The electrical panel box in your house is one of your home’s most important components. It helps to manage the flow of electricity from the main power line outside through all the various outlets, light switches, lighting fixtures, and other electrical items throughout your home. Just like any other component, your panel box has a finite lifespan and will eventually need to undergo replacement service. Here are a few signs.
You Need More Power
If you notice that your overhead lights seem to be flickering when you’re running other appliances and electronics in your home, or your circuit breakers are constantly tripping when you’re plugging in new items, it’s likely that you simply don’t have enough power going to your home. This is a very common scenario for those who have older homes that were built before the 1980s.
Many of these older homes only have 100 amps of power going to them instead of the 200 amps that most modern-day homes have. To upgrade the amount of power going to your home, you need to update your panel box to accommodate the new load of power. You can determine the amount of amperage coming into your home by looking at the main breaker switch in your panel box.
It’s Corroded
Another reason that you may need to upgrade your panel box is that your existing one has corrosion on it. All panel boxes are fashioned out of a metal material that has a rust-resistant coating. If your panel box is located in a highly moist environment, its protective coating can wear off over time and expose bare metal. This will lead to unwanted corrosion that can end up eating through the housing of your box. In severe instances, this can expose the internals of the panel box and create a dangerous safety hazard for anyone around the box itself.
Over 40 Years Old
Panel boxes have a usable lifespan of anywhere between 25 and 40 years. If your existing panel box has reached the 40-year mark, it’s time to consider an upgrade. You never want to wait until you experience a major problem that requires a spur-of-the-moment replacement service, as it can be very inconvenient for your schedule and wallet.
Rewiring Your Home
If your home has cloth, aluminum, or other wiring that is no longer acceptable for safety reasons, it’s going to need professional rewiring. Therefore, it makes more sense to invest in a new panel box than simply rewiring because all the existing wiring will have to be taken out of your old panel box in either case. It will be cheaper to upgrade during the rewiring process than trying to do a replacement at a separate time. This will also help to ensure that all your wiring and your panel box are the same age.
Uses Fuses
If your panel box still uses fuses, it’s high time to consider an upgrade. Fuses have reached the point of being outdated due to the inconvenience of having to be replaced every time the circuit trips. Modern-day circuit breakers are much preferred over traditional fuse boxes because you can simply reset the circuit breaker whenever you experience an outage.
You Want Smart Technology
If you enjoy integrating smart technology into your household, then you may be thinking about integrating it into your panel box. Nowadays, you can certainly purchase a panel box that has smart circuit breakers and other technology that is more convenient for your day-to-day usage. You can monitor your energy usage on your phone, be alerted when any of your circuit breakers trip or there is a power outage, and you can even reset your circuit breakers from the convenience of your smartphone.
You Need More Circuits
Another common problem that you may run into with an older home is that you have no more space left in your old panel box to install a circuit breaker. This can be a big problem if you need to create a dedicated circuit for adding something like an appliance or multiple outlets to your home. You’ll need to upgrade your panel box to include one with more circuit breakers to add new circuits to your home.
Obsolete Circuit Breakers
All panel boxes are specifically designed to use circuit breakers from the brand that creates the box. Unfortunately, if the manufacturer of your electrical panel box has gone out of business or no longer makes circuit breakers to go in it, it can create a real problem for you.
When one of your circuit breakers malfunctions and needs replacement, you may find it challenging to find a new circuit breaker, or it might be exceedingly expensive to purchase. Typically, you’re going to be better off upgrading your panel box to accept new circuit breakers than wasting your money on purchasing an overly expensive, obsolete circuit breaker for your old panel box.
Benefits of Updating Your Panel Box
Making the decision to upgrade your old panel box can provide you with many great benefits for your home and family. One of the most important is that you can rest assured that your panel box is safe to operate and up to modern-day codes. A new box can help to provide more power for your home so that you can run more of your appliances and electronics with ease.
Upgrading to a new panel box can be a great way to boost the overall resale value of your home if you plan on selling it in the near future. You may even find that your insurance company will lower your homeowner’s insurance premium because you have an upgraded electrical system.
Importance of Professional Installation
In the world of DIY, you may consider purchasing a panel box and trying to do the upgrade yourself. This simply is not recommended as most local codes require a licensed electrician to do the upgrade. You may even find that you need to have your electrician pull a permit to upgrade your panel box to a new one. If you fail to comply with these local codes, you can find yourself dealing with a hefty fine and having to pay a professional to redo the installation process.
Opting to hire an electrician is a great way to help give you peace of mind that your system was installed correctly the first time around. Plus, any reputable electrician will give you a warranty on their installation job in case there’s a defective component or an issue in the near future. A professional will be able to safely handle the wiring and ensure that your new panel box meets your electrical demands.
Expert Electrical Panel Installation Service
General Air Conditioning & Plumbing offers expert electrical panel installation service to the Thousand Palms, CA area. We can also help with all your EV charger installation, electrical repair, emergency repair, lighting, pool and hot tub, electrical installation, and whole-home generator needs. Call us today to schedule an appointment with one of our helpful electricians.
