The fastest test takes ten seconds: look outside. If the neighbors' lights are on and yours aren't, it's your house, not the grid. That one observation decides who you call.
Next, check your breaker panel. Is it one breaker, or the main? One tripped breaker feeding a dead room is a circuit problem — overloaded, shorted, or a failed breaker. The main breaker tripped is a bigger deal. Try resetting once. If it holds, note what was running. If it trips again immediately, or you see scorch marks or smell something hot, stop and call.
Check the utility's outage map before you call anyone. Most of Grays Harbor County is served by Grays Harbor PUD, and their map shows whether they already know about an outage at your address. If they do, it's their side — an electrician can't fix utility equipment, and calling one just adds a bill to your outage.
Know where the line is. Roughly speaking, the utility's responsibility ends at the meter. The mast and weatherhead on your roof or wall, the meter base, and everything from there into your house are yours. A tree limb that tore your service mast loose in a windstorm is your repair, not theirs — even though the power company has to disconnect before it can be fixed safely.
If you see a downed line, stay away from it and keep everyone else away too. Call 911, then the PUD. Never touch a downed line or anything touching one, including fences and puddles near it.
What we do when you call: figure out which side of the meter the problem is on. If it's your panel, your mast, or your wiring, we fix it. If it's the utility's side, we tell you that plainly and point you at the PUD instead of selling you work you don't need.
And if the whole street is dark, save the call. Check the outage map, report it to the PUD if it isn't listed, and wait. There's nothing an electrician can do until the utility restores the feed.
Triple Tree Electric: 1-(360) 470-3782, sales@tripletreeelectric.com. We serve Aberdeen, Hoquiam, and all of Grays Harbor County, plus Thurston and Mason Counties.