is closed: how connections are made, how the panel is grounded and bonded, whether the circuit is the right size for its breaker. A license means the work meets code, the permit gets pulled, and the job is independently inspected. Bad electrical work hides quietly behind drywall and shows up as a tripping breaker, a dead circuit, a warm outlet, or worse. A licensed electrician is the difference between "it works" and "it's safe."
An electrician quoted me over the phone, sight unseen. Should I trust it?
Be cautious, because real electrical work depends on what's actually behind your walls and in your panel. A price given without seeing your panel, your wiring, or the run involved is a guess, and guesses get "corrected" upward once the work starts. We quote installations after a look so the number holds, give it to you in writing and itemized, and explain what drives it. If a price sounds too easy, ask what happens when they open the wall.
Maintenance, Emergencies & Our Company
Do you offer maintenance plans?
Yes. Our maintenance plans include a yearly safety check of the panel and connections, GFCI and AFCI testing, a look at outlets and visible wiring, and discounts on repairs with priority scheduling. A loose connection or a tired breaker caught on a routine visit costs a fraction of the outage or the damage it turns into. Call (555) 123-4567 or visit the maintenance plans page for details.
What areas do you serve?
We cover Springfield and the surrounding region: Riverton, Lakeside, Cedar Grove, Maplewood, Fairview, and nearby communities. Use our service areas page and zip code checker to confirm we serve your address.
Do you offer after-hours emergency service?
Yes. We dispatch an emergency electrician outside normal business hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. Call (555) 123-4567 and follow the prompts for emergency service. Burning smell, sparking, a hot panel, or a circuit you can't safely shut off are reasons to call right away. We make the situation safe first, then schedule any larger repair in daylight.
Still Have Questions?
Give us a call at (555) 123-4567 or visit our contact page. We've been answering our neighbors' electrical questions since 1985.