Outlets, Switches, Lights and Ceiling Fans in Tampa Bay

Most electrical calls are small: an outlet that stopped working, a GFCI that trips every time it rains, a fixture or a ceiling fan that needs to go up, a room that needs one more circuit. Small does not mean simple. Behind a plate in a 1950s block house there may be aluminum wire, no ground, or a box that was never meant to hold a fan.

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Warm, dead or scorched outlets

An outlet that feels warm, smells hot, or shows brown marks around a slot has a loose or failing connection. Stop using it. The fix is at the connection, and in houses with aluminum branch wiring, it has to be done with methods made for aluminum, not a standard device and a twist.

A whole string of dead outlets usually traces back to one connection upstream, often a "backstabbed" outlet where the wire was pushed into a hole in the back instead of wrapped on a screw. An electrician finds the first dead outlet on the run and works from there.

Two-prong outlets

Many older Tampa and St. Petersburg houses still have two-prong outlets on ungrounded wiring. Swapping in a three-prong outlet without a ground is a code violation and a four-point inspection finding. The options are a new grounded circuit, or GFCI protection with the outlet labeled "No Equipment Ground", which the electrical code allows as a replacement.

GFCIs that trip

GFCI protection is required in bathrooms, kitchens, garages, laundry areas and outdoors. One that trips in the rain is usually seeing water in an outdoor box or a cover that does not seal. One that trips when a particular appliance runs may be catching a real fault in that appliance. Replacing a tripping GFCI with a plain outlet removes the protection and leaves the fault.

Fixtures, fans and new circuits

A ceiling fan needs a box listed to carry a fan; a light-fixture box is not enough, and the fan's weight and wobble loosen it over time. Outdoor fixtures in salt air or sprinkler spray need wet-location ratings and covers.

New circuits, added outlets on new wiring, and work in a new room are permitted jobs. Replacing a device on an existing circuit usually is not; the electrician knows which side of that line a job falls on.

• Dead, warm or loose outlets and switches
• GFCI and arc-fault protection where the code asks for it
• Ceiling fans on fan-rated boxes
• Recessed, pendant and outdoor lighting
• Dedicated circuits for a microwave, a second refrigerator in the garage, a window unit or a workshop