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Burning smell or sparking is urgent — isolate and call
A burning or plastic smell, visible sparking, or a device hot to the touch is not a wait-until-Monday problem. Isolate what you can without touching damaged equipment and call. The line is available 24 hours.
At an outlet or switch
Unplug what you can. Leave that device off. Do not keep using it to “see if it stops.”
At the panel
Leave the affected breaker off. Heat at the bus is a condition — often the panel itself, not a new device.
If there is fire or smoke you cannot control
Call emergency services first. Then call us.
Burning smell: leave it unused, leave the breaker off, do not wait until morning
A burning smell is urgent until it is isolated. Unplug what you can. Leave the affected breaker off. Do not reset a hot circuit. The line is available 24 hours.
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Do not wait until morning
If you can still smell it, see sparking, or feel heat, isolate and call.
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Do not reset it
Resetting a hot circuit is how a smell becomes a fire. Leave it off.
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Say where it is
Outlet, switch, or the panel. Once it is isolated, what we find decides the repair.
When the smell is a different job
Once it is isolated, what we find decides the job. Call and say where it is — outlet, switch, or the panel — so we are not starting from a generic “electrical smell.”
The panel itself is damaged
Panel replacement — heat, melting, or a bus that has already been compromised.
One breaker or one circuit
Circuit breaker repair after it is safe to open.
Burning smell or sparking questions
Can I wait until morning?
Not if you can still smell it, see sparking, or feel heat. Isolate and call emergency electrical. The line is available 24 hours.
Should I reset the breaker that tripped?
No. Leave it off. Resetting a hot circuit is how a smell becomes a fire.
It smelled once and stopped.
Still have it looked at. A connection can cool and still be damaged. Say what you smelled and where.
Is this a new outlet, or a repair?
A smell is a repair until proven otherwise. Do not replace the device yourself to “clear” it.
Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.Want the detail? Buzzing electrical panel
Helpful guides
Buzzing electrical panel
A faint steady hum is not the same as a new, loud, crackling, or load-dependent buzz. The pattern — and whether there is heat or odor — decides how urgent it is.
Read guideBurning smell at an outlet
A burning or fishy smell at an outlet, switch, or breaker panel is overheating until proven otherwise. Stop using it. Isolate if you can. Then have the source found.
Read guide
Serving 19 communities across the Sacramento area
Litel Electric serves homeowners throughout all 19 communities in our service area — from Davis and Woodland to Roseville, Folsom, and Elk Grove.
Get estimate
Tell us what is happening, or what you are planning. We read the details, tell you what else we need to know, and explain the next step before anything is scheduled.
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You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.
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We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.
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Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.
- hi@litelelectric.com
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- CSLB #1115460 · C-10 electrical