Electrician in Powell

Powell at a glance

Powell is a community of 13,802 people (2020) in north Knox County along the Emory Road corridor, between Knoxville, Clinton and Oak Ridge. Although it's unincorporated, locals think of it as its own small town.

What that means for your electrical

Powell has older homes near its old downtown and many newer subdivisions. Older houses may need panel upgrades and grounding, while newer ones often want generators and surge protection; see generators and surge protection. Homes along Emory Road and Clinton Highway range from mid-century houses to new builds, so wiring ages vary widely from one street to the next.

Storm outages

Tree-lined roads and overhead lines mean outages during storms. A generator inlet lets you safely power essentials. Detached garages and workshops often need their own subpanel to run tools safely.

Older than Knoxville

Powell was settled in 1789, two years before Knoxville was founded, by settlers heading into the frontier. Stockley Donelson, a brother-in-law of Andrew Jackson, built a home now known as the Alexander Bishop House, and John Manifee built a small fort and trading station along today's Clinton Highway. The name comes from the Powell Station train stop, named for local resident Columbus Powell. Homes near the old depot area are among the oldest in the community; see rewiring older homes.