Electrical panels are the driving force for transmitting electricity throughout your home or commercial building. Like the heart in the human body, electrical panels dole out power to smaller outlet lines throughout your building safely and efficiently to function. However, these panels are subjected to ailments from things such as massive power surges compromising the efficiency of the panel.
When to replace electrical panel
Signs an electrical panel replacement or upgrade is needed are flickering lights and outlets failing to handle more than one electrical appliance. At this state, the electrical panels often trip breakers multiple times. Your outlets may look charred, discolored, or spark when something is plugged into them. These occurrences can cause wires to melt, smoke, or fire becoming an electrical hazard to your family or employees.
If your home or building is over 20 years old, you may need to check for an electrical panel replacement due to outdated equipment. Having an older electrical panel poses a huge risk of overloading the panel thus decreasing and limiting your power usage.
How much does it cost to replace an electrical panel?
Replacing an electrical panel depends on the scope of work we are doing which affects the cost. Rest assured, there’s no problem too complex for us to handle.
We regularly repair all types of electrical panel problems, including:
- Corroded panels
- Breakers and fuses that are oversized or undersized
- Absent or damaged handle ties between breaker switches
- Double taps, where multiple wires are directly connected to only one lug
- Improper interior bonding
- Oversized breakers or fuses
- Missing, damaged, or improperly installed, grounding and bonding
Sometimes, you may decide to upgrade instead of replacing your electrical panel. This process is called a “heavy up” and it enhances the capacity of your system to hold more power.
How to upgrade electrical panel
Electrical panel upgrades may be beneficial if you are adding outlets or unsure if you need a full replacement for your home or building. Upgrades to your electrical panel over time are fundamental in saving future costs that would be incurred in repairing a broken electrical system or the damage caused by a fire from overloading. When you try to replace or upgrade the electrical panel yourself, you risk the chance of breaking your electrical system. This would cause more money and time to be spent on fixing further issues. Calling a certified electrician to examine your system’s requirements for functioning properly, will ensure it is done correctly the first time and save you time and money.
Benefits of replacing or upgrading your electrical panel
The most important aspect is the safety of your family or employees. Electricity is powerful but dangerous. The electrical panel controls your entire electrical system and guaranteeing it can accommodate your system’s power to run safely is a big advantage.
Increased electrical performance is another enjoyment of electrical panel replacements or electrical panel upgrades. Electrical systems have a constant flow of energy. Replacements or upgrades help to transmit the power to the right destination with minimal mishaps.
Increased home resale value. Most homes 40 years ago required service of 40 to 50 AMPS, but the standard now is 100-200 AMPS depending on house size and load and location codes. This means that if you replace and/or upgrade your service panel, you can now increase the number of outlets present in your house.
If you ever plan to sell your home or building, most buyers get scared or don’t want to deal with the hassle of broken electrical systems and replacing electrical panels. Completing this beforehand adds value to your home.
Contact a Professional for Electrical Panel Replacements
Whether you know you need a new electrical panel or are unsure, our licensed electricians will come to your location and examine your electrical systems. We will provide recommendations based on what we detect you require to increase electrical performance and achieve a safer and more efficient system.
Contact Patterson Electrical Services today to solve your electrical problems!
