Depending on the age of your home, you may have a fuse box controlling power to your home. You may also have an older circuit breaker electrical panel. Over time, circuit breaker technology continues to expand. If you are struggling with electrical challenges or thinking about refinancing or selling your home, an update to your circuit breaker panel may be necessary.
Pros of Circuit Breaker Electrical Panels
With a properly sized circuit breaker electrical panel in your home, you can quickly turn off power to avoid hazards. For example, if your oven starts to smoke or your stovetop catches fire, you can turn off power to that appliance and fight the fire, making sure that any damage to the electrical components will not spark or start another fire.
Your circuit breaker panel box will also have a main shutoff, which can be helpful in the event of a serious power issue or flooding. If you lose part of a roof in a severe storm, it may make sense to turn off power at the box to prevent a dangerous combination of electricity and water. Of course, if you notice water under or running out of your circuit breaker box, do not approach it.
With the right circuit breaker box, it’s easy to upgrade your electrical power. You may have a box with plenty of empty blanks, ready for an electrician to break out the blanks and add a switch. If you’re planning an update, such as a pool, spa or outbuilding with power, your breaker box should be able to handle the upgrade from the power line.
Cons of Circuit Breaker Electrical Panels
There’s a big difference between a new circuit breaker electrical panel and an older one. In years past, there were challenges with some panels because the breakers should have tripped and didn’t. These breakers stayed in a state of overload. In such cases, breakers would overheat and could cause a dangerous fire. While this manufacturer is no longer in business, their panels remain in some older homes.
An older breaker panel may simply be undersized. Even if it’s deemed perfectly safe, you may not have enough power from an older box to run items such as:
- A large new HVAC unit
- A convection oven
- A well or water pump
- An older refrigerator or freezer
When an electrical circuit is overloaded, the breaker will flip. This is good news, because it prevents the wires and hardware of the circuit from heating up, melting and catching fire. If you have an older electrical panel and struggle with a breaker that is constantly flipping, you need to track down the source of the problem.
If you need help with an electrical panel issue in your Camarillo, CA home, call Economy for guidance.
