It's possible that you've encountered some issues with your electrical panel at your home—many homeowners and business owners consider this after hearing it from their family or friends, because while electrical panel problems aren't frequently the cause of electrical system issues, they're often overlooked as the culprit for those who attempt to do their own repair work.
Electrical Panel Installation.
However, the reality is that electrical panel replacements are necessary for older homes and buildings after a certain amount of time. As there are many older homes and buildings here in Petaluma, this is definitely something you might want to consider—calling a professional electrician can let you know immediately how much life your current electrical panel has left, or if it's time to replace and upgrade it.
Since the age of the home or structure plays a large part in the kind of electrical panel that's most likely to be installed in it, you'll probably want to try and figure out how old the panel is—oftentimes they've never been replaced. If you still have a fuse box instead of the more modern day solution of circuit breakers, there's a good chance that it's time to replace your electrical panel with something more technologically current. This will often provide better electrical performance within your home or structure and can reduce the likelihood of future problems or even safety issues.
When choosing an electrician—we hope it's us here at Lowes Electric—you'll want to make sure to work with someone that's not only fully qualified, but has the experience necessary to install and maintain these kinds of electrical panels. Ideally, you'll work with an electrician that can provide you with a proof of the certifications, has a completely up to date license, and can provide you with excellent references from other Petaluma residents. Finally, you'll want to make sure that the electrician or electricians that you're working with have a complete and total understanding of all safety protocols and code laws for your local municipality. In case you hadn't yet guessed, yes, these are all things that we can provide you with if you give us the opportunity to work with you.
Properly installing your electrical panel is very important because this is one of the most important components of your entire electrical system throughout the house or structure. This is because it regulates and sends power to the home, garage, the outdoors, just about everywhere you need power to go, the electrical panel is responsible for providing it. Without a well functioning electrical panel, you'll have problems—but fortunately, we know how to solve them.
The Importance of a Well Functioning Electrical Panel
As discussed previously, the electrical panel is the “brain” of the electrical system in your home or structure. If it isn't working properly, nothing will be working properly in your home or business. That's why sometimes it's best to “get ahead” of any problems and replace it if your home or building is older and you suspect that it's still using the original electrical panel. It's not a matter of it the electrical panel will have problems in these kinds of situations, it's when—save yourself the hassle and potential additional expense and get it replaced with a more modern unit that will last for years and years to come.
How do Electrical Panels Break Down?
When an electrical panel isn't working anymore—as in, it's entirely broken—you'll probably find out very quickly since there won't be any power being distributed to your home or building. However, the bigger problem is when an electrical panel begins to malfunction, because these kinds of issues can present safety issues. An improperly working electrical panel can overheat and this presents a substantial risk of fire. If the circuits short out, you'll lose power to your home or business, which can be not only highly inconvenient, but potentially dangerous as well. Finally, a malfunctioning electrical panel may experience high levels of current, and this is perhaps the worst of all, since anyone in a room that's receiving too much current might be at risk of being electrically shocked.
Can Electrical Panels Become Obsolete?
Yes, because the technology that's becoming more and more common in homes today is demanding more and more power—thus older electrical panels may not be as well equipped to handle it. Zinsco panels are more or less completely obsolete at this time and if your home or structure still has one, it should be replaced as quickly as possible. Since older electrical panels are more at risk of malfunction when they're attempting to distribute power to newer power-hungry appliances, they're a safety risk and should be replaced as quickly as possible.
How Can Lowes Help?
Lowes can assess your current electrical panel. If necessary, we'll be more than happy to replace it with a state of the art model. Please dial (707) 664-7075 at your earliest convenience to learn more.
