Your home’s main electrical service panel is a vital tool for the safety, convenience, and efficiency you experience in your home. If you are in need of a new electrical panel replacement or installation for your home in Arvada, CO, you can trust Save Home Heat Company to provide you with highly professional results that the perfect fit for you. We are very familiar with and perform a variety of electrical panel and circuit breaker replacements and upgrades, and other projects that require electrical panel expertise. You can have full confidence in the ability of our highly skilled electricians to make your home as safe and efficient as possible.
Identifying Your Electrical Panel
Your electrical service panel is often referred to by a number of names. Some call it a circuit breaker box or breaker box, and some may just simply say electrical panel or main electrical panel. The most common design for an electrical panel is a rectangular metal box with a latched door in front, typically grey in color. You’ll usually find the electrical panel located on a wall in an attached garage, an unfinished part of your basement, in a closet, or sometimes on the outside of your home in a weatherproof enclosure.
Inside your electrical panel, there’s usually a couple of vertical rows of circuit breakers (or fuses, if your panel is very old). Each circuit breaker has the important task of controlling electrical flow to the many circuits (20-40 on average) around your home. You’ll commonly find 120 volt and 240 volt circuit breakers located in the panel. The 120 volt breakers occupy a single slot, whereas 240 volt breakers take up two slots. Each circuit breaker corresponds to a specific area or aspect of your home, and a filled-out list should be located inside the panel (see the inside of the door) noting what circuits each breaker corresponds to. You’ll also likely see ‘dedicated’ circuit breakers for certain larger appliances such as a furnace, air conditioner, a lighting system, or a hot tub.
Electrical Panel Installation and Replacement Considerations
For most homeowners, keeping up with electrical code and knowing the exact condition of your electrical panel probably isn’t at the forefront of your mind. That’s why having our electrical team on your side is helpful. We are glad to assist you in determining what, if any, actions are advisable to ensure your panel is operating safely and effectively. Still, there are some simple things that can help guide you as to when contacting our team for help is in the cards.
First and foremost, consider the age of your home and your breaker box. This number is probably the same if you don’t remember ever replacing the electrical panel. If the answer to this question is over 15 years, you can safely assume your current panel isn’t up to current electrical safety code. This doesn’t mean an upgrade is needed, but it is something to keep in mind. You can also add up the number of electrical devices you’ve added into your home over the years. From computers and TVs to EV charging stations and more, we’re always adding things that enhance our lives and also add electrical demand. If your electrical panel is outdated, getting crowded, or completely filled with breakers, it may just be time to consider an upgrade.
The age of your electrical panel is also a concern because with age, the internal wiring connections can naturally start to loosen up, creating potentially unsafe conditions. You may want an experienced, trustworthy electrician to examine your panel and breakers, and make sure everything is up to par.
Reasons for replacing your home’s electrical service panel may include:
- Existing electrical panel cannot support current home electrical demand
- Safety concerns
- Loosening internal wiring (usually due to age of the panel)
- Circuit breakers on one or more circuit trip frequently for no discernible reason
- Frequently flickering or dimming lights on multiple electrical circuits
- Electrical service panel, or wiring near the panel, is warm to the touch
- Rust or burn marks inside the panel
- Steady or occasional buzzing sounds coming from the panel
- An experienced, trusted, professional electrician considers the condition or age of your panel to be cause for replacement
- Desire to upgrade to the latest, safest types of electrical breakers that are now required by code in many areas of new homes
In some cases, a new electrical panel installation may not be needed, or be the best approach. Adding an electrical subpanel, also referred to as a ‘satellite circuit breaker panel,’ in order to provide power to a specific part or appliance in your home, might be the most appropriate electrical solution. Arvada homeowners can trust Save Home Heat Company to advise you correctly when determining if an electrical subpanel makes sense for your home, or if a new main service panel would better serve your needs.
AFCI Circuit Breaker Upgrades
If your electrical panel is in good shape and not a candidate for replacement or upgrade and certain circuit breakers keep tripping, problematic breakers can often be replaced, assuming all symptoms point to the breaker, as opposed to another culprit such as an overamping furnace or washing machine motor that’s getting ready to fail. That’s a good time to call in your trusted electrician for a professional opinion before things start to get dicey.
Standard switchable circuit breakers have been in use for many years and are the most common type of breakers in use today, providing a level of protection against conditions that can cause overloading and electrical shock. Starting in 1999, AFCI (arc fault circuit interrupter) breakers began to show up in electrical code. AFCIs take safety a step further and provide a level of protection against conditions that can result in an electrical fire. In 2017, National Electric Code (NEC) was expanded to require AFCI circuit breakers in virtually all areas of new homes.
Reasons to consider replacing some or all of your electrical circuit breakers include:
- Age of your circuit breakers
- Condition of your circuit breakers
- Breakers hot to the touch, appear discolored, or give off a burnt smell
- Specific breakers tripping frequently, will not reset, and all else checks out ok
- To upgrade to AFCI circuit breakers
A Focus on Safety
Having an electrical panel that can adequately support your home electrical needs is important, but our primary focus is on ensuring that your electrical panel, its circuit breakers, and the internal wiring are doing their jobs safely and reliably. Conditions such as deteriorated wiring or wire connections, aging or faulty electrical appliances, electrical surges from interior and exterior sources, and new appliances are all factors that can put extra stress on your system. As a responsible homeowner, we recommend taking the time to learn if your electrical system is up to snuff.
Our Master Electrician and skilled electrical team at Save Home Heat Company are highly experienced when it comes to electrical panel upgrades, replacements, and any repair work that may need to be performed to maintain safe electrical conditions in your home. We can assist you in determining if it makes sense to consider upgrading your electrical panel or replace certain circuit breakers, or if other work is needed – or if no work is needed, for that matter! Our team is strongly committed to providing honest, dependable, low-pressure, professional electrical advice and recommendations that are always in your best interests. No sales hype, ever.
Expert Electrical Panel Upgrades and Services in Arvada
If you aren’t sure where to start and just know that if your home was constructed before 2017, you may want to consider having one of our skilled, experienced electricians carefully inspect your existing electrical panel, circuit breakers, and other aspects of your electrical system. Our goal is to help ensure your safety and dependable electrical performance in your home for many years to come.
To learn more, schedule service, or request a free electrical panel installation quote for your home in Arvada, please contact one of our friendly staff members today!
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