Your Sterling, VA, home’s electrical system is an essential piece of infrastructure. When it’s working well, it’s easy to ignore. When it isn’t, your modern life can grind to a halt. However, there’s one part of your home’s electrical system you should pay extra careful attention to. Your home’s electrical panel is the center of its electrical infrastructure. The average electrical panel only lasts for between 25 and 40 years. If yours is aging, it may begin causing a variety of electrical problems in your home. To help you spot issues, here are seven signs that it’s time for an electrical panel upgrade or service.
1. Your Home Still Uses Fuses
If you live in a home built before the 1960s, you may still have an electrical panel that uses fuses. While there’s nothing inherently unsafe about fuses, they are outdated technology. For one thing, they’re inconvenient. Every time a fuse blows, you’ll need to replace it with a brand new one. Plus, most fuse panels only accommodate 60-amp electrical service. If you’ve had trouble with large appliances constantly blowing fuses, that could be the cause. Upgrading your fuse box to a modern electrical panel will improve your home’s functionality and safety. Plus, it will give you the chance to upgrade your home’s electrical service to fit your needs.
2. Your Panel Is Over 25 Years Old
As soon as your home’s electrical panel reaches 25 years old, its replacement clock begins ticking. Even if it continues to function normally, it’s a good idea to consider a replacement. This is because the wear and tear of constant use will begin to show its effects more often. It could show up in the form of poor energy efficiency. The circuit breakers in the panel itself may grow unreliable. If you wait for those symptoms to worsen, you could get stuck and need emergency repairs to avoid going without power. Planning an electrical panel replacement at a convenient time is a far better option than waiting for disaster to strike.
3. You Need a Service Upgrade
Another sign that you need a new electrical panel is if you outgrow your home’s current electrical service setup. Many homeowners end up upgrading their homes to 200-amp service. That way, they’re free to install power-hungry devices like EV chargers for vehicles and other large appliances. The trouble is that older electrical boxes cannot handle 200-amp service. They also lack the space to add additional circuits to take advantage of additional service. A new electrical panel is almost always a requirement for a service upgrade. A new panel will allow you to rearrange your home’s circuits and add new ones as necessary.
4. Your Existing Panel Is Hot to the Touch
An electrical panel can malfunction while appearing to function normally. A common sign of this is if your electrical panel feels hot to the touch. This is a sign that there are either loose connections inside the panel or malfunctioning circuit breakers. When this happens, it can result in increased electrical resistance that generates heat. While it’s normal for the breakers inside your electrical panel to feel warm, the panel itself shouldn’t feel that way. A professional should be called in right away if you notice a heat problem. The solution could be a new electrical panel.
5. You Notice Burning Smells
Burning smells in and around your electrical panel are another sign that you may need an electrical panel replacement. When components inside your electrical panel begin to wear out, their electrical resistance could increase. That leads to additional heat generation, which could be the source of the burning smell. Burning smells can also come from overloaded wiring, short circuits, and failing breakers. To find out what the cause of your issue is, you’ll need a qualified electrician to perform an inspection. If they feel that your electrical panel suffered damage, they’ll recommend a replacement. Repairs may also be an option for minor issues.
6. You Need to Bring Your Home Up to Code
Over time, the standards that govern electrical infrastructure in homes can evolve considerably. As a result, the electrical code governing residential wiring can change. For example, there are numerous places where GFCI and AFCI protection are mandatory when you remodel. In some cases, you can add such protection by replacing outlets. In others, you will need to add new circuit breakers that might not work with your existing panel. That can mean you need a new electrical box to bring your house up to the current electrical code. Since electrical codes change as our understanding of electrical safety and reliability changes, you shouldn’t ignore this issue. Plus, a panel that doesn’t meet current standards could cause your home to fail an inspection if you try to sell it. For all those reasons, you’d need to replace your home’s electrical panel with a new one right away to address a code violation.
7. You Have an Unsafe Panel
Despite the best efforts of electrical panel manufacturers, some models end up with a reputation for being unsafe. Certain panels develop such a poor reputation that home insurers won’t issue policies for homes that have them. One of the most common examples of this is the Federal Pacific breaker panels. Installed between the 1950s and 1980s, they are among the most popular panels ever manufactured. Unfortunately, they’re also quite unsafe. Federal Pacific panels have between a 25% and 65% failure rate when encountering power surges. That means they pose a fire hazard to your home. They have a history of not cutting power, even when their breakers are in the off position. They weren’t officially recalled until 2002.
There are other well-known examples of problematic electrical panels. Two of the most notable are Challenger and Zinsco electrical panels. Both are products of GTE-Sylvania, and both suffer from some serious safety issues. Both have a history of posing a fire risk due to design issues affecting their internal components. The circuit breakers in the panels have a poor reputation, with multiple instances of failing to trip or allowing electrical arcing.
Your Local Electrical Panel Replacement Experts
For over 17 years, Absolute Electric has offered quality electrical panel replacement to the residents of Sterling. We also offer a comprehensive list of other electrical services to meet your needs. This includes EV charger installation, surge protection, ceiling, and attic fans, AFCI protection, and the installation of new lighting. We take the time to explain every aspect of a service before we perform it. This is why we are top-rated on HomeAdvisor and a recipient of the Angi Super Service Award. Plus, we’re Better Business Accredited with an A+ rating and have a long list of five-star customer reviews.
We offer financing options on approved credit to help you better afford the electrical panel upgrades you need. If you need a new electrical panel in Sterling or require repairs, call Absolute Electric today and leave the rest to us!
