Electrical Repair
Reliable Electrical Repair Shop in Atlanta
There’s no counter at our electrical repair shop in Atlanta. We come to your house and find what’s really wrong before we fix it.
Did you know?
One of the biggest blackouts in North America started with a tree. On August 14, 2003, a power line in Ohio touched a tree, a software bug meant the alarms didn’t go off, and the outage spread until more than 50 million people in the U.S. and Canada were in the dark.
Questions & Answers
FAQs About Electrical Repair Shop in Atlanta
What to check yourself, when to call us and when it’s Georgia Power’s job.
Mostly it comes down to how long the problem takes to find. A dead circuit caused by one loose wire behind an outlet is a short visit. A problem that comes and goes, on a circuit that runs through finished walls, takes longer to trace. The condition of your panel and how easy the wiring is to reach matter too. Cam’s Electric gives a free repair estimate before any work starts.
A quick flicker when the AC kicks on is normal, because the motor grabs a burst of power to get started. Atlanta summers keep the AC cycling, so you’ll notice it more then. If they dim deeply, stay dim or dim all over the house, the cause is usually voltage drop on a long circuit or a loose neutral. The neutral is the wire that carries power back to the panel, and that’s worth having us test.
Usually there’s too much plugged into one circuit, and space heaters and kitchen appliances are the common culprits. It can also be a wiring problem or a breaker that’s worn out. If it trips with nothing running or won’t reset at all, leave it off and call. Cam’s Electric finds out which one it is before we replace anything.
Your electrician does. Georgia Power won’t repair a bent mast, a damaged weatherhead or a meter base that’s been pulled off the house. A licensed electrician fixes it first, then you call Georgia Power at 1-877-749-3931 to get on the restoration schedule. Cam’s Electric makes these repairs in Atlanta, Buckhead, Brookhaven and North Druid Hills.
Call right away for a burning smell, a scorched receptacle, a hot outlet, a buzzing panel or sparks when you plug something in. Shut off the breaker for that circuit if you can do it safely, and call 911 first if you see smoke or flames. Cam’s Electric takes emergency calls 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday.
Replacement is the usual fix. Home inspectors flag Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels because their breakers have a reputation for not tripping when they should. A breaker that doesn’t trip lets a wire overheat. Send us a photo of the label inside your panel door and we’ll tell you what you have.
It depends on the shape it’s in. Cloth-covered wiring is common in older Atlanta homes, and the insulation under the cloth dries out and cracks with age. It often crumbles when someone moves it to change a light or an outlet. We can test the circuits and tell you which ones are fine to leave and which need new wire.
Usually one of the two lines feeding your house has dropped, or the neutral has come loose, which electricians call an open neutral. Check the main breaker first. If it’s on and half the house is still out, or some lights get brighter while others dim, unplug your electronics, since that can damage them. The problem can be on Georgia Power’s side or yours, and an electrician can tell you which.
We start with what you’re seeing and work backward. First we figure out which outlets and lights share the circuit. Then we test with a multimeter at the panel and at each point along the way. Some loose connections only show up while something’s running, so we test with the power in use. Cam’s Electric finds the cause before we replace parts, and we can take photos of the work for your records.
The wire itself carries power fine. The trouble is at the connections, where aluminum can loosen and heat up over time at outlets and switches. It was used in some homes built between about 1965 and the mid-1970s. The usual fix is pigtailing, which adds a short copper lead at each connection and is far less work than rewiring. A warm switch plate in a house that age is worth a call.
