You expect your electricity to work. It keeps your home lit and warm, helps you dry your clothes and cook your meals, and powers your entertainment — and maybe even your Rivian R1T electric truck. Your electricity is reliable and safe, and you typically only call an electrician to make a minor repair or simple electrical upgrades for your home.

But on those rare occasions when you need an emergency electrician, you really need one. Whether it’s a power outage or an electrical fault, you should get on the phone with your Greenville SC Electrician right away to get things fixed. Take a look at the top six reasons you might want to call us at Upstate Electrical Solutions today.

1. Water and Storm Damage

Water and electricity don’t go together. When a storm hits or you experience water leaks or other water damage to your electrical system, you may need to call an emergency electrician even before you try to get the power back on again.

When electrical cables sit in water, they can short circuit. Water damage could require you to change switches, outlets, and wiring throughout your home. Live wires that touch water can cause electrocution, and fires can begin inside your walls where you can’t even see them. If lightning is involved, the damage can be severe indeed.

Even a burst water pipe can threaten your electrical system — which in turn can be life-threatening. Call an emergency electrician right away to deal with the immediate danger — and follow up to take care of damaged wiring before you turn your main power on again.

2. Humming and Buzzing

If you hear unusual or unexpected noises from your outlets, switches or lights, you could have a hazardous situation hiding behind your walls. That loud humming or buzzing sound could be a sign of overloaded outlets, wires that aren’t properly grounded, loose wires or connections or worse. Don’t just ignore the sounds. Call an emergency electrician so you can catch the problem before a fire breaks out or before your electrical infrastructure is damaged further.

3. Exposed Wires

Any exposed wires create a danger of fire or electrical shock. You should always assume that an exposed wire has an electrical current running through it unless you’ve turned off the power to your whole home. If you see exposed wires near or in water, the danger is especially high. Step away, turn off power, and call an emergency electrician to get the problem fixed right away.

4. Circuit Breakers That Keep Tripping

When your circuit breakers trip, they’re trying to send you a message: There’s something wrong with your electrical power. Yes, a power surge that affects your whole neighborhood could shut off your electricity. But if you notice your breakers tripping frequently, it’s time to sit up and pay attention.

That breaker could be letting you know you have an overloaded circuit. It’s possible that you need to upgrade your electrical infrastructure to handle all the demands you’re placing on it — a common situation today. But even if you don’t upgrade, a Greenville SC electrician should come out and assess the situation, so your electrical problem doesn’t worsen

5. Outlets or Switches That Are Hot to the Touch

Have you ever touched a light switch or plugged in an appliance only to feel that the switch or outlet is hot to the touch? You may not have been aware that this is a danger sign — but it is. A hot switch or outlet indicates that there’s an electrical problem. Maybe you have wiring problems, or possibly your circuit is overloaded. Whatever the cause, you need to call an emergency electrician before the situation gets out of control.

6. The Smell of Burning

The smell of burning is never good (unless you have a toasty fire going in your fireplace). Check your kitchen, of course, to make sure nothing’s burning on the stove or in the oven. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to follow your nose and see where the smell is coming from. You may need to call the fire department to come check things out — and your very next call should be to your electrician here in the Greenville SC area. 

We can identify the source of the burning and figure out what you need to do. For example, if it smells like burning plastic, there’s a good chance you have damaged or melted wires. In that case, your call to an emergency electrician may have saved you from an electrical fire. 

At Upstate Electrical Solutions, we can provide you with everything you need for your home’s or business’s electrical system. That includes emergency electrical repair when needed, so call Upstate Electrical Solutions today at 864.531.7855 or contact us for prompt and professional emergency electrical service in the Upstate.