Is It Time to Upgrade Your Electrical Panel?

A home built in 1977 was not designed to handle the numerous devices used in a 2021 house. If flickering lights, blown fuses and shorted-out outlets are your home’s reality, it may be time for an electrical panel upgrade or replacement. These symptoms can go from annoying to downright dangerous, so you need to address them soon. Here are five signs it’s time to schedule panel service in North Scottsdale, AZ:

• Get more from your appliances: Overtaxed electrical panels cannot power your appliances to their full potential. If you live in an older house, it was not meant to handle appliances with multiple electrical outlets or additional power demands. Modern appliances may not receive the needed electricity from these old panels. If you upgrade your kitchen or replace appliances with newer ones, include panel service in that endeavor as well so it can meet the new power demands.
• Two-prong outlets: Modern homes contain outlets that accommodate three-prong plugs and even USB cords. If your home requires two-prong adapters for your many devices and appliances, you are likely facing trouble. Two-prong outlets are a sign that your systems are out of date. Take the time to upgrade your panel and outlets, so your home operates better in this century. It will also prevent future problems that can lead to fire and other catastrophic disasters.
• Tripping breakers: Before breakers start tripping, you’ll likely notice other signs, including flickering lights. You may find you lose power if you run an appliance and hairdryer at the same time or all your household members plug in their devices at once. Descending into your basement on a weekly or even daily basis is a pain, but electrical fires or system-wide failure is a bigger one. Before you place your household at risk, call an electrician to inspect your electrical panel.
• Crackling noises: Crackling noises from your electrical panel are not good! At best, you may experience full failure, or at worst, a house fire. You will pay more for emergency panel service, but you cannot wait once you hear crackling. Call for an appointment immediately to get the problem under control and reduce your risk. Reduce electricity use as much as possible until the electrician arrives to assess your system. Follow any recommendations given to you if repairs cannot be completed right away.
• Higher utility bills: Panels that cannot manage electrical output well demand more electricity. You will see that in your utility bills. A sudden spike with no obvious reason often suggests something is wrong with your system. An upgrade is safer and it will reduce your energy costs. If it has been a while since you updated your electricity panel, there is a good chance you have been overpaying for utilities all this time. While you will spend money to upgrade, it will save you money and pay for itself in the long run.

Eavenson Electric Co. performs panel service upgrades in North Scottsdale, AZ. If you notice any of these signs, call us today and schedule an appointment.

Categorised in: Circuit Panel Upgrades

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