# Part of my house has no power after a PSO outage. What should I do?

> Some rooms or the AC and dryer dead after a PSO outage? You may have lost one leg of power. Check breakers, call PSO first, and call us if PSO finds nothing.

Canonical page: https://hotshotelectrical.com/answers/partial-power-after-pso-outage/

Hot Shot Electric Service Co. is a family-owned electrical contractor in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, founded August 1, 1995. Oklahoma Electrical Contractor License #26574, bonded and insured. BBB A+ accredited. Rated 4.9 stars across 246 Google reviews. Address 9203 S 241st E Ave, Broken Arrow, OK 74014. Phone (918) 261-8024. Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Urgent problems (no power, a burning smell, a hot panel, storm damage) are worked the same day during business hours. Calls after hours go to voicemail and are returned first thing the next business morning.

**Short answer:** Reset any tripped breakers once. If the air conditioner, dryer, range or water heater is dead but some lights work, the house has probably lost one leg of its 240-volt service, which is often on PSO's side. Report it to PSO first. If PSO finds their equipment fine, call us to trace it.

After storms and repeated outages, one of the most common calls we get is "I've lost half the power to my house." Sometimes that means one circuit. Sometimes it means the house is getting only half of its service. The fix, and who makes it, depends on which one it is.

## How your service works, in one paragraph

A house in the Tulsa area gets two hot legs from PSO, each about 120 volts. Lights and regular outlets use one leg. Big appliances like the air conditioner, electric dryer, range and water heater use both legs together for 240 volts. If one leg is lost, roughly half the regular circuits go dark and every 240-volt appliance stops, even though some lights still work.

## The questions we will ask you

1. Did you lose the air conditioner?
2. Do you have an electric stove or dryer, and do they work?
3. Are the lights that still work brighter or dimmer than normal?
4. Do the neighbors have full power?

If the 240-volt appliances are all dead and a share of the lights still work, that pattern points to a lost leg. When it is a single bedroom or a single room, it is more likely one tripped breaker, a tripped GFCI, or a loose connection on that circuit.

**Lights brighter or dimmer than normal?** Unplug sensitive electronics and call right away. Lights that swell and dim can mean a loose or lost neutral, which can damage appliances.

## Call PSO first when it looks like a lost leg

PSO owns the power lines, the service drop to your house and the meter. If the problem is on their side, they fix it at no charge to you. We will often tell a caller to report it to PSO first and save the cost of a service call, then call back if PSO does not find anything.

## When we come out

If you would rather we come out, or PSO says their side is fine, a licensed journeyman tests the service at the meter base and the panel. When we confirm a lost leg on the utility side, we call PSO's service line directly and tell them what we found, which usually gets a faster response than a homeowner's call. When the problem is on your side, such as a failed main breaker, a burned connection, or a damaged meter base or mast after a storm, we quote the repair before any work starts.

## What belongs to whom

- PSO: the lines, the service drop and the meter itself.
- You: the weatherhead and mast on the house, the meter base the meter plugs into, the panel and every wire inside.
- [More on who fixes what after a storm](https://hotshotelectrical.com/answers/who-fixes-what-pso-or-electrician/).

One customer described exactly this situation in a Google review: after repeated PSO outages in one day, part of the house would not come back, and the crew came the next day and took care of it. That is the job: find out which side the problem is on, then fix it or get the right people out.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is a lost leg dangerous?

Usually it is an inconvenience, not a fire risk, but motors like the AC compressor should not run on partial power. Turn the thermostat off until power is fully restored.

### Will PSO charge me?

Repairs to PSO's own equipment are theirs. Damage to the mast, meter base or panel on your house is yours to repair, and PSO may require a licensed electrician to fix it before they reconnect.

### Can you come after hours?

We do not offer after-hours service. Calls after 4:30 go to voicemail and are returned first thing the next business morning. If anything is sparking, smoking or hot, turn off the main breaker if you can do so safely and call 911 for fire.

## Related services

- [Emergency Electrical Repair in Broken Arrow and Tulsa, OK](https://hotshotelectrical.com/emergency-electrician.md)
- [Electrical Troubleshooting and Repair in Tulsa, OK](https://hotshotelectrical.com/services/electrical-troubleshooting-repair.md)
- [Electrical Panel Upgrade and Replacement in Tulsa](https://hotshotelectrical.com/services/electrical-panel-upgrade.md)

## Contact

- Hot Shot Electric Service Co., 9203 S 241st E Ave, Broken Arrow, OK 74014
- Phone: (918) 261-8024
- Email: johnbrown@hotshotelectrical.com
- Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
- Request service: https://hotshotelectrical.com/contact-us/