Are you concerned about potential issues with your home’s electrical system? If so, it may be necessary to replace your electrical panel. The main service panel is the most crucial part of your electrical system, and issues with this panel can lead to serious safety risks. That’s why you should make sure you know what to look for so you know when it’s time for an electrical panel replacement.
Age of the Panel
Most electricians will tell you that you should never go more than 25 to 30 years without upgrading your home’s electrical panel. The main reason is so that you can ensure your electrical system is safe and hopefully avoid any hazards. Electrical wiring degrades over time, which can result in a variety of issues like short-circuiting, arc faults, and overloads.
Another concern is that old circuit breakers can develop issues that make it so that they don’t trip when they should. While an electrician can replace an old, faulty circuit breaker quite easily, replacing the entire panel and all the breakers is the better option if your panel is already near the end of its life.
Frequent Electrical Issues
One thing that often indicates it’s time to upgrade your old electrical panel is if you start experiencing frequent issues with your electrical system. This can include things like circuit breakers that often trip or the lights in some parts of your home frequently flickering. Frequent electrical issues can also indicate your home’s wiring is old and deteriorated, meaning it’s time to have your home rewired. However, if your wiring is also old, you can be certain that you need to replace your electrical panel as well.
Rust and Corrosion
It’s a good idea to have an electrician inspect your electrical panel and the rest of your electrical system. You should also check the panel yourself every so often to make sure you don’t see any signs of rust or corrosion. If you do, it’s important to schedule a panel upgrade as soon as possible.
One concern is that you can end up with a stuck circuit breaker that can’t trip. If a circuit is overloaded and the breaker doesn’t work as it should, this can lead to a fire because of the circuit’s wiring overheating. If the wiring inside an electrical panel is rusted or corroded, it can also lead to issues like sparking or short-circuiting.
Feeling Hot or Showing Signs of Smoking
When checking your electrical panel, you also want to make sure it doesn’t feel hot and you don’t see any smoke or burn marks. If any of these issues are present, it’s a good idea to switch off the main breaker in the panel. The reason is that any of these issues can indicate an imminent fire danger, which is why you want to keep your power shut off until you have everything checked out by an electrician.
Electrical Panel Is Buzzing or Humming
You may be able to hear a faint humming or buzzing sound when you open the door on your electrical panel. This is normally nothing to worry about since all you’re hearing is the sound of the electricity flowing through the panel. The concern is if the sound is overly loud and you can hear it even when standing within a few feet of the panel. In this case, it usually means there’s an overloaded circuit with a faulty breaker that isn’t tripping like it should.
Due to the risk of this issue resulting in a fire, this is another situation where you should shut your power off and call for an immediate inspection. If you’re just dealing with a bad breaker, you may not need to replace the electrical panel itself if everything else is still in good condition.
An even bigger concern is if you see the panel sparking or can hear the electricity crackling. These signs often indicate you’re dealing with an extremely dangerous arc fault that has the potential to cause severe third-degree burns or result in fatal electrocution.
Because of these risks, this is a situation where you should instead contact your power company. The reason is that they will need to disconnect your service line from the power pole before an electrician can safely inspect the issue. The electrician can then determine if they can repair the issue or if you need to replace the panel.
Electrical Panel or System Is Full
If you’re putting an addition onto your house or need to add another circuit, you may encounter an issue where your electrical panel is full. By full, we mean all the slots are taken and there is no room to install more breakers. Installing a sub-panel or combining existing circuits is sometimes an option if your electrical panel is full. However, neither of these options will work if your electrical system is already at or near its maximum capacity.
The first thing an electrician will do if you need to install an additional circuit is calculate your total electrical load. This then allows them to determine if you have enough excess power for your electrical system to handle the new circuit. One time when you’ll commonly need to upgrade to a bigger panel is if you’re adding central AC to your house or a different 240-volt appliance like an EV charging station. A larger panel will usually also be required if you’re switching from a gas water heater to an electric one.
If you didn’t upgrade your panel in these situations, you’d often end up with power reductions in some circuits that cause lights to flicker. The bigger issue is that your panel could experience frequent overloads, which could cause it to get so hot that the wiring inside it catches fire.
Benefits of Upgrading Your Electrical Panel
The main benefit of replacing your electrical panel is to improve safety, but there are also hidden benefits you may not be aware of. One is that it will often lower your electricity bills. Older electrical panels can lead to increased power usage since they don’t always efficiently channel the electricity to where it should go. This is why many homeowners end up seeing anywhere from a 10% to 30% reduction in their electricity bills after installing a new electrical panel.
One other thing you may not be aware of is that many homeowner’s insurance companies will give a discount for upgrading the house’s electrical system. This usually requires removing the old wiring and then rewiring the house, but sometimes you can still get a bit of a discount for installing a new electrical panel. The reason insurance companies give discounts for making some upgrades to an outdated electrical system is that it makes the system safer and reduces the chances of the company needing to pay a claim.
Are you searching for an experienced home service company in Mentor, OH or the Cleveland area? Anderson Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric is the one-stop shop for all electrical services as well as your plumbing, heating, and air conditioning needs. Our team of experts has years of experience with the full range of upgrade, repair, maintenance, and installation services.
Whether you need an electrical panel inspection or any other help with your home’s main systems, give Anderson Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric a call to ensure your Mentor electrical system and breaker panel get taken care of quickly and correctly.
