Electrical Repairs and Rewiring in Austin

Most repair calls start small: one dead outlet, a light that flickers, a breaker that trips when the microwave and the toaster run together. Finding the cause is most of the work. A dead outlet is often a tripped GFCI two rooms away, a loose connection at the outlet before it, or a breaker that has quietly worn out. Chasing down dead outlets and flickering lights is one of the company’s most common calls.

Repair and Wiring Services

• Dead or loose outlets, and switches that spark, crackle or fail
• GFCI protection for kitchens, baths, garages, laundry areas and outdoor outlets, and AFCI protection for living spaces
• New dedicated circuits and 240-volt circuits for kitchens, garages, shops and home offices
• Two-prong outlets converted to grounded outlets
• Partial or whole-house rewiring
• Added outlets and circuits for remodels and additions, with the patching that follows

Every receptacle that gets touched is tested for correct wiring and grounding before the job is called finished, and GFCI and AFCI devices are tripped with their test buttons to confirm they work.

Wiring Found in Older Austin Houses

Central Austin has bungalows from the 1920s through the 1950s and ranch houses from the decades after. Each era left its own wiring behind.

Swipe left to see the rest of the table.

Wiring type	Typical era	Concern	Options
Knob-and-tube	1900s–1940s	No ground, brittle insulation, often spliced into by later owners	Replace, usually room by room or as part of a remodel
Cloth-sheathed cable	1940s–1960s	Insulation that cracks with age and heat, often no ground	Replace the worst runs, rewire when walls open
Aluminum branch wiring	Late 1960s–1970s	Connections that loosen and overheat	Copper pigtails with rated connectors, or rewire
Ungrounded circuits	Before the 1960s	No path to ground for faults or surge protection	Run a ground, rewire, or GFCI protection labeled as ungrounded

Warning Signs

• Lights that flicker or dim without a reason
• Cover plates or switches that feel warm
• A burning or hot-plastic smell near an outlet or the panel
• Crackling or buzzing from a switch, an outlet or the wall
• Breakers that trip often

A burning smell, scorch marks or crackling are reasons to turn the circuit off and call, not to wait. The Emergencies page covers what to do first.

Repair One Circuit, or Rewire the House?

Fixing the circuit that failed is the right call when the rest of the wiring is sound. Rewiring makes sense when the trouble is the wiring itself. These factors usually decide it:

• Age and type. Knob-and-tube and brittle cloth cable fail along their length, not just at one spot.
• Access. An open attic and a crawlspace make running new cable far simpler than a slab house with finished walls.
• Insurance questions. Some insurers ask about knob-and-tube, aluminum wiring or fuse boxes before they write or renew a policy.
• Remodel plans. When walls are coming open for a kitchen or a bath, rewiring that part of the house costs far less effort than it will later.

Because the company began as a handyman service, the wall openings, patching and finish work that rewiring brings can stay on the same job.

Questions About Repairs and Rewiring