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An electrical panel is sort of like the brain of the electrical circuitry of a house. It is responsible for distributing the electricity to all power outlets installed anywhere in the house. But with the advancement in technology the electrical panels in the market now are upgraded and have a ton of new features, both in terms of safety and performance. Because it’s a critical component and a malfunction can potentially lead to an accident, it is best to keep in check if your electrical panel is outdated or not, and whether you can replace it with a better, more modern option. If you’re wondering how you can learn if the electrical panel installed in your house needs an upgrade, then read on to find out the five telltale signs:
Circuit Breaker Tripping Frequently
Do you often find yourself going to the main electrical panel only to reset the circuit breaker manually after it tripped automatically? In households where this becomes a daily, or even a weekly, occurrence, you have a clear red flag at hand in sight about the power of your electrical panel. While circuit breaker tripping is in and of itself a safety mechanism and it can prevent the short-circuiting of wiring in a household, or potential fire accidents, if it is happening more often than it should then maybe you need to pay close attention and consider an electrical panel upgrade to deal with this issue head on. An upgraded electrical panel can provide your household with the capacity it needs to thrive.
Lights Getting Dimmed
If you often see your lights flicker or dim down especially when you have several appliances plugged into the electricity outlets, this could also be a telltale sign that your current electrical panel is not being able to perform its job well enough. For instance, if you turn on a clothes iron or a baking oven and your appliance ends up pulling so much power that your house lights are dimming down, then that means that the electrical panel is unable to take the load. You likely need a replacement with a better panel that has a bigger capacity to balance the electric current between multiple outlets.
Upgraded Electronics
If you’re an electronics junkie that likes to get the newest gadgets in the house simply because you enjoy them, or even if you need one, then your electric panel is something you need to be mindful of. Installing a new hot tub in the bathroom? Do keep in mind that those things tend to land heavy on the power distribution sources. Shifting to an electric car with a car charger installed in the garage? You might as well go to the market and buy a high-capacity, heavy-duty electric panel because you are definitely going to need one when you use that kind of power load in your house.
Your Panel Has Aged
Another reason could simply be the fact that the electric panel currently installed in your household is at least a couple of decades old. Ideally, you should never let it come to this point because it can cause any number of accidents to keep such an old piece of equipment that plays the central role in the distribution of power in your house. These older panels do not even meet the current safety guidelines, and they were never designed to meet the electric needs of modern appliances that are available in all households, think that new washer-dryer, you’ve got to get the laundry done, for instance. As you list appliance upgrades, so should your old electric panel, to keep up with the pace.
Noisy Electric Panel
This is probably one of the biggest red flags. Do you ever hear small humming noises coming from your electric panel? They can be loud or they can sound like a gentle hum. It effectively means that your electric panel has a bunch of loose connections in it, or worse, the breakers are defective and they are not tripping at the right time, despite your electric panel being unable to take the load. If you don’t pay timely attention, this could lead to straight-up electrical fires within the house.
Conclusion
Keeping track of the health of your electric panel is very important when you’re trying to prevent accidents from happening, but the upgrade should not only depend on security reasons. Sometimes, a simply electrical upgrade can help your electronics run better as well, so consider doing it for quality purposes.
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