Having electricity is a basic indicator that your home is habitable. Think of the relief you experience when your electricity comes back on after a power outage, and you'll recognize that this is one system you want to keep in good working condition. But your desire to get everything working again is not the same as having an electrical emergency. Emergencies are times when your life, your health, or your home are in danger, or when leaving the power off could cause major problems for you.

Your Power, and Only Your Power, Is Out

If your power goes out, the normal procedure is to check your utility's website for an outage map and call the utility to report the outage if you don't see it listed. However, if you find that only your power is affected (your neighbors' lights are on, for example) and no circuit breaker switches are flipped, you should still call the power company in case the problem lies somewhere else.

But, if they find that the problem appears to be in your home, then they can't really help you. But how is this an emergency for you? If the power company can't help you, you're faced with no way to get your refrigerator working again or your heater or air conditioning going until you restore power. That's when you call an electrician and tell them that something happened to the power in your home. The electricians will send someone out when possible to check out the problem.

You Saw Flames, However Brief

If you plug something in only to see the outlet flame out, you need to call an electrician and possibly the fire department. If you're not sure if the flames subsided, or if you can still see some, call the fire department. If it's clear the flames were brief and are gone, shut off power to that circuit and call an electrician for emergency help. You do not want to have any other outlets suddenly sending flames out when you try to plug something in, so you'll need the wiring checked out.

You Smell Fish, and No One Around You Has Fish

This is a sign that something electrical is overheating, and it's also a sign that you need to call an electrician right away. Go call. Ask if you should turn off any circuits when you call, or if you should leave things alone until the electrician arrives. When something is overheating, you don't want to wait.

Electricians can help you at any time of the day or night. If they're busy, you may have to wait, but they can tell you what to do in the meantime to keep yourself safe.

For more information about 24/7 emergency electric repair, contact a local company.