Common Electrical Problems · Tampa Bay, FL
Why did half my house lose power?
Losing power to about half of your outlets and lights while the rest work is the classic sign of a lost leg of your 240-volt service or a lost neutral. Sometimes one of the two main breaker poles has failed, sometimes the utility connection at the meter or weatherhead has burned open. This condition can send 240 volts to 120-volt appliances and destroy them. Turn off sensitive electronics and call an electrician or your utility right away.
Safe Things to Check First
- Check whether the main breaker is partly tripped
- Turn off TVs, computers and the AC to protect them
- Look for flickering or unusually bright lights (lost neutral)
- Call us or TECO/Duke for a service-side check
If none of that changes anything, stop there. Everything past this point involves live conductors and belongs to a licensed electrician.
When to Stop and Call
- Any smell of hot plastic, any discoloration on an outlet, switch or panel cover
- A breaker that trips again immediately after a reset, or feels hot
- Buzzing, crackling or sizzling from the panel, an outlet or a fixture
- The problem is in a home with a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Challenger or Sylvania panel, or with aluminum branch wiring
- Water has reached any electrical equipment (flooding, roof leak, storm surge)
How We Fix It: 24-Hour Emergency Electrician
Electrical problems do not keep office hours, and some of them cannot wait until morning. A burning smell from an outlet, a breaker that will not reset, a panel that is buzzing or hot, or storm damage to your service mast are genuine safety emergencies. Lightning Bay Electric provides 24-hour emergency electrical service across Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Manatee counties, 7 days a week. A real Tampa Bay electrician answers, walks you through what to do right now, and gets a truck moving. We are family owned and operated, Florida licensed (EC13013571) and insured, and we tell you the price before we start, even at 2 AM. We serve Tampa, Riverview, Brandon, Wesley Chapel, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Lakeland and Bradenton with trucks stocked to finish most repairs in one visit.
Some Electrical Problems Cannot Wait Until Morning
Most electrical work can be scheduled. Some of it cannot. A burning smell coming from a wall, sparks from an outlet, a panel that is humming and warm to the touch, a breaker that trips the instant you reset it, half the house suddenly dead, or a service mast torn off the roof in a storm: these are the calls where waiting until Monday means risking a fire, electrocution or thousands of dollars in destroyed electronics. Lightning Bay Electric runs 24-hour emergency electrical service across Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Manatee counties, seven days a week, holidays included.
We are family owned and operated, based in Tampa, licensed by the Florida DBPR under EC13013571 and fully insured. When you call, you reach a Tampa Bay electrician, not an answering service reading a script. We will tell you immediately what to do to make the situation safe, give you an honest ETA, and dispatch a truck stocked with breakers, devices, wire, connectors and the common panel parts that resolve most emergencies in a single visit.
What to Do Right Now, Before We Arrive
If you see flames or heavy smoke, get everyone out of the house and call 911 before you call anyone else. For anything short of that, the first move is almost always the same: shut off the breaker for the affected circuit, or the main breaker if you cannot tell which one it is. A burning smell, a sparking outlet or a hot switch means a connection is overheating, and removing power stops the heat. Do not reset a breaker that trips instantly; it is tripping because there is a fault, and forcing it closed feeds that fault. Do not touch a panel that is wet or that you can hear arcing inside. Unplug computers, televisions and other sensitive electronics if lights are flickering or brightening, because that pattern can mean a lost neutral pushing high voltage to some outlets.
If a storm has pulled the service mast or meter off the house, or a tree has brought down the drop, stay well away from it, keep everyone clear, and call us and the utility. Do not attempt to push the mast back up. If your home has flooded and water reached the outlets or the panel, do not wade in to reset anything; treat the water as energized until the power is confirmed off. Our troubleshooting page explains what the most common symptoms usually mean, but when in doubt, call (813) 897-2665 and we will walk you through it.
The Emergencies We See Most in Tampa Bay
Lightning and storms drive a huge share of our emergency calls. A strike near the house can blow breakers, destroy the surge device, fry the AC board and leave scorch marks at the meter. Hurricane-force winds rip weatherheads and masts off rooftops across Riverview, Apollo Beach, St. Petersburg and Bradenton every season, and the utility will not reconnect until a licensed electrician has repaired the service. Flooding after Helene and Milton left thousands of panels and outlets submerged in salt water, and a panel that has been under water needs inspection and usually replacement before it can safely carry power again.
Beyond storms, the everyday emergencies are failed main breakers, lost neutrals at the meter or panel that send 200 volts to half the house, overheated aluminum wiring connections in 1970s homes, burned-out backstab connections behind outlets, water heater and AC circuits that have melted their breakers, and old Federal Pacific panels that finally failed to trip. We carry the parts to resolve almost all of these the same night.
Quick Answers
Why did half my house lose power?
Losing power to about half of your outlets and lights while the rest work is the classic sign of a lost leg of your 240-volt service or a lost neutral. Sometimes one of the two main breaker poles has failed, sometimes the utility connection at the meter or weatherhead has burned open. This condition can send 240 volts to 120-volt appliances and destroy them. Turn off sensitive electronics and call an electrician or your utility right away.
What should I do if I smell burning plastic from an outlet?
Shut off the breaker for that circuit, or the main breaker if you cannot identify it, and do not use the outlet. If you see smoke or flame, leave the house and call 911 first. Then call Lightning Bay Electric at (813) 897-2665. A burning smell almost always means an overheating connection, and it needs to be found and repaired before the circuit is used again.
How fast can an emergency electrician reach me in Tampa?
We dispatch from Tampa and typically reach homes in Hillsborough County within 60 to 90 minutes, with Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Manatee a bit longer depending on traffic and the time of night. When you call, we give you a realistic ETA and talk you through making the situation safe while you wait.
How much does an emergency electrician cost?
After-hours emergency calls in Tampa Bay generally start at $250 to $450 for the dispatch and first hour, with repairs priced up front before we begin. We will often make the situation safe tonight and schedule the full repair at a standard daytime rate if that saves you money. No surprise invoices.
Is this an emergency?
If there is a burning smell, visible scorching, smoke, sparking, a hot panel cover or a breaker that will not stay reset, treat it as an emergency: shut the circuit or main off if you can do so safely and call (813) 897-2665. Lightning Bay Electric answers 24 hours a day across Tampa Bay.
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Awesome company to work with. When I called and explain my situation they listened and offered solutions over the phone before immediately sending a tech over. The simple problem was actually fixed over the phone with some guidance from the tech. Very honest and personable. All my electrical needs will be going through lightning bay electric.
Mike is an outstanding electrician and the best in the business. His team is always prompt, reliable, and available whenever we need them, and their customer service is truly exceptional. As the manager of 42 properties, I rely on Mike and his crew for all of our electrical needs. I highly recommend them without hesitation.
So glad I used Lightning Bay Electric. Michael walked me through every step of his process and explained everything to me as he proceeded. I could tell from the start that he was experienced and knowledgeable. He was very comfortable explaining things in layman's terms. They were a pleasure to deal with and I would highly recommend Michael to anyone who needs electrical work done. Thank you Lightning Bay Electric!
Stuck? Call an Electrician.
Family owned, licensed and insured (FL EC13013571), 24-hour emergency service across Tampa Bay. Call (813) 897-2665 and talk to a real electrician.