When to Upgrade Your Electrical Panel
When your home was built, the electrical contractor had to calculate an Electrical Load Analysis” to know how much power you need for your home. This is done so you don’t overload your system.
In older homes, it’s common for the original service capacity to be undersized for all the needs of our modern appliances and features we now rely on every day.
Most homes have a capacity between 100-200 amps. Some larger homes will have a 400 amps electrical service.
How do you know if your current system is adequate or how do you plan for the future?
Determining this requires a load analysis to be performed on your home. AB Electrical Services performs this service quite often to ensure that you have the available capacity and do not have to worry about overloading your system.
The experts at AB Electrical Services will go through your electrical system, add up all the things you currently have connected to your system and make sure you aren’t in danger of exceeding your electrical capacity. The goal is to stay under 80%. Just like your car, you don’t want to run it at full throttle. Your electrical system likes the same. Everything stays cooler and runs better if it’s not pushed to the limit.
- A new pool
- A new or upgraded AC
- Instant water heaters
- A hot tub
- Electric car charger
- Adding new electrical appliance, such as a dryer, range or oven
You may want to oversize your system if you know you will be adding anything listed above. In the long run, you will save more money and time this way. At AB Electrical Services, we want our customers to know where your electrical system is at, “electrically”, that way you know for sure your system is good or needs upgrading.
Common Electrical Panel Issues
When your electrical panel starts to malfunction it’s important to get it repaired as soon as possible. Some of the more common issues you might encounter include:
INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY
If you experience power surges and flickering lights, it could mean that the electrical panel is too small for your home and power needs.
OVERCROWDING
If your property is older, it might not have sufficient amps in the electrical panel. This could mean you have a crowded panel where double-tapped breakers with multiple wires are connected to the same breaker.
CORROSION
Any signs of rust, water damage, or other forms of corrosion should be inspected by a professional and dealt with to prevent safety issues.
OVERHEATING
Poor electrical connections increase the resistance to the flow of electrical current, resulting in the generation of heat
BUZZING/HISSING
If you hear a buzzing noise, don’t try to fix this problem on your own. Loose wires can produce electrical arcs. You will want to stay away from those!
OZONE BURNING SMELL
A burning smell usually means there’s loose wire to a circuit breaker or failure of the circuit breaker itself, causing it to overheat and melt.
