HomeServicesRepairs and Troubleshooting
Electrical Repairs and Troubleshooting in Hendricks County
Breakers that trip, outlets that died, lights that flicker, a smell you cannot place. We find the cause with a meter, not a guess, and fix it the same visit whenever the parts are on the van.
Most electrical problems have one cause. The job is finding it.
A breaker that trips every time the microwave and the toaster run together is an overloaded circuit. A breaker that trips with nothing plugged in is a fault. An outlet that quit along with three others is a tripped GFCI somewhere upstream, a backstabbed connection that let go, or a burned neutral. They look alike from the kitchen. They are completely different repairs.
We troubleshoot the way the trade teaches it: isolate the circuit, test at each point, and follow the readings until the fault shows itself. It is faster than opening walls on a hunch and it is why most repair calls end with the problem fixed on the first visit.
Call about any of these
- A breaker trips repeatedly or will not reset
- Outlets or switches are dead, warm, discolored or buzzing
- Lights flicker, dim or brighten on their own
- A burning or fishy smell near an outlet, switch or the panel
- A GFCI that will not reset, or one that trips in the rain
- Half the house lost power and the neighbors did not
- Sparks when you plug something in
- Two-prong outlets, loose plugs, or an outlet that no longer holds a cord
Repairs we make on a typical week
Outlets, switches and GFCI protection
Replacing worn receptacles, converting two-prong outlets, adding or replacing GFCI outlets in kitchens, baths, garages and outdoors, fixing backstabbed connections that failed, and installing dimmers, timers and smart switches with the neutral they need. Outlet and switch work is the most common service call in the GBP services list for a reason.
Tripping breakers and overloaded circuits
We identify what is on the circuit, measure the actual load, and either redistribute it, add a dedicated circuit for the appliance that keeps causing it, or replace a breaker that has gotten weak with age. If the panel itself is the issue, that becomes a panel repair or upgrade conversation, and we say so plainly.
Wiring repair and power restoration
Damaged cable from a nail, a rodent or a bad splice, junction boxes buried in drywall by a previous owner, open neutrals, and partial power outages where one leg of the service has dropped. If the meter base or service mast is the problem, we coordinate the repair with your utility.
Light fixture and fan repair
Fixtures that flicker, fans that wobble or hum, sockets that have overheated, and recessed cans that cycle off on their thermal protector. Often the fix is a proper fan-rated box or the right bulb, and we tell you when it is.
Electrical inspections
A full inspection before you buy, after you buy, or when insurance asks for one. We open the panel, check grounding and bonding, test GFCI and AFCI protection, look at the attic and crawlspace wiring, and give you a written list sorted by what is a safety problem, what is a code update, and what can wait.
What to do before we get there
- If something is hot, smoking or sparking, turn off the breaker for that area. If you cannot tell which one, turn off the main. Call us. If there are flames, call 911 first.
- For a dead outlet, press the reset button on every GFCI outlet you can find, including the garage, bathrooms, kitchen and outside. Around a third of "dead outlet" calls end here.
- For a tripping breaker, unplug what is on that circuit, reset it once, and note whether it holds. Do not keep resetting a breaker that trips immediately.
- Take a photo of the panel label and the problem spot. Texting it to us ahead of time often means the right part is on the van.
Repairs by town
The older housing near the Danville courthouse square keeps us busy with ungrounded outlets and buried junction boxes. In Plainfield's 1970s and 80s ranches we see a lot of aluminum branch wiring and failed backstab connections. The newer subdivisions in Avon and Brownsburg mostly call about nuisance AFCI trips and GFCI outlets that died in the garage.
Repair and troubleshooting questions
We quote the visit before we come out and the repair before we start it. Once we have found the cause we tell you what it will take to fix and what it will cost, and you decide. No work happens without a yes.
Often, yes, especially inside Hendricks County. Anything with a burning smell, sparking or a shock risk is an emergency and gets handled through our 24-hour line. Routine repairs are usually scheduled within a few days.
A GFCI trips when a small amount of current leaks to ground. Common causes are moisture in an outdoor box, a failing appliance on the circuit, a damaged cord, or a worn GFCI that has reached the end of its life. We test the circuit and the devices on it to find which one it is instead of just swapping the outlet.
Not necessarily. Aluminum branch wiring from the late 1960s and 1970s is a fire risk at the connections, not in the runs. The accepted repair is to pigtail every connection with copper using approved connectors, or replace the devices with ones rated CO/ALR. We can inspect, tell you what you have and quote either approach.
Related work and nearby towns
Describe the symptom. We will bring the right parts.
Call for anything hot, smoking or sparking. For everything else, the form gets you a same-day callback to set a time.
(317) 681-2616