What r/askanelectrician keeps coming back to
Complaints raised here by more than one person. One-off posts are not included.
131 recurring problems · 721 threads read · read since September 2026 · Reddit
Raised more than once here
Most people first.
- 111How to handle a bad contractor who won't fix poor work“I'm currently in a dispute with a kitchen fitter one of my main issues is that contractor electrician he used left my thermostat controller in this state, not sure what they've done to the backplate.”
- 57How do I know if I can DIY a repair or need a pro?“When I switch on the outside light using switch on the R, I hear a sizzling sound so wanted to replace it. Have been reading a lot to figure this out but still confused on this setup.”
- 48Water keeps getting in the house during heavy rain“There's standing water at the top of the lower pipe. This has happened before when it rains.”
- 36How to get a contractor to fix damage they caused“I’m doing some remodeling and asked the electrician to add an outlet for a mounted TV. I assumed he’d pull the outlet and fish the line through, but he made this cut just above the lower outlet.”
- 27Electrician installed an outlet instead of a generator inlet box“Not 100% sure what’s going on here…”
- 26Is newly finished contractor work actually acceptable?“They ran the metal conduit all the way along pretty much the ground here. This seems unsafe given water, snow, shoveling...all kinds of things.”
- 24Why is every online artisan marketplace full of fake and AI items?“Wouldn’t trust a no name amazon Non-UL/CSA certified device.”
- 24Why doesn't my replacement part fit or match the wiring?“I now have to connect the corresponding live and neutral wires from the plug to this connector. Only it seems that the letters on the black plastic base of the connector are telling me to connect my black to white, and my white to the black.”
- 21Why does running multiple appliances trip the circuit breaker?“we blow a breaker maybe once a month/month and a half.”
- 17Why are all my house lights flickering?“Lately, we've taken to running around like musical chairs hitting all the switches until one finally works OR having to sit there at one switch and press it on & off over and over until it clicks just right and it turns on.”
- 16How to replace two-prong outlets with three-prong without rewiring“1950s home with two prong outlets. Can I add a new 3 prong and ground it to the receptacle box? I believe the ultimate fix is to rewire the home but I would prefer not to do that if possible.”
- 16How to know if my home renovation budget is realistic“I’m comfortable doing most of this kind of stuff but 200 amp is more than I’m comfortable with and likely will require special tools.”
- 15How to replace a sparking or melted light switch safely“I turned me light on to my bathroom and the lights started flickering and I could hear popping from behind the plate going to the switch.”
- 14Why are service fees so expensive for tiny repairs?“I’m fully expecting to get raked over the coals and get a $500 bill for a ten minute job and two screws…”
- 14Can I drive with a melted diagnostic port wire?“the cable connected to the light bulb was cut off somehow and i js wanna see if I can get that fixed somehow.”
- 13Unexplained clicking or tapping noises inside the walls“a few times a day (inconsistently), there is a loud thunk/knocking noise coming from around our office outlet.”
- 13Is my house support beam strong enough for the load?“I’m just concerned with it being so close to the light that it actually stuck to something electrical rather than a joist?”
- 12Is a melted electrical socket safe to leave until morning?“when I checked behind the sofa the extension plug pin was completely melted and the adaptor was burnt.”
- 12How to remove a stuck light fixture globe“According to this diagram which wires would I connect to black and which to white? And what to do with the extra red?!”
- 12Thermostat showing low voltage and no power“two circuits on separate circuit breakers have been losing power (everything connected to the line) sporadically, sometimes for hours at a time, without their circuit breakers tripping.”
What this forum worries about more than the rest
How much more often a topic shows up here than across every forum we read.
circuit breakers46.1×outlets46.1×ev charging46.1×electricity46.1×