Electrical questions, answered straight

All questions

What areas does Copp Electric serve?

Copp Electric is based in Franklin, New Hampshire and serves the surrounding Lakes Region and Merrimack Valley, including Tilton, Northfield, Belmont, Laconia, Sanbornton, Boscawen, and Concord, plus Bristol, Center Harbor, Gilford, Loudon, Meredith, Moultonborough, and New London.

Do you offer emergency electrical service?

Yes. We take emergency calls outside our posted hours — power loss that is not a utility outage, burning smells, sparking or scorched outlets, a hot or buzzing panel, and storm damage to the service entrance. Call 603-707-4293 and we will tell you honestly how fast we can get there.

How long has Copp Electric been in business?

Copp Electric brings 10 years of hands-on electrical experience serving residential and commercial customers throughout Franklin and the Lakes Region.

Do you work on Generac generators?

Yes. Our factory-trained generator technicians have specialized expertise in Generac repair and service, in addition to installing and maintaining whole-house standby units from other manufacturers.

Are your electricians licensed?

Yes. All work is performed by licensed and experienced New Hampshire electricians, permitted where required and carried through inspection.

Do you work on both homes and businesses?

Both. We handle residential service work, remodels, and new construction, as well as commercial fit-outs, three-phase equipment, lighting retrofits, and maintenance.

How do I get a quote?

Call 603-707-4293 or send a request through the contact form with your address and a short description of the work. For anything beyond a simple service call, we schedule a site visit and follow up with a written scope and price.

What are your hours?

Normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. For electrical emergencies outside those hours, call 603-707-4293 and we will tell you how fast we can get there.

Do you charge for estimates?

Quotes on defined projects — generator installs, service upgrades, EV chargers, rewires — are provided at no charge after a site visit. Diagnostic troubleshooting is billed as a service call.

Do you pull permits?

Yes. Any work requiring an electrical permit is filed with the town and carried through inspection. That paperwork matters at resale and for insurance claims.

How much does it cost to upgrade to 200 amp service?

A straightforward residential 100-to-200 amp service upgrade in this area typically lands in the low-to-mid four figures, depending on meter location, overhead versus underground service, and grounding work required.

How much is annual generator service?

Annual service on a standard air-cooled standby generator is $350 and includes an 18-point inspection report, oil change, oil and air filter replacement, and spark plugs.

Why do my breakers keep tripping?

A repeatedly tripping breaker means either the circuit is overloaded, there is a short or ground fault, or the breaker itself has failed. It is a warning, not a nuisance — repeated resets without diagnosis is how electrical fires start.

Why do my lights dim when an appliance starts?

Brief dimming when a large motor starts can be normal, but persistent or severe dimming often points to an undersized service, a loose neutral, or a failing connection at the panel or meter. It is worth having checked.

Do I need to replace my Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel?

Both brands have documented histories of breakers failing to trip under fault conditions. Insurers and home inspectors routinely flag them, and replacement is one of the most common upgrades we perform.

What size generator do I need?

For whole-house coverage on a typical New Hampshire home with a well, heat, and kitchen, 18–26 kW is common. Essential-circuit coverage can be done smaller. We size from your actual panel and loads rather than a rule of thumb.

Can I add an EV charger to my existing panel?

Often yes. It depends on your service size and existing loads. We run a load calculation first; if the numbers do not work, options are a load-management device or a service upgrade.

Is knob and tube wiring safe?

It is ungrounded, cannot be extended under current code, and degrades with age and insulation contact. Many insurers will not write a policy on a home with active knob and tube, which is why replacement is usually the right call.

Do you offer generator service plans?

Yes. Annual service plans are available for air-cooled standby generators, including the filed 18-point inspection report so you can compare readings year over year.

How long does a panel upgrade take?

Most residential service upgrades are a single day, with power off roughly four to eight hours while the utility disconnects and reconnects.

Can you run power to a detached garage or barn?

Yes. That typically means a trenched underground feeder and a subpanel at the structure with its own grounding electrode, plus lighting and outlet circuits.

Do you handle new construction for builders?

Yes. We price from prints and run rough-in and trim on the builder's schedule, meeting inspectors so drywall is never waiting on the electrical.

What should I do if I smell burning near an outlet or panel?

Shut off the affected circuit at the panel if you can do so safely, stop using it, and call an electrician immediately. A burning smell means heat where there should not be any.

Do you install hot tub and spa circuits?

Yes — a dedicated 240V circuit, a GFCI spa disconnect within sight of the tub, proper bonding, trenching if needed, and inspection.

Can you wire mini splits and heat pumps?

Yes. We run the dedicated circuit, mount the outdoor disconnect, and coordinate directly with your HVAC contractor's install date.

Do you install security cameras?

We install hardwired PoE camera systems with recorder and network setup for homes and businesses — reliable through cold weather where battery cameras fail.

How quickly can you get out to a job?

It depends on the season and the size of the job. Call 603-707-4293 during business hours and we will give you a realistic date rather than an optimistic one.

What forms of work do you not do?

We focus on electrical. Plumbing, HVAC equipment, and gas piping are handled by trades we coordinate with, so a mini split or generator job still moves as one project.