Emergency Electrical Repairs in Burke, VA

Challenge

A family of five called at 11:45 PM after hearing a loud pop and seeing sparks inside their electrical panel, followed by a burning smell. They had shut off the main breaker and evacuated with their three young children. The 1982 Federal Pacific panel had an internal bus bar failure causing active arcing, and the family had no power on a 15-degree January night.

Solution

AJ Long Electric dispatched an emergency electrician who arrived within 45 minutes with a replacement panel. We performed a same-night emergency panel replacement, installing a 200-amp Square D panel. We transferred all circuits, verified every connection with thermal imaging, and restored full power by 3:30 AM. We also installed a temporary space heater circuit while the HVAC system restarted.

Challenge

A severe summer derecho ripped a large tree limb onto the service entrance cables of this townhome, tearing the weatherhead and mast pipe from the roof. The meter base was cracked and the service entrance cables were exposed and damaged. The homeowner had no power, and with summer temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, their elderly parent living with them was at risk of heat-related illness.

Solution

We arrived within an hour and coordinated immediately with Dominion Energy to de-energize the service drop. Our crew installed a new weatherhead, mast pipe, service entrance cables, and meter base. We worked alongside the Dominion crew to restore the utility connection the same day, prioritizing the emergency due to the vulnerable family member.

Challenge

A burst water heater flooded the lower level of this split-level home, submerging the main electrical panel, several outlets, and the HVAC disconnect in 4 inches of standing water. The homeowner wisely did not touch anything and called us immediately. The entire home was without power because the main breaker had tripped and would not reset due to water contamination.

Solution

AJ Long Electric dispatched an emergency team who first coordinated with Dominion Energy to pull the meter for safe access. We replaced the water-damaged 150-amp panel with a new 200-amp Siemens panel, replaced all submerged outlets and junction boxes, installed new GFCI-protected circuits for the lower level, and relocated the HVAC disconnect to a higher position on the wall to prevent future flood damage.

Challenge

A direct lightning strike hit a mature oak tree near this estate home, with the electrical surge traveling through the ground and into the home's electrical system via the grounding electrode. The strike destroyed the main panel's surge protector, damaged the panel's bus bar, burned out the well pump controller, and fried multiple smart home controllers and HVAC circuit boards across three subpanels serving the main house, pool house, and detached garage.

Solution

Our emergency team performed a systematic triage, restoring critical circuits first (refrigeration, HVAC, well pump) using temporary connections while ordering replacement components. Over the following two days, we replaced the damaged main panel section, installed a new whole-house surge protector rated for direct lightning events, replaced burned wiring in three circuits, and coordinated with the homeowner's insurance adjuster to document all electrical damage for the claim.