Repair

When something electrical stops working, you want two things: a straight answer about what went wrong, and a fix you don’t have to think about again. That’s what we do. Kushner Electric is run by Shlomo “Sol” Kushner, a master electrician who has been working in the trade since 1998 and is licensed in Maryland, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County.

What we repair

Most repair calls fall into a few groups:

• Outlets and switches. A kitchen outlet that suddenly went dead, a switch that only works some of the time, an outlet that feels warm or looks scorched.
• Breakers, panels and fuse boxes. Breakers that keep tripping, a panel that’s damaged or worn, or an old fuse box that needs attention.
• Wiring. Damaged cable, aluminum wiring, and wiring that someone else installed incorrectly.
• Lights and lighting circuits. A room where the lights went out, fixtures that flicker, lighting that needs regular maintenance.
• Appliance and equipment circuits. Water heaters, A/C and heat circuits, appliance wiring and generator repairs.
• Low-voltage wiring. Cable TV and telephone lines.

If your problem isn’t on the list, call anyway. Troubleshooting the odd ones is part of the job.

Signs something needs a repair

• A breaker that trips again after you reset it
• Lights that flicker or dim when something else turns on
• Outlets or switches that are warm, discolored, buzzing or loose
• A burning smell near an outlet, switch or the panel
• Part of the house losing power while the rest still works

Don’t ignore these. In older homes especially, we often find that a “small” problem is a sign of something bigger, such as a damaged receptacle, water getting into a box, or earlier work that was never done safely. Finding those before they cause damage is a big part of why customers call us back.

What to expect on the visit

We find the actual cause. We test until we know why it failed, not just which part failed. More than one customer has called us after another electrician couldn’t find the problem.

We explain what we’re doing. Sol talks you through what he finds, what it means, and the options for fixing it, including how each choice affects the cost. Customers mention this more than anything else in their reviews.

We tell you about anything unsafe. If we spot a hazard while we’re there, even one unrelated to the call, we’ll point it out. One customer’s job turned up a problem on the outside of the house that needed Baltimore Gas & Electric, and BGE was out to fix it within about 90 minutes.

We clean up. You get your room back the way it was.

We stand behind our work. If something we fixed fails because of a fault in our work, we’ll come back and make it right.

Emergency repairs

Some problems can’t wait for an appointment. If you’ve lost power to part of the house, smell burning, or see sparks, call us at (410) 999-5375. You can call any time. Our working hours are Sunday through Thursday, 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM, and Friday, 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM; we’re closed on Saturday. Within those hours, we make every effort to get to emergencies quickly.

If you smell burning or see smoke, get everyone out and call 911 first.

Common questions

Can you come out today?

Often, yes. Many of our reviews mention a same-day or next-day visit, but it depends on the schedule that day. Call and we’ll tell you honestly when we can be there.

Do you give quotes before starting?

We’re upfront about pricing and explain the cost before we do the work.

Should I repair or replace an old panel?

It depends on its condition and what your home needs now. Sometimes a repair is the right call; sometimes the panel is worn out or too small. We’ll tell you which and why. Replacements are covered on our Upgrade page.

Something keeps tripping. Is it the breaker or the circuit?

It can be either, which is why we test before we replace anything. If the circuit is simply overloaded, adding a dedicated circuit is often the fix (see Upgrade).

Related services

A repair is a good time to check that the rest of the system is safe. Our Safety page covers whole-house inspections, surge protection and smoke and CO detectors.