Electrical questions, answered for Blount County.

Turn off the breaker for that circuit, or the main breaker, if you can do it safely, then call an electrician. If there is smoke or fire, get everyone out and call 911.

Don’t keep using the outlet or reset the breaker to “see if it happens again.” A burning smell usually means a connection is overheating, and it can get worse fast.

A warm outlet or switch usually points to a loose connection, an overloaded circuit or a failing device. Unplug what’s on it, turn that circuit off at the panel, and have it checked.

Dimmers can run slightly warm by design, but an ordinary outlet or switch should not feel warm to the touch.

One flickering bulb is usually the bulb or the fixture. Flicker across several rooms, or lights that dim when a big appliance starts, can mean a loose connection in the panel, at the meter or on the utility side, and should be checked soon.

If flickering comes with buzzing, a burning smell or warm devices, turn off the affected circuit if it’s safe and call.

Partial power loss often means a problem with one leg of your service: a failing main breaker, a loose service connection or trouble at the meter. Turn off sensitive electronics, and call your utility first, since the issue may be on their side.

If the utility finds their side is fine, an electrician needs to look at the meter base and panel. Don’t open the panel cover yourself.

Stay at least 30 feet away from the line and anything touching it, keep others and pets away, and call your utility or 911. Assume every downed line is live.

If a line falls on your car while you’re in it, stay inside unless there’s a fire, and call 911.

Resetting once is fine. If it trips again, leave it off and call an electrician. A breaker that keeps tripping is doing its job, warning you of an overload, a short or a ground fault.

Yes, as one layer of protection. A surge protective device at the panel limits surges coming in from lightning and utility switching, protecting appliance and HVAC electronics. Pair it with good plug-in surge protectors for computers and TVs.

No device can stop a direct lightning strike, but most damage comes from smaller, more frequent surges that a whole-home unit handles well.

Unplug expensive electronics without surge protection if a strong storm is coming, and don’t use corded devices plugged into the wall during lightning. After an outage, turn on major appliances a few at a time when the power comes back.

Use a transfer switch, or a generator inlet box with a listed interlock on your panel, installed by a licensed electrician. That way the house can never be connected to the generator and the utility at the same time.

Never back-feed through a dryer or range outlet with a double-male “suicide cord.” It can electrocute you, a lineworker or a neighbor, and it can start a fire.

Outdoors, well away from the house, and never in a garage, carport, porch or crawlspace, even with the door open. Keep it away from windows, doors and vents, and have working carbon monoxide alarms inside.

It depends on the generator’s rating. Typical priorities are the refrigerator and freezer, a few lights and outlets, the furnace fan, and a well pump if you have one. An electrician can help you pick which circuits to connect so you stay within the generator’s capacity.

Common reasons are a panel brand with a known history of problems, signs of heat or corrosion, no room left for circuits, frequent nuisance tripping, or too little capacity for what you are adding (an EV charger, a heat pump, a shop).

Have an electrician look at it before deciding. Sometimes a failed breaker or loose connection is the real problem, and a full upgrade isn’t needed.

Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels have a long history of reported breaker and bus problems, and many electricians and home inspectors recommend replacing them. If you have one, have it evaluated by a licensed electrician.

Don’t try to inspect inside the panel yourself. The cover is there to keep you away from live parts.

It’s two wires under one breaker terminal that is only listed for one wire. It can loosen and overheat over time. Home inspectors flag it often, and an electrician usually corrects it by adding a pigtail or a separate breaker.

Homes wired with aluminum branch circuits, mostly in the mid-1960s to early 1970s, can have overheating problems at connections. The accepted repairs include copper pigtails with connectors listed for aluminum-to-copper, or rewiring. Have a licensed electrician evaluate it.

Don’t use ordinary wire nuts or standard devices on aluminum wire.

Knob-and-tube wiring, found in homes built before the 1940s, has no ground and is often brittle, overloaded or buried in insulation. Many insurers ask about it. Have it evaluated; in most cases replacing it is the practical answer.

GFCI (ground-fault) protection guards people against shock and is required in wet areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors and basements. AFCI (arc-fault) protection guards against fires from arcing wires and is required in many living areas in new work.

Both can be added with special outlets or breakers. An electrician can tell you what your home needs.

Often, yes, as long as the box is replaced or braced with a fan-rated box. A standard light box isn’t made to hold a fan’s weight and wobble.

If you want the fan and light on separate switches, that may need another conductor run to the switch, or a remote or smart control.

Most wobble comes from unbalanced blades, loose blade screws, or a fan hung on a box that isn’t fan-rated. Tighten the blade screws and try a balancing kit. If the box or mount moves at all, turn the fan off and have the mounting fixed.

There’s no single number. A common starting point is spacing cans roughly half the ceiling height apart, then adjusting for the room’s use and for task areas like counters. Modern LED wafer lights make adding them simpler and cooler-running than old cans.

Only if a ground is present or you add one. Putting a three-prong outlet on an ungrounded circuit without a ground is unsafe and not allowed. Installing a GFCI and labeling it “No equipment ground” is an accepted, code-recognized option.

Many older dimmers were made for incandescent bulbs. Use LED bulbs labeled dimmable and a dimmer rated for LED loads, and check the dimmer maker’s compatibility list.

In bathrooms, kitchens (countertop outlets), laundry areas, garages, unfinished basements, crawlspaces, outdoors, and near sinks, hot tubs and pools. Requirements have expanded over the years, so an older home may need more of them than it has.

A dedicated 240-volt circuit sized to the charger, usually 40 to 60 amps, and enough capacity in your panel and service to carry it. An electrician will do a load calculation first.

If the panel is full or the service is small, a load-management device or a panel change may be part of the plan.

Many do. Microwaves, dishwashers, disposals, refrigerators, window or mini-split AC units, freezers, and workshop tools usually need their own circuit. The manufacturer’s installation sheet lists the requirement.

It depends on open spaces in the panel and on the total load the service can carry. An electrician can do a load calculation based on your house size and appliances and tell you what fits.

Most need a dedicated 240-volt circuit sized to the manufacturer’s spec, GFCI protection, and a disconnect within sight of the tub but a required distance from it. This is licensed-electrician work.

The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, part of the Department of Commerce & Insurance, issues electrical contractor licenses and the Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) license. You can look up any license at verify.tn.gov.

Some cities and counties also have their own licensing or registration rules for work inside their limits.

An LLE is a state license from the Board for Licensing Contractors for electrical work on jobs under $25,000. Jobs of $25,000 or more require a licensed contractor with the electrical classification.

Cross Creek Electric’s owner holds Tennessee LLE #63991, active, which you can confirm on verify.tn.gov.

Search the name or license number at verify.tn.gov, Tennessee’s official license lookup. Check that the license is active and is the right type for the size of your job, and ask for proof of insurance.

Most electrical work beyond replacing like-for-like devices needs a permit and inspection in Tennessee. Inside Maryville and Alcoa, start with the city. In unincorporated areas, electrical permits and inspections generally go through the state. A licensed electrician should confirm which office covers your address.

Ask whether they are licensed for your job size, and get the license number; whether they carry liability insurance; whether a permit is needed and who pulls it; and what’s included in the price. Get it in writing before work begins.

Swapping a bulb or resetting a breaker, yes. Panel, service, feeder and new-circuit work, no. Those jobs carry real shock and fire risk, usually need a permit and inspection, and should be done by a licensed electrician.