Panels-Service

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Ask the Electrician: Electrical Panel Maintenance

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Q: Does my electrical panel need service or maintenance?

Most homeowners are aware that breakers and/or fuses sometimes wear out and need to be replaced but do not think about the electrical panel itself.  Your electrical panel acts as the transfer point for power coming into your home from the electric company and being distributed to the various circuits and wires in your home. It is also where incoming power is either split or combined to create 120v or 220v for use on these circuits as well as being properly grounded and protected.

The panel components themselves are mostly hardware components, they consist of connections between power coming in and bus bars, neutral or ground terminals and wiring within the “box” to connect and distribute electricity to breakers and then out to the wiring in your home. Wire connections and screws to bus bars and other hardware can simply wear out, corrode, distort or loosen over time and require replacement.

Panel Age:

Like everything else your electrical panel has an expected lifespan.  In general, an electrical panel is good for about 30 years but can last up to 50 years. This means if your home was built before 1990, your panel may be reaching the end of it’s useful life and need replacement.  

Panel Size and Service Upgrades:

One of the most common reasons to consider panel replacement is to allow for additional space/breakers or to accommodate a service upgrade. Because the number of breakers required for a modern home or the amount of incoming power service has changed over the years, a panel upgrade may be required to allow for additional service or space to connect new breakers and circuits.

Federal Pacific or Zinsco Brands:

Both Federal Pacific Electric and Zinsco were major manufacturers of residential electrical panels commonly used from the 1950’s to the 1970’s (as late as the early 1990’s) and is it not uncommon to find them still in use.  Both of these panels had major manufacturing defects and have been involved in class action lawsuits over the years due to the risk of fire and even electrocution. Federal Pacific panels that used “Stab-Lok” breakers were not correctly UL certified and can fail to trip in the event of a surge. Zinsco panels had issues when circuits would melt to the bus bars and prevent breakers from tripping. Unfortunately with both of these panels, they can work just fine until they are exposed to a significant surge so they remain in use in homes even today.

You may be able to identify these panels by the embossed name on the outside cover or labeling inside the door but an electrician can easily confirm if your have either of these.

Code Changes:

As building codes and safety practices change over time, new code may require a panel upgrade or changes to comply with current building codes. This means a panel upgrade may be necessary even if you are doing “other work” such as a renovation. Most commonly this may be to accommodate an outside “shut off” or additional grounding.  

Maintenance or Replacement:

It’s a good idea to occasionally have an electrician check for any loose wires, tighten the lugs, clean any dirt or corrosion off and make sure the panel is weather tight if it is located outside, but panels do not require “maintenance” per se. For the most part, we recommend replacement if your panel has reached that age or you need to upgrade service, increase space etc.

How do I check my panel or know if it needs replacement:

If your home is more than 30 years old it’s a good idea to have it inspected to check condition and wear.  Most commonly, we replace an electrical panel in conjunction with other work being done such as a service upgrade or to increase size/available spaces in the panel.  If we are visiting your home for other work, it’s a good time to ask us to take a quick look at your electrical panel for any potential issues.

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Ask the Electrician is a column we publish with our advertising partner WCHL/Chapelboro. In “Ask The Electrician,” Scott answers common questions about electrical work, from switches and outlets to safety issues and preventative maintenance. If you have a suggested question for us to answer – or need an electrician – please reach out to our office.

See the article on Chapelboro.com: Panel Maintenance

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Ask the Electrician: Circuit Breakers

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Q: My breaker tripped what does it mean?

Chances are we’ve all experienced a tripped breaker at some point. You plug in the vacuum cleaner, start the coffee pot and cut on the space heater and “click” no power! Most likely you have tripped a breaker.

Circuit breakers are a safety feature designed to protect against overload and short circuits.  They are basically a switch inside your panel box that senses when too much electrical current is being pulled or used by the circuit, the mechanism inside the breaker sense this and pulls the circuit apart, effectively turning the switch to “off” and stopping the flow of electricity.

Types of Breakers:

The most common breaker for residential use is a single pole 15amp or 20amp breaker. These are commonly lighting and outlets throughout the home. Most homes have multiple circuits like this (often grouped by room or general areas of the house) with each circuit having a breaker.

Items like EV Chargers, kitchen circuits, some large computer equipment etc., can require a higher amperage breaker. These are commonly 30amp -50amp rated and allow for more power to higher use circuits or for dedicated pieces of equipment/appliances.  They look almost identical to a 15a-20a breaker and take only a single “slot” in the panel. 

Large appliances requiring 240v power will have a dedicated two-pole breaker.  This means they have 2 “hot” wires and allow for the increase to 240v power. These breakers are larger, take more space in the panel and often have a larger “bridged” switch. These are most commonly water heaters, dryers and electric ranges.

In addition to these standard types of breakers there are now have options to include additional protection like GFCI or AFCI on a breaker level. There are even specialty breakers to provide combined protection AFCI/GFCI or surge protection for the entire home. For example if your bathroom outlets and lights are on a circuit that is GFCI protected on a breaker level then you do not require individual GFCI protection on the outlets themselves.

Resetting a Breaker:

If you know which things are run on the circuit turn them off. (i.e.: if the breaker tripped when you plugged in the vacuum cleaner, unplug it before resetting the breaker.)

  • Open your electrical panel

  • Take a good look at the breaker and panel itself for any visible issues like charring or melting

  • Look for any breakers in the “off” position (a clearly labeled panel is helpful to know which circuit may be the culprit) – note: a tripped breaker may also appear to be in a mid-position, look for the one that isn’t fully “on” or is out of line with the others.

  • Push the breaker fully to off position

  • Click it back to the on position (it should “click” back into the on position)

  • Close your panel

When to call an electrician:

Resetting a breaker is fairly simple but if you see any of the following, you should call an electrician for help. Generally if the breaker will not reset after 1-2 attempts, it may be time to call for assistance.

  • The breaker feels warm or is hot to touch

  • Any smells of burning or smoke

  • If the breaker or surrounding panel looks melted or charred

  • There are sparks or “sizzling” sounds

  • If the breaker immediately “trips” again

  • Breaker feels “mushy” and does not click into position

  • Breaker is seized and will not move (do not force the breaker or attempt to “hold it on”)

Replacing a Breaker:

Circuit breakers have a fairly long lifespan, up to 30-40 years under normal conditions but it is still good to evaluate them.  Most commonly a breaker needs to be replaced because it has been damaged while preventing a surge or short circuit. Always make sure that new breakers are compatible with your electrical panel and size of the wires in your circuit. Some of the most common breaker brands are Eaton, Square D, Siemens, and GE.

Fuses:

Some older homes have a fuse box instead of a breaker box for their main electrical panel, commonly if your home was built before the 1960’s and you have lower overall power service coming to your home.  Fuses protect against current overload similar to a breaker but cannot be reset, if a fuse blows it will need to be replaced.

What’s Next:

Most often a homeowner can reset the occasional tripped breaker but if a breaker is tripping repeatedly or showing any of the causes for concern, just give us a call. Our service trucks are stocked with the most common household breakers (and fuses) and we can check for any other issues and replace the breaker if needed.

Return to Home Page

Ask the Electrician is a column we publish with our advertising partner WCHL/Chapelboro. In “Ask The Electrician,” Scott answers common questions about electrical work, from switches and outlets to safety issues and preventative maintenance. If you have a suggested question for us to answer – or need an electrician – please reach out to our office.

See the article on Chapelboro.com: Circuit Breakers