Electrical Panel Upgrade Services in Lake County, FL
Upgrade to a Safer, More Efficient Electrical Panel
An up-to-date and well-maintained electrical panel is essential to your home’s electrical safety system. Unfortunately, many homeowners neglect their breaker box, letting it get old and worn out. Your electrical panel manages and distributes electricity to the rest of your home. So, when it fails, it can be catastrophic, resulting in fire or electrocution. Luckily, Mr. Electric of Lake County offers professional electrical panel upgrade services in Lake County, Florida. Let one of our licensed electricians inspect your electrical panel. We can make any necessary repairs or completely replace it if necessary. Learn more about upgrading your electrical panel.
What Is an Electrical Panel or Breaker Box?
Your home is wired into several different circuits. You may have noticed that power goes out in one room, or a group of rooms, when you trip a breaker. That is because all of those rooms are on the same circuit. You can identify the different circuits in your home by the different breaker switches, which will usually be labeled. Your electrical panel is responsible for taking in power from your utility company’s power line and distributing it to the different circuits within your home. When a power surge or overload occurs in any of those circuits, it trips the breaker preventing an electrical fire.
How to Know You Need an Electrical Panel Upgrade
From the outside, your electrical panel doesn’t change much over time. However, it is constantly working to monitor and redirect electricity throughout your entire home. So, you need to keep a close eye out for some of the subtle signs that your electrical panel needs to be replaced. Some signs that you need to upgrade your electrical panel include:
- An audible crackling coming from the panel
- A circuit breaker with signs of rust or corrosion
- A warm electrical panel
- Your appliances don’t seem to be running at full power
- Outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms are not GFCIs
- You have to use multiple extension cords or power strips
- Your panel only has 60-amp service
- Your panel has 100-amp service, but your breakers are still tripping
- Your home has a fuse block or split bus panel
Some Electrical Panels Are Outdated
While age is just a number, it says a lot about the condition of your electrical panel. Most professional electricians recommend getting an electrical panel upgrade at least every 25 years. After 25 years, breaker boxes can become dangerously outdated. In order to keep them running safely, you will need frequent repairs and safety inspections. It is usually wiser to replace them at this point. On top of that, panels installed prior to 1990 are considered unsafe by today’s standards.
Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Electrical Panels
Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) panels were commonly installed between 1950 and 1980, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has classified them as defective due to the frequent fires and electrocutions they cause.
Zinsco Electrical Panels
Zinsco electrical panels were used a lot in the mid-1970s, but we still see them in many of our customer’s homes. These panels have a defect that allows power to melt switches and run through tripped breakers.
Pushmatic Electrical Panels
You can identify these panels because they have no main breaker switch. With only individual breakers, Pushmatic panels are now considered obsolete. They also become very difficult to reset over time.
Fuse Boxes
Fuse boxes are the most outdated type of electrical panel. Instead of breakers, they have single-use fuses. Fuse boxes cannot handle more than 60-amps without overloading, while most homes now need 200-amps of power to run all their devices.
Upgrade Your Electrical Panel During Your Next Renovation
Whether you’re getting your home ready to sell or just sprucing it up, you should consider upgrading your electrical panel as part of your home renovation. Home appraisers routinely check safety features like your electrical panel. On top of that, a new electrical panel can allow you to run more appliances and devices at the same time while increasing your home’s energy efficiency.
What Does It Cost to Upgrade an Electrical Panel?
At this point, you’re probably wondering about the cost to upgrade your electrical panel. It all depends on the type of upgrade you need. The cost to upgrade your electrical panel to 200-amp will be different than if you want to install a new 100-amp panel. If you want an accurate estimate, the electricians at Mr. Electric of Lake County. are always available to meet with you and work up a detailed quote for your electrical panel upgrade.
Can I Upgrade My Electrical Panel Without Replacing It?
Often, we can make significant updates to your existing electrical panel without replacing it completely. Our electricians will inspect your breaker box and tell you the extent of the problem. If the problems are severe enough to warrant replacement, we will recommend that. If we can repair your electrical panel, some of the services we might perform include:
- Circuit Breaker Replacement
- Rewiring
- Bus Bar Replacement
- Electrical Panel Relocation
Request Your Electrical Panel Upgrade Appointment Online!
Mr. Electric of Lake County is dedicated to providing reliable electrical panel upgrades to homeowners in the Lake County area. We serve Clermont, The Villages, Leesburg, Lady Lake, Mount Dora, and many other cities in the area. On top of that, we make scheduling an appointment easier than ever. Request your electrical panel upgrade appointment online now.