Electrical Contractors: Is It Time For A New Electrical Panel? | Arlington, TX
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The electrical system in your home is one of the most important parts, especially if you use a lot of electronic devices. Unfortunately, many older homes in the area have old electrical systems that aren’t safe or can’t keep up with the demands of most homeowners. If you’re having strange electrical problems in your home, there’s a chance you could have a problem with your electrical panel. Fortunately, professional electrical contractors can inspect everything for you. If you think it might be time for a new electrical panel, here’s what you need to know.
Frequent Trips
For the most part, you shouldn’t run into a lot of electrical problems in your home. Sure, a breaker might trip if you’re running a lot of large appliances in one room suddenly, but you should never have frequent tripping breakers when there’s no good explanation. If you’re dealing with more trips than you should be dealing with, make sure you have electrical contractors take a look at your panel.
Tripping is a safety feature that’s built into your electrical system, which means it’s crucial that it’s working the right way. If breakers are tripping when they shouldn’t be, they might fail to trip when they should. This is a problem you can’t ignore if you want to keep yourself, your family and your home safe.
So, how often is too often? In most homes, there might only be one or two breaker trips each year. Many people don’t even deal with a breaker trip in the average year. If your breakers are tripping once a week, every few weeks or even every month, chances are you’ve got a problem that requires the help of electrical professionals.
Age
The truth of the matter is, your electrical panel isn’t designed to last forever. Just like all of the other components in your home, your panel wears down with time and will eventually stop working or cause fire hazards. Make sure you have some idea of how old your electrical panel is so you know when to replace it. If you don’t know, you should have electrical contractors look at your electrical panel once every couple of years.
On average, an electrical panel should last about 60 years. This is with the average wear and tear you would expect an electrical panel to endure. If you frequently overload your electrical panel, the wiring is incorrect or there’s some other stress on the panel, it might only last 40 or 50 years.
In any case, you should have electrical professionals replace your electrical panel if it’s nearing the 60-year mark. As much as you may want to save money and get the most out of your electrical panel, the last thing you want to do is put yourself at risk over a little bit of money. On top of that, having a brand-new electrical panel is much more convenient than having an old one that frequently has problems.
Sounds
When you’re running electricity in your home, it’s normal to hear a little bit of a buzzing noise coming from your electrical panel. This noise comes from electricity running through the panel. However, you should call electrical contractors if you hear any very loud noises that don’t seem to be normal.
A loud buzzing sound or any other unexpected noise coming from your electrical panel should never be ignored. While you may just be more sensitive to the normal sounds of electricity than others, it’s still best to call expert electrical contractors to take a look at things.
Signs of Damage
The electrical panel in your Arlington, TX, home isn’t the most exceptional sight; for the most part, it simply looks like plain metal. If you notice anything out of the ordinary in terms of how your panel looks, you should call an expert.
Electrical contractors see panels that are burned or otherwise damaged by electricity all the time. This is often the case with very old panels that are starting to become a fire hazard. If your panel is a little brown or blackened, make sure you have somebody look at it right away.
Upgrading Your Electrical Panel
Even if it’s not quite time for a new electrical panel, you might want to have electrical contractors help you upgrade to something that better fits your home. If you’re sick of having a breaker trip when you run certain appliances in certain rooms, this is a great chance to fix that. Plus, you can account for any other remodeling you might want to do which would require additional electrical work.
If you’re planning on upgrading your home or adding a new room, now is the perfect time to invest in a new electrical panel. You can have a contractor help you find a panel that’s right for your home, so you don’t have to worry about a complicated installation process or problems down the line.
Make sure you talk to electrical contractors about the best electrical panel options before you spend your hard-earned money. Since you won’t be replacing your electrical panel for quite some time after this, now is a good time to make sure you’ve got a high-quality, long-lasting electrical panel in your home.
Make the Call
If you’re tired of worrying about whether or not your electrical panel is keeping you safe and providing the convenience electricity should provide, it’s time for a new panel. The good news is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get your hands on a new electrical panel.
Are you in the market for a new electrical panel? If you’re looking for electrical contractors in Arlington, TX, Tioga Plumbing & Electric has you covered. We can do everything from electrical panel inspections and installation to complete rewiring and more. If you want to make the most out of your home’s electrical system, just call Tioga Plumbing & Electric at (682) 224-0757.