Straight answers for Charleston homeowners.

If one light flickers, check the bulb and the dimmer first. If lights flicker in several rooms, or when the AC kicks on, you likely have a loose connection somewhere in the circuit, panel, or service, and it should be checked.

LED bulbs on older dimmers are the most common cause of single-fixture flicker; an LED-rated dimmer usually fixes it. House-wide flicker points to a loose neutral or a worn connection at the panel or meter, and in Charleston's salt air, corroded outdoor connections are a frequent culprit. Loose connections create heat, so don't let widespread flicker go.

The most common reason is a tripped GFCI outlet somewhere else on the circuit. Check every GFCI in the bathrooms, kitchen, garage, laundry, porches and outside, and press Reset.

In many Lowcountry homes, one GFCI in the garage or on a porch protects outlets in several rooms. If resetting doesn't help, the break is usually a loose wire at the dead outlet or the one before it. We track those down quickly.

A breaker trips because of an overload (too much running at once), a short circuit, or a ground fault. Occasionally the breaker itself has worn out.

If it trips when a space heater, window unit or hair dryer runs, that's usually an overload; a dedicated circuit fixes it. If it trips immediately after you reset it, something is shorted, so leave it off and call. Never put in a bigger breaker to stop the tripping: the wire behind it is only rated for the original size.

Often it's the wrong type of switch. Lights controlled from two places need a pair of 3-way switches (or a 3-way-rated smart dimmer); a single-pole switch or dimmer installed there will act erratically or not at all.

We see this a lot in newly purchased homes, where a previous owner swapped devices without matching the wiring. Other causes are LED bulbs that aren't dimmable or a dimmer that isn't LED-rated. The fix is usually quick once the circuit is traced.

A warm outlet or switch usually means a loose connection, an overloaded device, or a failing dimmer. Stop using it and have it checked.

Dimmers can be slightly warm to the touch, but regular outlets and switches should never be. Heat at a connection gets worse as it oxidizes and can eventually melt the device. Turn off the breaker if the plate is hot, discolored, or smells like burning plastic.

That pattern usually means a loose or broken neutral, either in your panel or on the utility side. Turn off sensitive electronics and call right away.

A lost neutral lets voltage swing high on some circuits and low on others, which can damage appliances and electronics. If you're served by Dominion Energy, Berkeley Electric Cooperative, or another co-op, contact them as well. They'll check their connection while we check yours.

Salt air speeds up corrosion on anything metal outdoors: panels, meter bases, outdoor outlets, fixtures, disconnects for AC units, and dock wiring. Corroded connections get hot and fail early.

Near the harbor, on the islands, and along the marsh, we recommend weather-resistant (WR) outlets, in-use covers, stainless or marine-grade fixtures, and periodic inspection of outdoor panels and AC disconnects. Rust on the outside of a panel is often a sign of worse corrosion inside.

Yes, when they're installed correctly. That means fixtures rated for submersion, wiring and boxes rated for wet marine locations, and ground-fault protection as the electrical code requires for docks and boat lifts.

Electricity around water is unforgiving. The National Electrical Code has a whole article (NEC 555) for marinas and docks, including ground-fault protection requirements designed to prevent electric shock drowning. Never swim near a dock whose wiring you're unsure of. We install dock lighting that's built for the tidal environment and inspect existing dock wiring.

Underwater dock lights make your dock safer to use after dark, attract fish and shrimp for an evening show, and give your waterfront a signature look from the water and the house.

LED underwater lights use little power and are designed to handle tidal changes and barnacle growth. We help with placement, controls such as timers, photocells or a switch at the house, and the wiring back to a properly protected circuit.

Install a whole-home surge protector at your panel, and use plug-in surge protectors for TVs, computers, and other sensitive electronics.

Summer thunderstorms along the coast are frequent and intense. A strike doesn't have to hit your house to send a damaging surge through the power, cable or irrigation wiring. A panel-mounted surge protector is an inexpensive way to protect the circuit boards in your HVAC, refrigerator, and washer. We install and inspect them as part of panel work.

Install surge protection, set up a safe generator connection (an inlet box with an interlock or transfer switch), make sure outdoor outlets have GFCI protection and covers, and know where your main breaker is.

Hugo, Matthew, Irma, Ian and Debby all brought extended outages to parts of the Lowcountry. Before a storm, charge devices and unplug electronics. After a storm, stay away from downed lines, and don't re-energize any outlets, panels or equipment that were under water until they've been inspected.

Not until an electrician has inspected anything that got wet. Water leaves salt and silt inside outlets, breakers and panels that can cause shorts or fires later.

In most cases, submerged outlets, switches, GFCIs, breakers and even panels should be replaced, not dried out. If your utility disconnected service because of flooding, repairs may need an inspection before power is restored.

A generator inlet box is a weatherproof outdoor connection that lets you plug a portable generator into your home's panel safely, paired with an interlock kit or transfer switch.

It's the affordable middle ground between running extension cords through a window and buying a whole-home standby generator. You can run the fridge, lights, outlets, fans, and even a well pump or small AC, depending on the generator's size. We walk you through the options before installing.

No. That's called backfeeding, and it's illegal and deadly. It can send power back through the utility lines and electrocute line workers, and it can cause a fire when grid power returns.

The safe way is an inlet box with an interlock or transfer switch, which physically prevents the generator and utility from being connected at the same time.

For essentials like the fridge, lights, fans, and outlets, a 5,000 to 7,500 watt portable generator is usually enough. Running central air typically takes a larger portable unit or a standby generator.

Air conditioners and well pumps need extra power to start, so size for their startup surge, not just their running watts. Tell us what you want to run during an outage, and we'll help you match the generator and connection.

Report outages to your electric provider. Most of Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, West Ashley, James Island and Summerville are served by Dominion Energy South Carolina. Much of Berkeley County and the sea islands is served by Berkeley Electric Cooperative, and parts of the area by Santee Cooper or Edisto Electric Cooperative.

Check your bill if you're unsure who serves you. If your neighbors have power and you don't, check your main breaker first, then call an electrician.

Consider a panel upgrade if your panel is full, rusted, more than 30 years old, warm to the touch, or made by Federal Pacific or Zinsco, or if you're adding a big load like a mini-split, EV charger, pool equipment or an addition.

Mid-century homes in West Ashley, North Charleston and James Island often still have 100-amp panels and brands that insurers and inspectors flag. Corrosion from humidity and salt air is common in garage and exterior panels. We inspect the panel and give you honest options: sometimes a repair or surge protector is all you need.

Yes. Dedicated circuits are one of our most common jobs, including 240-volt circuits for mini-splits, electric ranges in gas-to-electric conversions, garage and workshop outlets, and subpanels for sheds, patios and additions.

Each one starts with checking that your panel has the capacity and space. Then we size the wire and breaker for the equipment's requirements, run it cleanly, and label it in the panel.

A subpanel is a smaller panel fed from your main panel, giving you more breaker spaces in a convenient spot, like a detached garage, shed, workshop, pool area or addition.

It doesn't add capacity to your service. It distributes what you have more conveniently. If your main panel is out of space but has enough capacity, a subpanel is often cheaper than a full upgrade.

Yes. Both have a documented history of breakers that may not trip during an overload or short circuit, which is their one job. Many insurers and home inspectors flag them.

If you're buying a home with one, factor replacement into your plans. If you've lived with one for years without trouble, the risk is still there, because a bad breaker only reveals itself when it's needed.

GFCI protection prevents electric shock by cutting power when current leaks to ground, such as through water or a person. AFCI protection prevents fires by detecting dangerous arcing in damaged wires and loose connections.

GFCI protection is required in wet and damp areas: kitchens, baths, garages, laundry rooms, outdoors, and around pools and docks. AFCI protection is required on most living-area circuits in newer construction and when circuits are extended.

Cost depends on the number of lights, the ceiling access (attic above or not), and whether new switching is needed. Modern LED wafer lights need no bulky housing, which often makes them faster to install than older cans.

We lay out lights for even coverage, add LED-compatible dimmers, and finish the sheetrock cleanly around each light. Porches are a favorite: recessed lighting under a Lowcountry porch ceiling looks sharp and stands up to humidity when rated for damp locations.

Yes. We regularly install fans and chandeliers on vaulted and two-story ceilings, including 25-foot ceilings, with the right ladders, lifts and fan-rated mounting.

Heavy fixtures and fans need a box and brace rated for the weight and motion. For very tall ceilings, we can also add remote or smart controls so you're not relying on a pull chain you can't reach.

Fixtures rated for wet locations with corrosion-resistant finishes, warm color temperatures (around 2700K), and controls such as photocells, timers or motion sensors.

Lantern-style wall and post lights suit Charleston architecture beautifully, and landscape lighting on paths, steps and live oaks adds safety and curb appeal. Near the water, choose marine-grade materials and weatherproof connections so your lighting lasts in the salt air.

Swapping a fixture like-for-like is a reasonable DIY job if you turn off the breaker, verify the power is off, and match the wires correctly. Anything involving new wiring, a new location, or a heavy fixture should go to an electrician.

Common DIY problems we fix: fixtures hung from boxes that can't support them, missing grounds, reversed hot and neutral, and connections left loose inside the canopy. If a new fixture flickers or the switch feels warm, have it checked.

Yes. Pre-closing repair work is a big part of what we do for buyers, sellers, realtors and investors, and we understand closing deadlines.

Common inspection items are missing GFCI protection, double-tapped breakers, open junction boxes, reversed polarity, ungrounded outlets, missing covers, and DIY wiring that isn't to code. Send us the inspection report and we'll quote exactly what's listed.

Historic and mid-century homes often have knob-and-tube or cloth-insulated wiring, two-prong ungrounded outlets, undersized service, too few outlets, and decades of layered repairs.

On the peninsula, historic homes may also involve preservation rules for exterior changes. We evaluate what's there, prioritize safety issues, and upgrade with as little impact on plaster and trim as possible.

They aren't dangerous on their own, but they have no ground, which removes a safety path and keeps surge protectors from working.

The code-approved fixes are running a ground or a new circuit, or installing GFCI protection for the ungrounded outlets, labeled accordingly. Swapping in a three-prong outlet without a ground only hides the problem.

Only if the wiring is failing throughout. Many homes need targeted fixes, such as replacing a few problem circuits, adding grounds, or upgrading the panel, rather than a full rewire.

We'll tell you honestly what we find. If a full rewire is warranted, for example with extensive knob-and-tube or brittle cloth wiring, we plan it room by room to keep the disruption down.

Call right away for a burning smell, smoke, sparks, a hot or buzzing panel, scorched outlets, flickering throughout the house, lights getting unusually bright, water near electrical equipment, or any shock.

If there's smoke or fire, get out and call 911. Otherwise, turn off the affected breaker, or the main if you can't tell which one, and call us.

Every 10 years, even if they still beep when tested. CO alarms should be replaced every 7 to 10 years depending on the model.

Check the date on the back of each detector. Hardwired, interconnected alarms are best, so that when one sounds they all sound. Every bedroom, the hallway outside sleeping areas, and every level should have one.

Yes. We explain our pricing before we start, so there are no surprises.

For repairs, we'll tell you how we charge and what we found before fixing it. For projects like lighting, circuits or panel work, you'll get a clear price for the scope. Customers regularly mention that we walked them through the options before any work began.

It means our job isn't done until your needs are met. If we make a mistake, we'll be transparent about it and do whatever is necessary to fix it.

We do our work to glorify Jesus Christ, and that shapes how we treat your home: showing up on time, explaining what we're doing, cleaning up, and standing behind the result.