Electrical Diagnostic!
Waived When We Do the Repair
$49
Electrical Diagnostic — Waived With Repair
Grounded replacements for two-prong outlets, GFCI protection, dimmers, USB outlets and smart switches — installed safely.
Switches and outlets are the parts of the electrical system you touch every day, and they are also where a surprising number of problems first announce themselves. A warm faceplate, a plug that falls out under its own weight, a switch that has to be held in position — these are early symptoms of connections that are failing behind the wall.
They are also the most common target for DIY work, which is why they are where we find the most alarming things. Back-stabbed connections that have worked loose, missing grounds, outlets fed by two different circuits sharing a neutral, and three-prong receptacles installed on ungrounded two-wire cable so the outlet accepts a modern plug while providing no actual ground.
That last one is worth dwelling on, because it is extremely common in older Seattle homes and it is quietly deceptive. The outlet looks modern and accepts a grounded plug, but there is no grounding conductor behind it. Every surge protector plugged into it is doing nothing at all, because surge protectors need a ground to divert energy into.
Straightforward work done properly, and the awkward jobs other people skip.
The right fix depends on what is behind the wall — a genuine ground run, or GFCI protection with correct labelling where a ground is not available.
Required protection for kitchens, bathrooms, garages, basements, crawl spaces and any exterior outlet.
New receptacles where you actually need them, so extension cords and daisy-chained power strips can go away.
LED-compatible dimmers correctly matched to the fixture, which is what stops the flickering and buzzing people blame on the bulbs.
Smart devices need a neutral in the box, which many older Seattle homes lack. We sort that out rather than leaving it half-installed.
Built-in USB-A and USB-C receptacles for bedside tables, kitchens and desks — no more wall-wart clutter.
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Waived When We Do the Repair
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Electrical Diagnostic — Waived With Repair
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These are not cosmetic complaints. Each one indicates a connection failing behind the wall.
An outlet should always be at room temperature. Warmth means resistance, and resistance means heat building behind the drywall.
Scorching around the slots is evidence that arcing has already happened. Stop using it and have it replaced.
Worn contacts no longer grip the blades, so the connection arcs intermittently every time the appliance draws current.
Any sensation when touching a plug, faceplate or appliance indicates a grounding fault. Never dismiss this one.
Not safely, and not legally on its own. Fitting a three-prong receptacle to ungrounded two-wire cable creates an outlet that accepts a grounded plug while providing no ground at all — which is more dangerous than the two-prong outlet it replaced, because it hides the problem. The correct remedies are running a proper ground, or installing GFCI protection with the code-required "No Equipment Ground" labelling. We will tell you which applies in your home.
Almost always a compatibility mismatch. Older dimmers were designed for the constant resistive load of incandescent bulbs, and LEDs draw a fraction of that, which many older dimmers cannot regulate smoothly. The fix is a modern LED-rated dimmer matched to your specific fixtures — not, as people often try first, another set of bulbs.
The usual reason is a missing neutral wire. Most smart switches need constant power to run their radio, which requires a neutral conductor in the switch box. Homes wired before the 1980s frequently have switch loops with no neutral present. We can either run a neutral to the box or specify a smart switch designed to work without one.
The code does not set a fixed number for residential general-purpose circuits, but practical load does. The far more useful question is what is plugged in. Kitchens, home offices and workshops need dedicated circuits regardless of outlet count, and if you are relying on power strips or extension cords, the honest answer is that the room needs another circuit rather than another outlet.
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Book a licensed electrician for a $49 diagnostic — waived when we do the work. Multiple outlets handled in one visit.
*Disclaimer: Cannot apply to any other offers and offers cannot be combined. Offers cannot be applied to dispatch fee. No cash value. Present discount at the time of service. Call for details.