Questions, answered plainly

No. I don't do emergency work, evenings, weekends or holidays. For fire or smoke, call 911. For a burning smell, sparks, a hot or scorched panel or outlet, water near wiring or a shock, leave the area; if it is safe to reach, turn off the breaker, then call an emergency electrician. For an outage or a line down, call your power company.

I work alone. Wiring a panel at two in the morning, tired, with no one to check the work, is not careful work. I would rather tell you now who to call than say yes and do a worse job.

Call me on the next working morning and I will look at it. If it is a fire, smoke or burning smell, call 911 first.

Pick the season you want on the contact form, or call in working hours. I will offer dates inside that season and put them in writing with the estimate.

Where the work needs one, I pull the permit and book the inspection. Your town's inspector has the last word on what needs a permit, so I ask before I quote.

The visit has a set fee, written on the estimate and credited to the job if you hire me. Ask what it is when you book.

Yes, if they can wait for a planned day. I group them: a dead outlet, three switches and a fixture can go on one visit. I don't make a trip for one outlet.

It was built for far lighter loads than a house has now. I look at the condition of what is actually in your walls instead of guessing from the date: some of it can stay, some of it can't. I write up what I find, and your insurer can tell you what it requires.

Often the first step is a load check: adding up what the panel serves now and what you want to add. Sometimes it fits, sometimes it needs a bigger service. I tell you which before I write the estimate.

I hold a Maine master electrician license. The number is in the footer of every page, and you can look it up on the state's licensing site. Ask for the insurance certificate before work starts.

Yes. Text a photo of the panel door, its labels and your meter. It helps me plan the visit. I read texts in working hours.