What Is A Service Panel Upgrade?
If you are remodeling or live in an older home, then it’s very likely that it’s time to upgrade your service panel. Don’t make it a project that that will have to be done again because it wasn’t done right the first time. Set a budget for a service panel upgrade. Speak to your electrician. Our service professionals will give you different options. Share with him your plans. Let your service professional know what kind of appliances or equipment you currently use and what will be used in future.
Today, we use a lot more electronics, including computers, televisions, radios and other devices. Our home eats up plenty of electricity, especially since a lot of the electronics are connected 24 hours a day. Simply put, if your home is older than 20 years old and has never had a service panel upgrade, then you should look into upgrading your service panel.
If you currently have extensions cords plugged in, so that you can connect multiple devices into one receptacle, this could be a fire hazard. This is especially so if you have an older electrical panel.
Always use caution. While doing things yourself is a great way to save money on such things as painting or landscaping; hiring a qualified service professional to work on anything electrical is by far the safest choice, not to mention the most economical since you will not have to pay for for damages and repairs in the event of bad wiring.
Breakers & Fuses
Have you lost power to one part of your home? It may be the circuit breakers and fuses that may be the problem. There are 3 main reasons circuit breakers and fuses cut power from where they are connected.
- There is a short circuit somewhere on the circuit. If you plug in an appliance and the circuit breaker or fuse trip you may need to unplug the appliance and reset the breaker. If the breaker or fuse stays on, then there is more than likely a problem with the appliance. If the breaker or fuse trips again or does not work, then there may be a problem with your homes wiring and you may want to contact an electrician. The problem could be located on the main electrical panel, an outlet box, switch box, or anywhere in between.
- The circuit is overloaded. Too many appliances or lights on the same circuit can lead to problems with your electrical system. Keep track of what appliances are turned on when your problematic circuit breaker trips so that you can best explain the problem when to you.
- The circuit breaker is broken. Regardless of the size or type, circuit breakers need to be replaced because over time they do wear out. This can happen to any circuit breaker no matter what size or type.
