3 Signs You Need to Upgrade Your Electrical Panel
As a responsible homeowner, you like to do everything in your power to make sure that your home has everything it needs to provide you and your family with the level of comfort, security, and convenience that you have come to expect, and whether you realize it or not, your electrical system plays a major role in your home's ability to do so. Electricity plays a vital role in our everyday lives, and your home's electrical panel is the aspect of your system that is responsible for distributing all of the power that comes into your home throughout your house to the areas where it's needed most, making it an absolutely essential part of your home's electrical system. With that being said, electrical needs in modern homes have changed drastically over the years, and your old electrical panel might not be equipped to handle the kind of electrical demands being placed on it. In these situations, upgrading your old electrical panel is usually the best solution. How do you know when the time is right to invest in a panel upgrade? To help with that, our team of professional Birmingham electricians have taken the time to put together this short list that should give you some idea of when the time is right to do so.
Your Home Has a Fuse Panel
Fuse boxes used to be the standard when it come to electrical panels in older homes, but over the years as the electrical demand in most homes has only increased, fuse boxes have become a bit outdated, and even dangerous. In fact, fuse panels can pose such a threat at times that there are some insurance agencies out there that will refuse coverage to a home with one in place. Fuses are designed to blow when the circuit becomes overloaded, but sometimes electricity will continue to run through the blown fuse, resulting in a very serious fire hazard for your home. Because of their outdated design, even if you still have fuses in your current panel, they are likely going to start blowing more and more frequently as time goes on and electrical demand increases in the home. If your electrical panel still has fuses instead of circuit breakers, it's time to call in the pros and make the switch to something a bit more modern.
Dimming & Flickering Lights
If you notice that your lights tend to dim or flicker every time an appliance, computer, or other electronic device comes on, it could be a sign that your electrical panel is in need of an upgrade. Most older panels weren't designed to handle the electrical capacity required in most modern homes, and when your panel is unable to distribute the amount of power you need to the various rooms of your home, you can find yourself with dimming and flickering lights throughout the house, especially when other electronic devices or appliances go to start up. With an updated panel, you can get a steady flow of power where you need it in your home without having to worry about that annoying flickering or dimming.
Excessive Use of Power Strips
Using power strips can be a good thing as it helps to keep your expensive appliances and electronic devices protected from the threat of power surges, but having too many plugged in throughout your home can lead to fire hazards. The more things you have plugged in to the strips throughout your home, the more power they are going to be pulling, and if your electrical panel is unable to keep up with this demand, it could wind up either overloading or overheating. If you make extensive use of power strips throughout your home, consider upgrading your panel to ensure you have the proper capacity to run everything safely.
