EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL SERVICES IN FORT MYERS | CoHarbor Electric

EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL SERVICES IN FORT MYERS

If you’ve lived in Fort Myers long enough, you already know electrical emergencies rarely happen on quiet Tuesday mornings when everything’s calm. They happen at 9 p.m. during a thunderstorm. They happen when you’re cooking dinner for family. They happen right before guests check in to a rental. They happen at the worst possible moment.

And as a master electrician who’s responded to more electrical emergencies than I can count—McGregor, Colonial, Treeline, Gateway, downtown condos, waterfront homes, restaurants in the River District—you start to develop a real understanding of how urgent these situations can be.

When the power cuts out unexpectedly or a breaker won’t reset or there’s a burning smell coming from a wall, the last thing you want is delay or guesswork. You want someone who knows how to diagnose the problem safely, quickly, and professionally.

Emergency electrical work is not like routine repair. The problems are often active, dangerous, and unpredictable. That’s why we approach every emergency call with calm, experience, and a systematic process built from years of dealing with electrical crises across Fort Myers.

At Coharbor Electric, when you call us for an emergency, we treat it like one.

WHAT COUNTS AS AN ELECTRICAL EMERGENCY?

Some people hesitate to call because they don’t want to “bother” an electrician unless it’s truly life-or-death. But electrical systems don’t always give you clear warnings. What feels like a minor inconvenience can actually be the system’s way of telling you something is heading toward failure.

Here are the most common emergencies we handle in Fort Myers:

1. Burning Smells or Smoke

This is one of the most dangerous signs you can get. Burning plastic or electrical odor usually means:

• Overheated wiring

• Melting insulation

• Arcing connections

• Loose neutrals causing heat buildup

• A failing breaker

• Overloaded circuits

If you ever smell burning or see smoke, treating it as an emergency isn’t optional.

2. Breakers That Won’t Reset or Keep Tripping

A tripping breaker is doing its job, but a breaker that won’t reset or trips repeatedly needs immediate attention.

Possible causes include:

• A direct short

• Overheating wiring

• Damaged conductors

• Failing equipment

• A compromised breaker

• Lightning damage

You don’t want to guess your way through this one.

3. Partial or Total Power Loss

If half the house goes dark or certain rooms lose power:

• A main neutral issue

• A burnt connection inside the panel

• A loose feeder

• Water intrusion

• A GFCI cascade failure

We diagnose these constantly after storms.

4. Sparks, Popping Sounds, or Visible Arcing

Sparks don’t happen for “no reason.” They come from:

• Loose wiring

• Corroded contacts

• Failing switches

• Short circuits

• Damaged outlets

• Overloaded circuits

Every spark is a warning sign.

5. Electrical Damage After a Storm

Fort Myers storms are fierce. We’ve seen:

• Panels filled with moisture

• Breakers blown by surges

• GFCIs fried across multiple rooms

• Hidden wiring damage

• Outdoor equipment full of water

Storm-related electrical problems need professional eyes immediately.

6. Flooded Electrical Components

Water and electricity don’t negotiate. They react. If flooding hits:

• Outlets

• Breakers

• Wiring

• Appliances

• Pool equipment

You need an emergency inspection before restoring power.

7. Repeated Flickering or Dimming Lights

This one doesn’t seem “emergency-level” to some people, but when lights flicker heavily or repeatedly, it’s often caused by:

• A failing main breaker

• A loose neutral

• An overloaded panel

• Utility-side problems

We’ve traced flicker issues that were minutes away from becoming panel fires.

8. Hot Electrical Components

No electrical device in your home should feel hot to the touch—not outlets, not switches, not breakers.

Heat = resistance, and resistance = danger.

WHY ELECTRICAL EMERGENCIES ARE SO COMMON IN FORT MYERS

Fort Myers has all the ingredients for electrical emergencies:

Humidity:
Moisture corrodes wire connections inside panels, outlets, switches, and fixtures.

Lightning:
Our city ranks among the highest in lightning strikes, which wreak havoc on electrical systems.

Older homes:
Many were built before modern electrical demands.

Salt in the air:
Coastal properties deteriorate faster—panels rust, wires corrode.

High AC usage:
Summer loads strain older wiring and unmaintained panels.

Remodel after remodel:
Every “quick” renovation adds complexity to electrical systems.

Storm seasons:
Hurricanes and tropical storms cause power surges, flooding, and infrastructure damage.

So when an electrical system in Fort Myers starts acting strange, it’s not paranoia—it’s your instincts picking up on the environmental realities we live with.

OUR APPROACH TO EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL WORK

Emergency calls require a different kind of mindset. You’re not just diagnosing—you’re stabilizing a situation that may still be dangerous.

Here’s how we handle emergency troubleshooting:

1. Assess the immediate hazard
Is there smoke? Heat? Overheating wiring? Active arcing? We secure the area first.

2. Evaluate the electrical system from the panel outward
Most emergencies trace back to:

• The panel

• A junction box

• A damaged circuit

• Lightning surge

• Overload

• Moisture intrusion

3. Use professional-grade diagnostic tools
Thermal detection, continuity testing, load testing, voltage tracing—you name it.

4. Locate the failure point
Sometimes it’s obvious. Sometimes it takes serious detective work. As electricians, we read the clues.

5. Perform immediate corrective action
The priority is safety—stopping the hazard, securing the wiring, stabilizing the system.

6. Explain everything clearly
We tell you exactly what happened, what caused it, and what needs to happen next.

Electrical emergencies can be stressful, so we take on the role of both technician and guide.

WHERE WE PROVIDE EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL SERVICE IN FORT MYERS

We respond to emergencies in:

• Homes

• Condos

• Vacation rentals

• Apartments

• Restaurants

• Shops

• Warehouses

• Medical facilities

• Offices

• Industrial spaces

And neighborhoods including:

• McGregor

• Iona

• Downtown

• Colonial Blvd

• Gateway & Treeline

• San Carlos Park

• Three Oaks

• Whiskey Creek

• North Fort Myers

Electrical emergencies don’t discriminate—they happen in every type of property.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT – EMERGENCY SERVICE CALL IN FORT MYERS

A homeowner in the Cypress Lake area called late one evening because they heard popping sounds from their electrical panel. When we arrived, we smelled the faintest hint of burnt plastic—a sign you never ignore.

Inside the panel, we found:

• A loose neutral connection glowing with heat

• A breaker partially melted into the bus bar

• Rust creeping up from the bottom of the panel

• Several breakers showing lightning damage

• A badly overheated main lug

This wasn’t just a minor repair. It was an active fire hazard.

We shut everything down safely, replaced the failed breakers, corrected the panel connections, cleaned corrosion, installed surge protection, and scheduled a full panel upgrade.

The homeowner said afterward:
“We had no idea how close we were to something serious.”

Most people don’t—until the system gives a loud warning.

FAQS

Q: What should I do before calling for emergency service?
If safe, turn off power to the affected area. Then call us.

Q: Are burning smells always an emergency?
Yes. Burning or melting smells need immediate attention.

Q: Why do electrical emergencies happen suddenly?
They often build up slowly, then hit a tipping point.

Q: Can storms cause hidden electrical problems?
Absolutely—lightning weakens wiring and breakers without fully destroying them.

Q: Will you fix the issue on the spot?
We stabilize the system first, then repair if safe to do so.

READY FOR FAST, PROFESSIONAL EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL SERVICE?

Electrical emergencies aren’t something to wait on. If something feels off—or if your system is actively failing—we’re here to help.
Reach out to Coharbor Electric for emergency electrical service anywhere in Fort Myers or the surrounding areas.

When the power fails, the lights flicker, or something sparks, you need experience—not guesswork. We’ll get you safe, stable, and back up and running.