Partial power loss, dead outlets and flickering lights traced and repaired by a licensed electrician in Pinellas and Tampa Bay: we find where the power stops, whether it is a GFCI, a burned connection, a failed breaker or a lost leg of your service, and fix the cause.
Request a dead outlet or flickering lights visit
Tell us which rooms or outlets are out, whether any lights are flickering, and your city or ZIP. A licensed electrician will call or text you back.
Call (727) 476-7079 if part of your house lost power · Request service online
Three patterns, three different causes
Where the power is out tells us a lot before we open anything. Most partial outages fall into one of three patterns.
- One room or a row of outlets is dead: usually a tripped GFCI upstream or one loose or burned connection that feeds everything after it
- Half the house is out, scattered across rooms: one leg of the 240-volt service is missing; 240-volt appliances like the AC, dryer and range may hum or not run at all
- Lights flicker, dim or get brighter: a loose connection or a neutral problem, at a fixture, in the panel or on the service
Check these first
- Ask the neighbors or the power company: if nearby homes have the same problem, it is likely on the utility side, and they need to fix it
- Note which outlets are dead: bathrooms, kitchen counters, the garage, the laundry and outside walls are often on GFCI protection, and one tripped GFCI can kill outlets in other rooms. Tell us which ones when you call
- Look at the panel without opening it: a tripped breaker sits in the middle or off position. Note which one and leave it off
- Unplug heavy loads on the dead circuit, like space heaters, hair dryers or a window AC
Don’t keep resetting a breaker that trips. Our breaker repair and tripping breaker page explains why.
When it is urgent
Some partial outages are a safety issue, not just an inconvenience. Shut off the main breaker if you can do it safely and call us right away if lights get brighter when something turns on, an outlet or switch is hot or discolored, you smell burning plastic, or you hear buzzing or crackling at the panel. These can be signs of a lost neutral or a burning connection. Our 24/7 emergency electrician team takes those calls day and night.
How we trace a partial outage
- Map what is dead: we test outlets and lights room by room and match them to circuits in the panel
- Test the service: voltage on both legs and the neutral at the main, so we know if the problem is inside your house or upstream
- Follow the circuit: from the last working outlet to the first dead one, where a loose push-in connection or burned splice is usually found
- Check the attic and junction boxes: older homes and past remodels often hide splices without boxes, taped connections or rodent damage
- Repair the cause: remake connections on proper terminals, replace damaged outlets, boxes or breakers, and retest the whole circuit
If the problem is a breaker that has failed, a panel connection or the service itself, we explain the options. For a wider look at the home, see our electrical repair and troubleshooting page.
Flickering lights: fixture, circuit or service?
One flickering light is usually the lamp, an LED that does not match its dimmer, or a loose connection in that fixture’s box. Several lights on the same circuit flickering together points to a connection somewhere on that circuit. Lights across the whole house flickering, especially when the AC, dryer or well pump starts, points to the panel or the service connections.
Hot Florida attics and salt air are hard on connections. A loose neutral at the meter or in the panel can cause flickering one week and a partial outage the next, so we check the service equipment too. If the meter base, mast or service wires are worn out, see electrical service upgrades.
Dead outlet jobs from our Service Fusion files
- Seminole, outlet replacement and troubleshooting: dead outlets traced into the attic, where old taped splices were found on the run, then remade and the outlets replaced
- Seminole, water heater and outlet troubleshooting: an old receptacle pulled from a damaged wall box while the outlet circuits and the water heater were tested on one visit
- Palm Harbor, lighting switches and troubleshooting: lighting switch work and troubleshooting on the light circuits
- Riverview, commercial emergency service: an urgent service call at a business, including a damaged weatherproof outlet on a commercial kitchen wall
Many of these calls are close to home: see our Seminole and Largo pages for local work.
Why homeowners call us
Florida licensed electrical contractor EC13014717 · woman-owned · Home Depot preferred contractor · based in Seminole · 2-year workmanship warranty (5 years for Member Care Plan members, who also get 7% off labor and materials) · emergency calls answered 24/7.
Why only part of the house lost power
When some rooms lose power and others do not, the cause is often a tripped breaker or GFCI upstream, a loose neutral, or a problem on one leg of the utility service. A loose neutral can make lights dim or brighten oddly and is a safety risk. We test at the meter and panel to find the cause and coordinate with Duke Energy or TECO if the problem is on their side.
Licensed electrical contractor EC13014717, woman-owned and based at 6248 Seminole Blvd, Seminole. Workmanship carries a 2-year warranty, or 5 years for Member Care Plan members. Call (727) 476-7079 or request service online.
Lights are flickering and some outlets are dead. What should I do? Call us right away. This can be a loose neutral, which needs prompt attention.
FAQ
Why is half my house without power? When half the house is out, and especially when the dead circuits are scattered across rooms, one of the two legs of your service is usually missing. That can be a failed main breaker, a loose connection at the meter or panel, or a problem on the service wires. Call the power company first to rule out their side, then call us.
Why are some outlets not working when the breaker is not tripped? The most common causes are a tripped GFCI outlet somewhere else on the circuit, often in a bathroom, garage or outside, or a loose connection at one outlet that feeds the rest in a row. Breakers can also fail without looking tripped. We find the point where power stops.
Why do my lights flicker or dim when the AC turns on? A brief dim when a big motor starts can be normal. Lights that flicker often, dim a lot, or get brighter in some rooms while others dim usually point to a loose connection or a neutral problem. If lights get brighter, turn off sensitive electronics and call right away.
Are flickering lights an emergency? Flickering in one fixture is usually a bulb, a dimmer or a loose connection and can wait for a scheduled visit. Flickering across the house, lights that get brighter, a burning smell, or warm outlets and switches should be treated as urgent. We answer emergency calls 24/7.
Can I fix a dead outlet myself? No. Opening outlets and splices is live electrical work. Loose and burned connections that cause dead outlets need to be cut back and remade properly, not just pushed back into the box.
Do you charge to find the problem? Yes, a troubleshooting visit is billed as diagnostic time, and we tell you how it works before we come out. Once we find the cause, you get the price for the repair before we do it. No prices are listed on this page.
Outlets not working or lights flickering? Call (727) 476-7079 or request service online.
Related: Residential electrician · Electrical repair & troubleshooting · Breaker repair & replacement · 24/7 emergency electrician · Outlet repair · Knob and tube & cloth wiring