CAA Habitation recommendedBasements and storms
In a house with a basement, it’s often a sump pump that keeps the pit empty during a big storm. It protects the house from water: if its circuit drops out, the emergency becomes both electrical and plumbing.
South Shore · 24 h / 7 days
Emergency electrician on the South Shore
In Longueuil, Brossard, Boucherville, Saint-Lambert or Saint-Bruno, when the basement pump stops during a storm, a breaker won’t stay on or half the house goes dark, a master electrician from STM-Électrique arrives in 90 minutes or less, day and night.
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The South Shore: five cities, one service area
Boucherville, Brossard, Longueuil, Saint-Lambert and Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville make up the Longueuil agglomeration. From January 1, 2002 to January 1, 2006, they formed a single city. Longueuil today has three boroughs: Le Vieux-Longueuil, Saint-Hubert and Greenfield Park. Farther out on the South Shore, we also respond in Châteauguay (in French), Sainte-Julie, Beloeil and Saint-Hyacinthe.
Newer homes
Recent installations have more protective breakers: against ground faults, against arc faults. They trip for good reasons, and you have to know which one tripped before resetting it.
Businesses and main roads
From Boulevard Taschereau to Quartier DIX30, shops and offices can’t wait until opening time to get their power back. We respond at night so the premises reopen on time.
Cities of the agglomeration, 2002 to 2006 merger and boroughs of Longueuil: Wikipedia, Agglomération de Longueuil (in French) and Longueuil (in French).
20-second diagnosis
Outage at your place or at Hydro‑Québec?
Have your neighbours lost power too?
Do you see smoke, flames, a burning smell or an electrical wire on the ground?
At your place, what has stopped working?
Likely grid outage
It’s probably a Hydro-Québec outage.
An electrician can’t do anything about it: check the outage status and the expected restoration time with Hydro-Québec. If power comes back at your neighbours’ but not at your place, take the test again.
Check outages on Hydro-Québec’s siteDanger
Get out and call 911.
Smoke, flames or a burning smell: leave the premises with everyone. Electrical wire on the ground: stay at least 10 metres away and don’t touch it, even with an object. Once the area is safe, STM can do the repair.
Call 911Then call STM: 438 542-7304Problem at your place
The problem is probably in your service entrance or your panel.
If the main breaker has tripped and won’t go back up, don’t force it: the fault is still there. It’s a job for a master electrician.
90 minutes or less to get to your place, 24 hours a day.
Call STM: 438 542-7304Supply problem
You’re probably missing 240 V.
Often, the dryer, the range or the heating stops working. The cause can be at your place or on the grid: call us, we’ll tell you during the call. If it’s the grid, Hydro-Québec asks to be notified at 1 800 790-2424.
90 minutes or less to get to your place, 24 hours a day.
Call STM: 438 542-7304Problem at your place
A circuit, a breaker or a connection is involved.
If a breaker trips again as soon as it’s reset, or if an outlet heats up or turns black, don’t insist: leave that breaker in the off position until we arrive.
90 minutes or less to get to your place, 24 hours a day.
Call STM: 438 542-7304Storm and basement
The sump pump won’t start: what to do, in order
When the pump stops in the middle of a storm, the water rises in the pit within minutes. The priority stays the same: never go near an outlet, an extension cord or the panel with your feet in water.
If the water reaches the panel or the floor in front of it, Hydro-Québec can cut the power remotely at 1 800 790-2424. For a portable generator, Hydro-Québec reminds you to set it up outdoors and never to plug it into an outlet in the house.
Sources: Hydro-Québec, Flooding and electrical safety (in French); Backup power: three key rules (in French).
- Look at the floor first. If there is water around the pump, the outlets or the panel, don’t go down. Everything else can wait.
- The floor is dry: check the pump’s breaker. If it tripped, reset it once only. If the pump is plugged into an outlet with a reset button, press it once.
- Still tripping? The motor may be faulty, or moisture has reached the outlet. Leave the circuit off and call: we put the pump back in service safely.
- No extension cord in a wet basement. An extension cord on the floor, in the water or near the pit can electrify the puddle around it.
- The whole street is dark? The pump stopped with the grid. A portable generator goes outdoors; the pump plugs straight into it, with an outdoor extension cord of the right gauge, or through a transfer switch.
When to call
It’s an electrical emergency if…
Burning smell or smoke at the panel
Get out and call 911 if there is smoke. Don’t open the panel again.
The main breaker won’t go back up
Or it trips again as soon as it’s reset. Don’t force it: the fault is still there.
Half the house without power
Some rooms work, others don’t, often the range or the dryer too.
Hot, blackened or crackling outlet or switch
Stop using it and switch off its breaker if you can find it.
Mast, meter base or meter torn off
After a storm, a tree or ice. Repairing the meter base is the owner’s responsibility.
Lights dim or flicker everywhere
In the whole house at the same time, not just for a second when an appliance starts.
An electrical wire on the ground? Stay at least 10 metres away, don’t touch it, even with an object, and call 911. Hydro-Québec guideline
At the panel
Which breaker tripped, and is it serious?
Not all breakers protect against the same thing. Before resetting, find out which one tripped: it often tells you what happened. Protective breakers have a test button on the front.
If the panel itself heats up, hums or smells like burning, don’t reset anything. See also our electrical panel page for a planned replacement.
| Breaker | What it signals, and what to do |
|---|---|
| Ordinary circuit breaker | Too many appliances on the wire, or a short circuit. Unplug, reset it once; if it trips again, leave it open. |
| Ground fault breaker or outlet (test button) | Current is leaking, often because of moisture: bathroom, outdoors, spa, basement. Unplug everything on that circuit before resetting. |
| Arc fault breaker (test button) | A damaged wire or a loose connection is sparking. After hanging a picture or a renovation, a nail or a screw may have touched a wire: call. |
| Main breaker | The whole house is off. If it refuses to go back up or trips right away, don’t force it: it’s an emergency. |
The whole neighbourhood is dark? It’s the grid: follow the outage on Hydro-Québec’s Info-pannes. Power is back at the neighbours’, but not at your place? Call 438 542-7304.
The South Shore
Cities covered on the South Shore
The 90 minutes or less response time applies to the five cities of the Longueuil agglomeration and to the cities farther out on the South Shore where we already respond.
Longueuil (in French)Saint-HubertGreenfield ParkBrossardBoucherville (in French)Saint-LambertSaint-Bruno-de-Montarville
Cities of the agglomeration and boroughs: Wikipedia, Agglomération de Longueuil (in French).
How it works
A South Shore emergency, from the first call to departure
- 1
We sort out the emergency
Water in the basement, a breaker that keeps tripping, half the house in the dark: we tell you what to switch off, what to leave as is, and, if there is smoke or a wire on the ground, to call 911 first.
- 2
We arrive and measure
In 90 minutes or less. The master electrician checks the service entrance, the panel and the circuit involved, right down to the pump or the appliance that trips the protection.
- 3
We restore service, protections included
We never bypass a protective breaker to save time. We repair what makes it trip, then check that it still does its job.
Frequently asked questions
Emergency electrician on the South Shore: your questions
How quickly does an emergency electrician arrive on the South Shore?
In 90 minutes or less, in Longueuil, Brossard, Boucherville, Saint-Lambert and Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The sump pump won’t start during a storm. What should I do?
Look at the floor first: if there is water near the outlets or the panel, don’t go down. If it’s dry, reset the pump’s breaker once only. If it trips again, leave it off and call.
Can I plug my pump into a generator during an outage?
Yes, if the generator is outdoors and the pump is plugged straight into it, with an outdoor extension cord of the right gauge, or through a transfer switch. Never by plugging the generator into an outlet in the house.
A bathroom outlet tripped and won’t reset. Is it serious?
It’s a protection against current leaks, often triggered by moisture. Unplug everything on that circuit and try once. If it still refuses, leave it and call: there is a fault to find.
A breaker has been tripping since I hung a picture. Is there a connection?
It’s possible. A nail or a screw can touch a wire in the wall, and the arc fault breaker detects it. Leave the circuit off and call: a damaged wire in a wall can heat up.
Do you respond in Châteauguay, Sainte-Julie and Beloeil?
Yes. In addition to the five cities of the Longueuil agglomeration, we respond in Châteauguay, Sainte-Julie, Beloeil and Saint-Hyacinthe, with the same 90 minutes or less response time.
For planned work, see our page master electrician on the South Shore (in French). All our emergency areas are on the 24/7 emergency electrician page.
24/7 emergency line
An electrical emergency on the South Shore?
A master electrician at your place in 90 minutes or less, from Longueuil to Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville.
Request a service call on the South Shore
Your contact details and three quick questions. For an emergency in progress, call 438 542-7304 instead: it’s faster.