Safety First
Nothing to Try at Home
Leave it alone and call. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour, and real emergencies go first.
5 Stars
Rated Crew · 2,500+ Homes
A buzz or crackle at the switch is arcing inside it. Stop flipping it, breaker off, call.
Three causes cover almost every call we get for this.
Forty-year-old switches arc internally every flip. Replacement is quick.
A dimmer on more wattage than it is rated for, or on bulbs it cannot control, buzzes and runs hot.
A screw that backed off or a backstab that let go. Heats and arcs under load.
Leave it alone and call. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour, and real emergencies go first.
We shut the circuit off, open the box, replace the switch or dimmer with one rated for the load and the bulbs, re-terminate the connections, and check for heat damage before closing it up.
Online or by phone. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour.
Traced to the box or device it lives in. Exact price before any work, you approve it first.
Right parts, tested under load, next connection checked so it does not come back.
A light switch that is hot, buzzes, crackles, or sparks when you flip it is arcing — either inside a worn switch or at a loose connection in the box. A dimmer running near its rated load can feel slightly warm; a standard switch should feel like the wall. Stop using it, turn off the breaker for that circuit, and have it replaced — arcing in a switch box ignites the box and the framing behind it.
Hot, crackling or sparking: breaker off and call today. A faint buzz from a dimmer with no heat: book this week.
Same-day priority for anything hot or sparking. Call (206) 486-6373.
Exact price before any work starts, after we open the box.
Yes — tell us when you book and we bring one that works with your wiring.
Licensed electricians across South King and Pierce County. Exact price before any work starts.