You probably don’t spend much time thinking about your electrical panel. You just turn on the lights and carry on with your business.

Well, if you think of your electrical system as the veins and arteries of your house, then your electrical panel is the heart, where electricity is pumped to circuits that carry power to plugs, lights, appliances, and all the rest.

If your electrical panel is malfunctioning, though, your entire electrical system (and your whole house) will be at risk.

Signs You Might Need a Replacement Panel

There are many reasons to upgrade to an electrical panel that provides all the safe power you need now, and for the foreseeable future.

  1. Indoor Lights Frequently Dim or Flicker

Lights should only dim when connected to a dimmer switch. But what if one or more flickers anyway, especially when you’re using an appliance like a microwave oven or AC system. That’s not normal, and thus represents a problem that needs to be addressed.

  1. Burning or Melting

The scent of burning or melting from inside your breaker panel should trigger an immediate call to Excel Electric. Your safety depends on it.

  1. Circuit Breakers Fail or Trip Regularly

If one or more breakers frequently trips, it’s due either to a circuit overload or a malfunctioning circuit breaker. That’s another reason to replace the panel. And so is a breaker that can’t stop a potentially dangerous circuit overload. If your panel is at least 20 years old, don’t wait to find out.

  1. Fuse Boxes

These are a vanishing breed, but there are still plenty around the Chicago area, especially in homes built before 1960. Over time, the metal fuses are made from can melt inside the box representing yet another electrical fire hazard.

  1. Panel is Warm to the Touch

A warm panel often signals frayed or damaged wires inside the panel. Wires are designed to contain heat, not generate it.

  1. Breakers Cannot Remain Reset

When a circuit breaker trips, usually you can simply reset it and go back to what you were doing. However, if one or more breakers won’t remain reset, or if it keeps cutting the power even once reset, trouble is brewing.

  1. You’re Installing New Appliances

Large appliances like a refrigerator, freezer, or AC system require a lot of energy to operate. Your electrical panel may not have sufficient bandwidth to keep these appliances working properly, especially if you’re adding more appliances than you already had.

What Excel Electric Can Do for You

Our team of electrical service professionals is ready to tend to all your home electrical needs, including panel upgrade. Contact us today if you notice any unusual signs, or if your breaker panel is at least 20 years old.