There is no reason not to improve your electrical panel when rewiring your home. In fact, if you have a home that predates 1950 and you have never upgraded the electrical panel, then it’s possible that you have only a capacity of 60 amps. You might also have knob-and-tube wiring.
When those kinds of homes were built, it was usual to have gas-powered appliances rather than electrical in a lot of cases. For this reason, the home didn’t need more than 60 amps of power. In the 21st century, however, nearly every appliance is electrical, and there are devices to recharge, multiple televisions to power, big refrigerators, etc. All of these will use far more than 60 amps in total.
The National Electrical Code stipulates that all electrical panels must now be 100 amps or more. The general price difference between a 100-amp panel and a 200-amp panel is roughly $200. When you upgrade your wiring, the job could cost between $2,000 and $5,000, depending on several factors, so the extra $200 is a small part of that cost. Then, you’ll have a 200-amp electrical panel, and your problems with overloading the home’s electrical system will be gone.
Problems You Won’t Have to Worry About Anymore
Breakers Tripping All the Time
You’ll have more power available, so you can make each breaker have a higher trip point. For example, let’s say that you have a 100-amp panel. Your stove will likely take 40 amps by itself. There might also be a 30-amp breaker for your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump. The rest of your breakers could have 15-amp loads. If you put too many amps on one of those breakers, it’ll trip for safety.
So, if you have a 200-amp panel, then you can make each of the other breakers beyond your big appliances 20 amps instead of 15 amps. This could mean that you could run a toaster oven and a microwave on the same breaker without tripping it, whereas the breaker would likely trip on a 15-amp circuit.
In some instances, however, even 200 amps won’t suffice. You might have a big family, run a small business that needs extra power out of your home, or both. If this pertains to you, then you might need a 400-amp panel both to keep the breakers from tripping all the time and to maintain safety for large electrical machinery that you’d need for your business.
Overheating
When you put too much current through a circuit, either the panel itself or the wiring associated with the overloaded circuit might overheat. This creates a fire hazard. You can tell things are overheating by touch or by seeing melted breaker switches and/or cracked insulation on wires. If this happens, then a panel replacement is imperative. And, if this happens, then it’s also necessary to rewire the house to prevent fire danger.
Sparking
Another fire hazard happens when the panel sparks. You can generally hear either the sparks or a loud buzzing sound from the breaker. The buzzing can come from loose connections, frayed wires, overloaded circuits, or a combination of these things. There are many other reasons for your panel to buzz, and none of them is good.
We’re Mister Sparky of Fort Myers, Florida, and we’ve got the know-how to do your rewiring and/or panel replacement job right the first time. Call us today to set up an appointment.