Electrical Panel Upgrades

Electrical Panel Upgrades

Your home’s electrical system is one of the most important systems in your home, and your electrical panel is the heart of that system and your link to the power grid. Your electrical panel must to be able to support the amount of electricity you use in your home, or you may see power outages, and you could be creating a very dangerous situation. At D.O.C. Electric, we have highly trained, professional electricians who can help you determine whether your panel needs to be upgraded or replaced. We will complete the entire job and provide you with professional service and quality components and work.

Your electrical panel is typically a large grey box that is most likely located in your garage or utility room and is filled with a series of switches. Those switches are called your breakers, and when they “trip,” it will cause a power outage until the breaker is switched back on. If your breakers are tripping repeatedly or consistently, it’s very important to have a professional inspection of your electrical panel.

How to Know When Your Electrical Panel Needs an Upgrade

• You have screw-in style fuses – Screw-in fuse panels are very common in older homes, and they were perfectly fine when they were introduced. However, today’s homes use much more electricity than they did in the past, and these types of panels will not be able to support the amount of electricity you likely use in your home. Screw-in style panels are rarely considered adequate, and you probably need to have these replaced.
• Your breakers trip frequently – If your breakers are tripping repeatedly, you notice flickering lights, or your electrical system is unable to support all of the appliances in your home, it’s very likely that you will need an electrical panel upgrade.
• Federal Pacific Electric Company (FPE) was one of the most common manufacturers of circuit breaker panels in North America from the 1950s to the 1980s. Millions of their panels were installed in homes across the country. Yet, as the years passed, electricians and home inspectors often found Federal Pacific Electric panels failed to provide proper protection to homeowners and their families. Experts now say that FPE panels can appear to work fine for years, but after one overcurrent or short circuit, they can overheat and become fire hazards.
• Zinsco Electrical Panels are Obsolete. However, at one time, they were extremely popular and installed in many regions throughout North America. As time has passed, electricians and home inspectors have discovered that certain Zinsco panels often can fail to operate properly and may leave homes and homeowners at risk to both fire and electrical shock. These panels can work fine for years, but as homes have increased energy demands, these panels may overheat and portions of it melt.

Old and outdated panels are more than just an inconvenience or an irritation. Aside from causing power outages, they can also cause smoke that can damage your home, or even lead to a house fire. Call the professionals at D.O.C. Electric today and we can help you determine whether or not you need to replace your electrical panel.

Always Hire a Professional Electrician

No matter how urgent any electrical repair may seem, it’s never okay to attempt to handle them on your own. Trying to take care of electrical problems without professional training is extremely dangerous. If you or someone else aren’t hurt during your attempt, there’s still a chance that you’ve left something undone that poses a huge risk to you, your home, or your family. In fact, faulty electrical wiring is the number one cause of house fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Agency. So in order to make sure that your home is safe, always rely on a professional electrician for any electrical services.

Electrical Panel Troubleshooting

Circuit breakers that keep tripping, a flickering light on the back porch, or an exhaust fan that just won’t work properly are a few of the common problems homeowners face that have something to do with their electrical system. But figuring out where the problems are stemming from can take a lot of training and knowledge. At D.O.C. Electric, our electricians will find out exactly what’s causing the problem(s), and what other issues may be happening—or beginning to happen. Then we’ll fix it right the first time.