3 Signs You Need To Upgrade Or Replace Your Electrical Panel

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Electrical panels are the metal boxes that house the electrical switchboard for your entire house. The purpose of the electrical panel is to distribute electricity received from the main power line to all circuits in your home. 

However, electrical panels often incur damages or become phased out as time passes. Hence, ensuring that your electrical panel is up to date with current electrical and safety standards is vital. An electrical panel is your first line of defense against an electrical malfunction. 

So, here are three major signs that you need to upgrade or replace your electrical panel. 

1. Your Home Still Has a Fuse Box 

Before circuit breakers, electrical panels used to have fuse boxes. However, fuse boxes got phased out because they had a limited power threshold compared to circuit breakers. Furthermore, when a fuse burnt out, you had to replace it with a new one. 

The phasing out of fuse boxes started in the 1960s. However, some old homes, especially in remote or rural areas, still have fuse boxes. Your electrical panel could be using a fuse box if the construction of the house was in the 60s or 70s. 

If this is the case, you need to replace the entire electrical panel with a modern electrical panel that uses circuit breakers. 

2. Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping 

Circuit breakers prevent a power overload by tripping to cut the circuit when excess power gets drawn. As a result, if a circuit breaker keeps tripping, an appliance in your home is drawing in more energy than the circuit breaker can permit. 

For instance, if you recently installed a heavy-duty appliance such as a laundry machine, it may be drawing in more power than the circuit breaker can permit. Hence, the circuit breaker keeps tripping because it detects the excess electricity drawn as an overload. 

So, if a circuit breaker trips every time you turn on a heavy-duty appliance, you need to upgrade your electrical panel. An electrician can upgrade your electrical panel by installing circuit breakers with higher amp ratings. 

3. Burning Smells or Burn Marks 

An electrical panel protects your home from power surges and overloads that could start a fire. However, when power overloads or surges occur, the electrical panels take a beating in the form of overheating. 

As a result, when you realize your electrical panel is overheating, you should call an electrician to assess the issue. In most cases, upgrading the electrical panel can stop the overheating.

However, there are instances where the electrical panel overheats until it melts. When this occurs, you will notice a burning smell from the beaker box due to the melting wire insulation and plastic casings. So, if your electrical panel has melted due to overheating, it is advisable to replace it as soon as possible. 

To find out more, contact a company like Shocking Difference LLC.

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24 October 2022

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