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Originally Posted On: https://www.yoderelectric.com/electrical-panel-replacement/

Offering Columbus, Ohio Electrical Panel Replacement Services

Every home has some kind of electrical panel. Some have older-style fuse boxes. Many others have newer breaker box electrical panels. Replacements for either type often depend on a variety of factors. Most commonly, you’ll find your electrical panel in your basement or an attached garage. However, this isn’t always the case: some homes have them hidden behind a panel in a kitchen cabinet.

There is a wide variety of maintenance tasks that come with home ownership. Not all of these are fun: no one likes to climb a ladder and clean out their gutters. Generally speaking, from time to time it may be necessary for you to have an electrical panel replacement. This is a component of your electrical setup within your house that you don’t think about.

That is, until something trips the breaker or blows a fuse.

What causes breakers to trip or fuses to blow?

Have you ever turned on your microwave while also baking something in your oven — both while using your stand mixer? That’s a lot of power demand, and depending on how your previous electrician wired everything, it could cause a breaker to trip or a fuse to blow.

Regardless of the type of electrical panel, replacement projects often focus on trying to improve the power demands within a given circuit. When there is too much demand, the system “freezes” — a shorthand way of saying it kills the power to that part of your home.

Blown fuses and tripped breakers are your electrical panel’s way of doing so. It protects your plugged-in appliances from burning out or causing a fire. Some of us may even remember (from many, many years ago) our dads running to the basement regularly to replace blown fuses.

This is a prime example of a home desperately in need of a residential electrical panel replacement.

Residential Electrical Panel Replacements

So let’s start there. There are many reasons to consider replacing the electrical panel in your home. In our previously mentioned scenario, it’s painfully clear that the homeowner needs a new electrical panel setup. Not only have the home’s power demands outgrown the original breaker box install, they also run the risk of causing larger problems within the home’s entire electrical power grid.

Most commonly, electrical panels need to be replaced as a result of an electric service upgrade – your power needs have increased and your current panel cannot continue to properly supply the demand. This could be because of large appliances, new electric in an outbuilding, additional circuits for more lights, and other factors. Depending on the specific needs of your project we may be able to add a sub panel instead of a complete panel replacement. Our sales team can help you best identify which will fit your needs best when we schedule your estimate appointment.

Another reason to consider replacing your aging electrical panel with a replacement is if your home is still using older wiring. Often, an electrical panel replacement and a whole-home rewiring go hand-in-hand, updating your home with updated power specifications.

Yet another reason to consider replacing your home electrical panel is if your existing fuse box is rusty. Rust forms from the oxidization of metal, usually as a result of excessive humidity or moisture.

Finally, there have been significant changes over the past few decades within the electrical industry. Some breaker box electrical panels need replacement because they no longer adhere to standards. Others have been known to have design flaws, and are no longer safe to use.

In virtually all of the above cases, we’re going to recommend replacing your existing panel, whether a fuse-based system or otherwise, with a breaker box. Not only will this save you the headache of replacing blown fuses (or not having any on hand, yet needing to install one), but it’s simply easier to figure out which circuit is the problem with a breaker box.

Commercial Electrical Panel Replacements

Although you would be very hard-pressed to find a commercial or industrial facility still using an old-school style fuse box electrical panel, it doesn’t mean they may not still be out there. If your facility has one, you’ll want to schedule an electrical panel replacement right away.

After all, commercial and industrial facilities have much more intensive power needs than a house. Often, there are multiple electrical panels throughout a facility. The key to replacement with these is age. If your facility is over 25 years old and hasn’t had an updated electrical panel replacement since then, it’s worth having an inspection to evaluate both the age and reliability of the unit.

In addition, safety is often a major reason to update a commercial electrical panel. OSHA and other state or local governing authorities can dictate how facilities operate. The R&T Yoder Electric team can help your facility manager make an informed choice to comply with all necessary laws and regulations.

Requirements for an electrical panel replacement

As with any project, the first step in replacing an electrical panel is a thorough evaluation of your current setup. Our electricians’ top priority will be the safe power distribution of your home. It’s helpful to let us know if you’re experiencing any problems as well, such as flickering lights or the occasional light shock from touching a switch.

Our team members will review your power situation and then make recommendations. If your home still uses older-style wiring, we may recommend a complete replacement in addition to updating your electrical panel with an updated model.

Another “requirement” for electrical panel replacements is the ease of access. For example, some homeowners inherited less-than-ideal placement of their electrical panel — say, behind a door in a cabinet that they use daily. Because this is not optimal, we’ll help the homeowner with choosing a new location for their updated breaker box.

Finally, all openings need to be sealed properly once your electrician installs your new electrical panel. This is why it’s best to work with a fully trained and licensed electrician such as us. We’ll make absolutely certain that, when we leave your home, your electrical panel replacement is installed properly and adheres to all safety standards.

Electrical Panel Replacement F.A.Q.

One famous tagline we’re all familiar with is “You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.” When it comes to Yoder Electric and your electrical panel replacement, that tagline is 100% spot on. Our team has collected the most common questions we’ve been asked for electrical panel replacements and compiled this set of answers to get you started.

And of course, if you have any questions beyond these, don’t hesitate to ask. Email us at [email protected] and we’ll follow up with an answer.