Is your home now an office? You’re not alone. Remote work and school options have expanded in the last few years. Working from home is great in so many ways, from ditching that long commute to enjoying more flexibility in your life.
But working from home may have also highlighted some “deficiencies” in your home’s wiring and electrical system. In the past, if you only worked at home every so often, the electrical problems may have been more tolerable. But now, if you’re working from home full time, your home’s electrical panel may simply not be able to keep up. Fortunately, it’s easy to figure out if you should upgrade, and it’s easy to get the work done.
When You Need to Upgrade an Electrical Panel
First, locate your electrical panel and determine what kind of electrical system you have. If you have an older house, your system may still use fuses that must be replaced when they go out. A system that still uses fuses should be upgraded to a panel with circuit breakers. If your electrical panel already has circuit breakers, but is more than 10–15 years old, it’s probably due for an upgrade too. Older circuit breakers might not trip or turn off, increasing the likelihood of overheating and electrical fires.
Your Increased Energy Use
Even though appliances and other electric devices have gotten more energy efficient over time, most households have more gadgets than ever before. It’s common for a family to have multiple televisions, video game consoles, and computers, as well as new extras like hot tubs, air fryers, and so on. This trend shows no sign of slowing. The more electrical devices added, the more strain it can cause to your electrical system.
When You Need to Repair an Electrical Panel
If your system is frequently tripping circuit breakers, that’s a clue the electrical panel is overloaded. Even if a circuit breaker only trips every so often, it’s probably being caused by a system overload. However, if an electrical surge causes the breaker to trip, it doesn’t indicate a problem—that’s just the breaker doing its job.
Sometimes large appliances like air conditioners or washing machines will intermittently draws more power and overload the system. If you have several large appliances running at the same time, and then add extra devices like air compressors or electric saws, this can also overload your system. Your circuit breaker may be able to handle each individual device, but not all of them at the same time. Even small but powerful devices like hair dryers can cause an overload if they’re turn on at the wrong time.
Although you may find workarounds to these problems—like not using the toaster and microwave at the same time—they’re temporary fixes at best. You can only recent your home’s circuits by flipping breakers on and off, so many times before a more permanent solution needs to be found. Plus, none of these temporary fixes improves your home’s safety and useability.
Is There an Easy Upgrade?
You might be able to find electrical DIY tips on YouTube, but that’s not the best way to tackle complex home maintenance issues. Mistakes can happen and, especially when dealing with electricity, a mistake can be dangerous. There are some home maintenance issues that are just better handle by a well-trained professional. That’s where Mr. Electric can help you. Contact us to schedule an appointment for your home electrical upgrade needs. Whether you need upgrades to your electrical panel, home office updates, whole-house surge protection, line conditioners, or hard-wired internet cable installation, we’ve got you covered.
