When to call an electrician (and the few things you can do first)

Leave, or call right now

• Smoke or flames from an outlet, switch, panel, fixture or applianceThat is a fire. The Red Cross rule is get out, stay out and call 911. Do not open a door that is warm to the touch.
  911
• A burning or hot-plastic smell from an outlet, switch or fixtureESFI lists a burning smell as an electrical warning sign. Family Handyman says turn that breaker off first, then unplug, then call. If the smell is at the panel itself, do not touch it; leave and call 911 or your utility.
  Licensed electrician now; 911 if there is smoke
• Sparks, popping, crackling, or scorch marks at an outlet or switchFamily Handyman calls sparking outlets an immediate danger, and CPSC counts sparks and charring at a receptacle as fire hazard conditions. NFPA found arcing was the heat source in 64% of home electrical fires.
  Licensed electrician now, with the breaker off
• A hot, buzzing or scorched panel or breaker, or a breaker that trips the instant you reset itSiemens lists noisy breakers as a reason to call, and Family Handyman says a breaker that trips immediately with everything unplugged is likely a short. Do not keep resetting it, and never remove the cover behind the panel door.
  Licensed electrician now
• A shock or tingle from an appliance, switch or outletCPSC calls a shock an extremely hazardous wiring condition, and ESFI lists a mild shock or tingle as a warning sign. Stop using it and turn that breaker off.
  Licensed electrician now
• A power line down, sagging or touching a treeStay at least 35 feet away and assume it is energized. Do not try to rescue a person or pet touching it, and do not drive over it.
  911 or your utility
• Flooding, or water reaching the panel, outlets or cordsDo not touch a breaker with wet hands or while standing on a wet surface. After flooding, keep the power off until an electrician has inspected the system and everything is dry.
  Licensed electrician; your utility if water is near the meter
• Half the house dead with no tripped breaker, or flicker across the whole houseJefferson County PUD explains this usually means one of the two incoming hot wires is loose or disconnected, at the transformer, the meter base or the main breaker connection.
  Your utility first, and a licensed electrician at the same time

Call a licensed electrician soon

• A breaker that trips again after one resetBob Vila says if resetting once does not fix it, hire an electrician. Repeat trips point to overload, a short, a ground fault or a worn breaker.
  Licensed electrician
• A GFCI that will not reset, or fails its monthly testLeviton says a GFCI that cannot be reset must be replaced, and lists miswiring and damage as causes. Replacing or rewiring it means opening the box.
  Licensed electrician
• A standard switch or outlet that feels warm, or a dimmer that is warm with the lights offCPSC says unusually warm outlets or switches may indicate an unsafe wiring condition. Lutron says a dimmer can feel warm while on; a standard switch or outlet should not. Turn its breaker off until it is checked.
  Licensed electrician
• Lights that flicker or dim in one spot after a bulb swap, or frequently across the houseESFI lists flickering or dimming lights as a warning sign, and This Old House lists flicker throughout the house as a reason to call.
  Licensed electrician; utility too if it is house-wide
• Outlets that stay dead after you check breakers, GFCIs and wall switchesFamily Handyman notes a wire can come loose at an outlet without tripping the breaker, and fixing it requires removing the outlet.
  Licensed electrician
• Discolored outlets or switches, plugs that fall out, or a steady buzzESFI lists discolored switches as a warning sign, the U.S. Fire Administration says to replace outlets if plugs do not fit snugly, and This Old House says buzzing often indicates loose connections or arcing.
  Licensed electrician
• A home wired between 1965 and the mid-1970s, or AL or Aluminum printed on cable jacketsCPSC says homes wired with aluminum before 1972 are 55 times more likely to have a connection reach fire hazard conditions than copper-wired homes, and says not to try the repair yourself.
  Licensed electrician
• Wiring that has not been inspected in decadesCPSC says an inspection is overdue if the last one was 40 or more years ago, and This Old House lists pre-1970s wiring as a reason to call.
  Licensed electrician

Safe to try first

• Reset a tripped breaker once: open only the hinged panel door, stand to the side, turn your face away, push the handle firmly to OFF, then ON. Never remove the metal cover behind the door.
• Reset a GFCI, and look for a tripped GFCI upstream in a bathroom, kitchen, garage, basement or outside. Press TEST, then RESET, once a month.
• Unplug devices, add them back one at a time to find a bad one, and spread heavy appliances across different circuits.
• Use a plug-in outlet tester, or a non-contact voltage tester checked on a known live outlet before and after. A quiet tester is not proof an outlet is safe.
• Tighten or replace a bulb with the switch off and the bulb cool, and use LEDs marked dimmable on a dimmer.
• On a ceiling fan, check the wall switch, the pull chain and the remote's batteries and range.
• Test smoke alarms monthly, replace their batteries, and replace a battery-only alarm 10 years after its manufacture date.

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