Emergency Electrician in Salmon Arm
No power, sparks, or a burning smell. Call now.
Calls answered 7 days. You can call at any hour.
What counts as an emergency
- Sparks from an outlet, a switch, a fixture, or the panel.
- A burning smell, melted plastic, or a scorch mark.
- A panel or breaker that is hot to the touch, or a panel that is buzzing.
- Power out in the whole house while neighbouring houses still have lights.
- A breaker that trips again the moment it is reset.
A lamp that flickers, a switch that sticks, or one dead outlet in a room can usually wait for daytime. Send the form or call and say it is not urgent. Those jobs are covered on theoutlet and switch,lighting, andpanel pages.
If you see fire, a downed line, or smell gas
Flame or heavy smoke: leave the building and call 911. Do not go back in for the panel. A wire down in the yard or the street: stay at least 10 metres away and call 911 and BC Hydro at 1-800-224-9376. A gas smell: leave, then call 911 and FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from outside. Do not hunt for a switch on the way out. We can look at the wiring after the fire department or the utility says the building is safe.
What to do in the first few minutes
- Leave the panel cover on. Do not pull breakers out or touch bare wire.
- If one breaker will not stay on, leave it off. Unplug what was on that circuit if you can do it without standing in water.
- Switch the main breaker off only when the floor is dry and the handle is on the outside of the cover. If you are unsure, leave it and wait outside.
- Keep people and pets away from a warm outlet or a wet floor near a plug.
- A photo of the panel door, from a safe distance, helps us know what we are walking into.
What to say when you call
Give the town, the street address, and whether anyone is home. Say whether the whole house is dark or only one room, whether anything sparked, and whether you smell burning. Mention a well pump, a hot tub, or a generator if one of those was running when the power failed. Gate codes and dogs in the yard save a wasted trip.
We take that and set the price. After-hours rates are higher than a daytime visit, and the ranges we publish are typical estimates, not a quote. See thetypical electrician costs before you assume a number.
If it can wait until morning
Leave the tripped breaker off and the panel cover on. Do not run a portable generator indoors, and do not plug a generator into a household outlet. That can send power back onto the lines. The safe hookup is on the generator page. If something is still sparking, or you smell burning, call now.
Common questions
What counts as an electrical emergency in Salmon Arm?
Sparks, a burning smell, a scorch mark on an outlet or panel, a panel that is hot, or power out in the whole house when the neighbours still have lights. A flickering lamp or a switch that sticks can usually wait for daytime. A gas smell is different: leave the building, then call 911 and FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911. A downed line is 911 and BC Hydro at 1-800-224-9376. Stay at least 10 metres back.
Can I call an emergency electrician in Salmon Arm at night?
Calls answered 7 days. You can call at any hour. After-hours rates are higher than a daytime visit.
What should I do before we arrive?
Leave the panel cover on. If one breaker trips straight away when you reset it, leave that breaker off. Switch off the main only if the floor is dry and you can reach the handle without opening the cover. If you see flame or heavy smoke, leave and call 911.