Does Upgrading To 200 Amp Service Make The Lights Brighter

Posted December 13, 2018

Yous probably don't spend much time thinking about your electrical panel. Yous just turn on the lights and behave on your business concern.

But that electrical panel plays an of import role in your business firm, and if you need an electrical panel upgrade, you can't afford to ignore it. If it's the choice betweenspending between $1,500 and $3,000 for a new panel or risking an electric fire, you're well-served by spending the coin on your safety.

Non certain whether you need an upgrade? Hither are 14 signs that your panel needs some TLC.

What Does Your Electrical Panel Do?

If you retrieve of your electrical arrangement as the veins and arteries of your business firm, then your electric panel is the centre, where electricity is pumped to circuits that carry power to plugs, lights, and appliances throughout your home.

If your electric panel is malfunctioning, though, your unabridged electrical system (and your whole house) will exist at risk. It's one of the easiest ways to create serious electrical hazards that can plow into fire hazards at the drop of a chapeau.

Signs You Need Electrical Updates

If you want to keep your domicile safe, you lot demand to make sure your electrical panel is up to snuff.

You might be surprised to find how many common electrical issues tin can be traced back to a faulty electrical panel. Remember, your console is linked to your unabridged electric system, so if the console is malfunctioning, the damage is more widespread than the basement or dining room.

It's not like changing a bulb. Your electrical panel is like your center–it's vital to the overall health of your organization.

If you spot any of these issues, make sure to go far touch with a reputable electrician service right away.

1. Indoor Lights Frequently Dim or Flicker

Remember back in the day when everyone thought that flickering and dimming lights were the work of ghosts?

They might make your firm wait similar a horror movie, only thecause of flickering and dimming lights is actually more mundane than the afterlife.

Your lights should only dim when they're connected to a dimmer switch. Any other dimming signals a problem in one of two areas:

Your electric panel
Your utility visitor

Utilities usually experience power problems due to storms or diddled transformers. These are commonly isolated incidents that go away as presently as the tempest passes or the company fixes the issue.

If your lights ofttimes dim, especially when you utilise appliances like the microwave or an air conditioner, that's a red flag that your electrical console needs to be replaced.

2. Your Home Relies on Fuses and a Fuse Panel

Technically, there's nothing wrong with fuses and fuse panels, per se.

A fuse and a circuit breaker both protect an overloaded circuit by interrupting the menstruation of electricity, switching off the power before the circuit blows. The fashion they do it is very different.

A fuse contains a piece of metal that melts when overheated, while a circuit billow has an internal switch mechanism that cuts power when information technology senses an unsafe power surge.

As we said, there's nothing technically wrong with fuses and fuse panels. They're common in older houses built before the 1960s. The trouble is that, because it uses a melting piece of metal, they're a major burn down take a chance.

3. Old or Faulty Wiring

If your electric console is upwards-to-date and your lights all the same dim and flicker, that's a sign that your wires may exist old.

If you're not sure whether your wires are former or faulty, there are a couple other reddish flags you lot tin can expect for.

A burning scent near electronics or appliances isn't a ghost–it'due south the scent of called-for wiring. The same affair applies to a daze or tingling awareness when you affect an appliance. Sometimes it's static electricity, but if it happens often, it'due south probably not static.

And if you lot see whatever discoloration near plugs, it's time to switch off your power and call an electrician.

Generally, if you live in an onetime house, it's a expert idea to go your wiring checked regularly–the firm likely contains outdated wiring systems that may need to be replaced.

4. Burning or Melting

As a rule, burning or melting is a bad sign, specially when it comes to your electrical system.

More often than not, where there'south burning or melting, a fire will soon follow.

If you smell whatever burning, particularly if it's coming from your circuit breaker, don't put your domicile and family unit at adventure. Cutting your power and call an electrician ASAP.

5. Excursion Breakers Neglect or Trip Regularly

Circuit breakers are essential to protecting your home from electrical fires. Similar a fuse or fuse box, circuit breakers forbid short circuits or overloaded circuits by interrupting the menstruum of electricity equally before long as they detect 1 of these bug.

If your system is working the way information technology should, and so the circuit billow shouldn't need to interrupt electric flow very often. When your system causes a breaker trip, you tin reset it and render to your everyday life.

But if the breaker trips regularly, that'southward a sign of either an overloaded circuit or a malfunctioning circuit breaker. When that happens, you demand an electrician to supersede the breaker.

The same matter is true of a breaker that fails to stop a potentially dangerous circuit overload. That means it didn't find an impending problem, and next fourth dimension, that could result in an electrical fire.

vi. The Breaker Trips When Y'all Plug in an Appliance

At present, if your breaker trips regularly but has a predictable pattern, the problem may not be isolated to your excursion breaker.

If your breaker oft trips when you plug in a detail apparatus, similar a pilus dryer, or when yous turn on specific appliances, similar a microwave or dishwasher, then it'due south time to take a closer look at your overall system.

These particular appliances crave a lot of power to operate. If your system is operation properly, information technology should be able to handle these appliances without event. But if your system is old or malfunctioning, it may non be equipped to handle the powerful pull of large appliances.

This causes the billow to recognize a potential electrical hazard and trip before your apparatus starts running.

7. A Substantial Remodeling is on the Horizon

Yous might be recognizing a tendency past at present: if your system is sometime, you probably demand an electrical panel upgrade.

This is specially true if you have an old abode you want to remodel.

Your electrical system involves several component parts that all piece of work together to keep your home warm and bright. Old systems aren't inherently unsafe, merely they were designed with a different set of electrical demands in mind.

Even if your system isn't old, it's a skillful idea to take a look at your electrical organisation if yous plan on remodeling in the almost future. You may exist dealing with an entirely dissimilar layout that requires updated wiring for convenience and rubber.

8. The Panel Often Feels Warm to the Touch

Sometimes, you don't demand burn down or burning to warn of potential electrical hazards.

A lot of people have a faulty belief virtually warm electric panels–they think that considering calorie-free bulbs are warm to the bear upon, it makes sense that an electrical panel would feel warm to the touch.

Here's the problem: your electrical console is not a light bulb, and likewise much heat tin apace plow into an open flame where electricity is concerned.

In fact, a warm panel is often a crimson flag for frayed or damaged wires behind the panel. Wires are designed to go on heat independent. If they're no longer doing that, you're running the risk of an electrical fire, and you need to call an electrician.

9. The Console Has an Outdated Design

The blueprint of your electrical console might seem inconsequential, only information technology's actually virtually more than aesthetics.

Old electrical panels were designed with different electrical demands in mind, and an old system may not be able to safely meet the demands of mod appliances.

For example, if it relies on half a dozen circuit breakers instead of one, it's probably fourth dimension for a replacement. While this design might accept worked for homeowners 20 or thirty years ago, there are only too many appliances and too much ability in today's boilerplate house for that system to part safely.

10. Breakers Cannot Remain Reset

Another sign that it's time to supervene upon your panel is a excursion breaker that cannot remain reset.

When a circuit breaker trips, bold that the issue was just an overloaded circuit, yous tin can reset the billow fairly easily and comport on with your life. Once the breaker is reset, it will allow electricity to render to normal menstruum, since the problem is resolved.

Still, if your billow won't remain reset, or it keeps cutting the power even later yous reset it, then at that place'south a stiff chance you're looking at a trouble with the electric console.

11. You're Installing New Appliances

And no, nosotros don't mean a new blender.

Large appliances like a refrigerator, a freezer, or an air conditioner crave a lot of energy to operate. Your electrical panel may not have sufficient bandwidth to go along these appliances working, specially if you're adding more appliances than you already had (more appliances = more electrical load).

Most standard electric panels provide 100, 150, 200, and 400 amps of power. If your new appliances crave more than amps than your panel can provide, your circuit breakers will trip regularly to protect your system from electric overload.

12. Extensive Use of Extension Cords and Power Strips

Do you lot accept extension cords or ability strips plugged into most of your home outlets?

If and so, it's high time to get an electrician in to inspect your electric panel.

A power strip hither and there won't hurt your system in the long run, but information technology does demand more electricity through that outlet than the outlet was originally designed to give.

If your house doesn't take enough outlets to encounter your current needs, information technology might be time to install new ones. Just make sure you update your electrical panel likewise, so you don't overload your arrangement all once more.

thirteen. You're Wiring a House for the Future

Perhaps you're not trying to repair an existing problem. Perhaps you're trying to preclude a future trouble. Maybe you're trying to wire your house in a way that volition support your future usage.

If that's the case, you need to upgrade your electrical panel.

Technology is e'er changing, just if history has shown united states annihilation, it's that the electrical systems of today aren't designed to support the electric demands of the future. Your electrical panel needs to be able to keep pace.

14. Your Habitation is Approaching its 20-Year Anniversary

In that location'southward something about an one-time house that draws you in–a sense of history and charm that can't be manufactured.

But an old electrical organization is non part of the draw.

If your home is beyond the historic period of legal adulthood or nearing middle age, it's probably time to update your electrical organization, specially your electrical panel.

Remember of it this way: picture your mother's appliances, or your grandmother's appliances. At present picture your appliances.

Chances are, there'south more of them, they're bigger, and they're smarter. That ways y'all need more electricity to keep them running–electricity that your outdated system cannot safely provide.

Sometime electrical systems aren't quaint. They're potentially hazardous, specially when combined with modernistic appliances.

Need an Electrical Panel Upgrade?

Does this sound similar your electrical panel?

If y'all need an electrical console upgrade, take a deep breath and have some worry off your plate past calling in the pros.

We offering professional person electrical services across four states, and we're proud to offering True Transparency Pricing for the services you need. Because you don't want to worry most what your safety will cost–you just want a house y'all tin alive in.

If y'all need an appointment to talk with an electrician most your system, don't hesitate. Get in touch on with us today.