Electrical Panel Upgrade

Nick Electric Is Your Full Service Electrical Contractor For All Your Electrical Panel Needs

The electrical service panel is the heart of your home’s electrical system. While it distributes power to all outlets and lighting in your home, its most important function is to provide protection from circuit overload.

Top 7 Reasons for Upgrading Electrical Service

You have circuits and fuses constantly “blowing out”
Your home is older and outdated electrical wiring is becoming a hazard
You added a major appliance, such as a hot tub or washing machine
Your home is older and not able to handle new technology – such as 3D Televisions
Your homes electric output is damaging electrical appliances, such as computers and cell phones
You have frequent “brown outs”
You would like to add additional living space to your home

“Should I upgrade my electrical service?”

This is a question homeowners ask frequently. There are two reasons why a homeowner might want to upgrade their service. One is safety. The other reason is to increase the electrical systems capacity. An upgrade of an electrical service typically involves an older residence with service size of 100 amps or less and the homeowner is deciding whether to increase the amperage.If you are adding new appliance, such as air conditioning or a hot tub, an increase in service size may be required.

Safety Concerns

There are many homes out there with panels manufactured between 1950 and 1980. A lot of folks might think, “Well, this panel has been here all these years and I’ve never had a problem. Why should I do something now?”Our response to that is these panels and breakers can be as old as 50 years old. Anything that is 50 years old is due for replacement, no matter what it is, especially if it is guarding your home and family. In addition if called upon to trip, many of these breakers trip too late to prevent damage or may fail to trip at all.Tests have shown that more than half of the breakers tested failed to trip at 135 percent of their rated load. This means when the circuit breaker is supposed to be protecting a circuit at 20 amps and should trip at anything over 20 amps, it still failed to trip at 27 amps. That is a very serious problem and the heat that can build up in an extended overload period could ultimately break down components of your wiring and lead to a fire. We never know when a fault may occur that would result in a tripping breaker.For more information on this subject you can go to www.ismypanelsafe.com

Benefits of an Electrical Service Upgrade.

Besides the increase in available amperage, a modern state-of-the-art electrical service will provide peace of mind knowing you and your family are protected 24/7.A new electrical service may also increase the value of your home and will most certainly be a selling point when the time comes to sell your home. In fact, many older electrical services will not pass inspection and will need to be replaced as a condition of the sale. So why not do it now and enjoy the peace of mind?Call Nick Electric at 608-574-8769 to schedule an appointment for us to look at your electrical panel to ensure it is safe and adequate for your electrical needs.