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Power loss starts with whose outage this is
A dark house is not automatically an electrician job. If the street is dark, start with the utility. If your house is the only one out — or half of it is — the fault is on your side of the meter, and that is this job.
The street is dark
That is a utility outage until proven otherwise. Check SMUD, PG&E, or Roseville Electric before anyone opens a panel.
Your house only, or half of it
Neighbors still have power. The fault is on your side — a main that will not hold, a failed connection, or a circuit that went down. Heat, smell, or sparking makes it emergency electrical.
One breaker, the rest of the house fine
That is breaker tripping, not a service outage. Do not treat a single trip as a dark house.
Half-house power loss and a dark whole house are different faults
What stayed on is as useful as what went off. That map decides where we start.
Half the house, or one floor
Often one hot of a 120/240 service, or one failed breaker. The rest of the house is a clue, not a reason to wait. A single breaker that will not hold is circuit breaker repair after the cause is named.
Everything is out
The main, the meter, or the service entrance. We still confirm the utility is actually on at the street before treating it as equipment.
When power loss isn’t the right job
A dark room is not always this call. Tell us the map — dark vs on, you vs the street — and we will put you on the right job.
Heat, smell, or sparking
Isolate and call as emergency electrical. Do not keep resetting anything that is hot.
You want power when the utility is down
That is backup power — transfer equipment, not a repair of tonight’s outage.
Partial or complete power loss questions
The whole neighborhood is dark. Do I call you?
Start with the utility. If the street is dark, it is their outage until the lights next door come back and yours do not.
Half the house is out. Is that an emergency?
If there is no heat, smell, or sparking, it is urgent diagnosis, not always a 24-hour isolate. Heat or smell is emergency electrical — call and say what you can see.
Should I reset the main breaker?
Once, if it is off and nothing is hot. If it will not hold, leave it off. Repeated resets on a main are how a bad connection gets worse.
Can a generator cover this while you find it?
A portable generator is not a repair. If you want listed backup, that is backup power. For tonight’s outage, isolate first.
Why has my electrical outlet randomly lost power?
A GFCI tripped farther up the circuit, a loose feed, or a failed outlet.
Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.Want the detail? One room losing power
Helpful guides
One room losing power
If one room goes dark and the rest of the house is fine, the fault is usually on one branch circuit — a breaker, a hidden GFCI, or a loose connection. Call (279) 972-9272.
Read guideOutage: utility or home?
A broad outage usually starts with the utility. A partial outage or a condition isolated to one property may need an electrician.
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.
- 01
You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.
- 02
We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.
- 03
Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.
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- CSLB #1115460 · C-10 electrical