Generally speaking, it’s good practice to replace your electrical control panel every 25 – 40 years. If you live in an older Sarasota home, it may be time to upgrade yours. Even if you’re unsure of the age of your panel, there are some visible signs to keep an eye out for that will help determine when it needs replacing and if you need an electrical upgrade.
Signs An Electrical Upgrade is Necessary
- Your control panel is hot: An overloaded, old panel will be hot with the effort of powering your home. If your panel isn’t at a normal temperature, it’s time to upgrade.
- Burning smells: If you notice the smell of something burning in or around your outlets, it’s likely that the wires behind the wall are overheating from an old electric panel running on its last legs.
- Flickering lights and appliances: As the old panel attempts to distribute energy but is unable to equalize it, your lights or appliances may flicker when using power.
- Small electrical shocks when touched: If you touch any outlets, light switches, or other appliances and experience a small shock or electrical current, you should call an electrician immediately. This can be a serious hazard that you want to diagnose and fix; it’s likely an old electric panel is to blame.
- Sparks or scorches around outlets: If your outlets seem a bit burned or if you notice some small sparks, this is a sign that either the outlet wiring itself or the electric panel is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced.
More Reasons to Upgrade
Our electrical panels need to have the capacity to manage all of our outlets and appliances. When you get a new big appliance, like a new A/C unit, the current panel you have may not be able to handle it. Have your electrician check your panel and suggest a replacement if needed.
Basement remodels or home additions are another common reason that your electrical panel will need to be replaced with one that has a bigger capacity, since you will likely be adding many more areas of electricity consumption.
It may be time to increase the number of circuit breakers. Breakers are the front lines of protection against electrical fires in your home. Adding breakers may require a new panel, but you can be comforted in the knowledge that your house is better protected because of them.
Do you find that your family relies heavily on power strips or extension cords? The number of outlets with which a house is outfitted is calculated based on the electrical panel’s capacity. For many homes though, the electric panels were created with the needs of people 10, 20, 30 years ago. A lot has changed since then, especially our electricity consumption. With the need for phones, laptops, multiple televisions, and other room accessories, power strips have been used to increase the number of outlets available. These can quickly cause an overload in the electric panel though. It’s likely you are using more electricity than your panel was made to handle, and it may be time to increase its capacity to ensure your safety.
It’s a great idea to tackle this electrical upgrade during a larger remodel of your home. Being able to list a recent electric panel upgrade is a great way to help boost your home’s value for potential buyers, and it’s much easier to do the rewiring work while the rest of the room or house are also receiving repairs.
Promise Electric provides residential and commercial electrical services in Sarasota and Manatee County.
