You may rarely worry about electrical repairs or think about your electrical panel, but the box that sits in your garage, utility room, or another out of sight location is one of the most important devices in your home. In addition to distributing your home’s electricity, it also helps keep you safe by controlling the electric load to reduce the risk of fires. If you haven’t kept up with electrical repairs, now is the time to see if you should upgrade your electrical panel.
How an electrical panel works:
When electricity enters into your home, it passes through the electric panel. The electric panel divides your home into circuits and makes sure the electric load passing through each circuit is appropriate for that circuit’s wiring. The electric flow is controlled either by fuses or a circuit breaker. When the load is too high, the fuse blows or the circuit breaker trips. The difference is that a fuse must be replaced while the circuit breaker is simply a matter of flipping a switch to turn the electricity back on.
Why an electrical panel is important:
Interior wiring in a home or business has a limited capacity. When the electric load exceeds this capacity, the wiring overheats and creates a risk of damaging the wires and potentially starting a fire. To lower the need for electrical repairs and safely ensure that sufficient electricity is flowing to all your appliances, you need to make sure you’re using a modern electrical panel.
How electrical panels have changed:
In the past 50 years, there has been a huge surge in electrical usage both in homes and in businesses. The increasing use and improvement of appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and laundry machines is largely responsible for the increase in homes. In addition, adding more computers and automation in businesses has increased commercial electric use. Often, the existing electrical panels are inadequate to handle these new appliances and the result is an increase in blown fuses, the need for more electrical repairs, or appliances simply not working.
Why homeowners should upgrade:
- Keep your family safe
- Install more powerful appliances
- Add outlets in more convenient locations
Why residential property owners should upgrade:
- Reduce risk of fire damage and lawsuits
- Better appliances = happier tenants
- Reduce the need for electrical repairs
Why commercial property managers should upgrade:
- Use multiple commercial-grade appliances with ease
- Avoid embarrassing and costly power outages with customers present
- Protect inventory from spoiling
Signs that an upgrade is needed now:
- Constant need for electrical repairs
- Burning smells
- Flickering lights
- Blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers
- Excessive use of extension cords or power strips
If you’re ready to upgrade your electrical panel, contact Spyrka Electric. We proudly provide electrical repairs and a full range of other services to the Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Sonoma, and San Rafael areas.
