Top 3 Signs It’s Time To Upgrade Your Home’s Electrical Panel
There are far too many homeowners out there who don’t understand just how important your electrical panel is to the overall function and safety of your home. Most homeowners only pay attention to their Coraopolis electrical panel when they trip a breaker or the like, and that attention goes elsewhere as soon as the switch is flipped back to its on position. Though it might not seem like much, the electrical panel to your home is one of the most crucial components in your entire electrical system, and is responsible for providing you and your family with a great deal of the comfort and convenience that you enjoy from your home on a daily basis.
Your electrical panel serves as the brain for your home’s entire electrical system, taking the power from your utility line and routing throughout the various rooms of your home as it is demanded. Unfortunately, the electrical panels of even ten or fifteen years ago simply weren’t designed with the power consumption needs of most modern homes in mind. To help you better determine when your home’s electrical panel is in need of an upgrade, our team of experts have put together this short list of several common signs that the time to upgrade might be upon you.
You Live In An Older Home
There are a number of homeowners out there today who love the classic look and feel of an older property. Most of these are not only built practically, but they offer a unique look that a lot of people appreciate. Unfortunately, many of these older homes also have an older electrical panel, which can be somewhat of a problem if you are looking at installing all of your modern gadgets and amenities. If you have just purchased, or are looking at purchasing an older home, it is always a good idea to have a professional come out and take a look at the electrical panel and ensure that it is in good condition and will be able to meet your electrical needs.
You Are Constantly Using Extension Cords
While extension cords can provide you with a convenient way of plugging something in that is just a little too far away from an outlet, they are not always the safest option out there. Extension cords are only really designed for brief use, and not as a permanent solution. If you find that you are constantly relying on extension cords to plug in devices that just don’t seem to have access to a nearby outlet, it might be time to look at upgrading your electrical panel and adding a few more outlets to your home. This will give you a much safer alternative than running extension cords all throughout your home.
You Have Fuses & Not Circuit Breakers
If your home was built before the 1970’s, it might be equipped with a fuse based electrical system as opposed to the more common circuit breaker system that most of us have today. Fuses and circuit breakers generally perform the same function, but unlike circuit breakers, fuses don’t trip when they are overloaded, and either melt, blow, or short circuit instead.
Because of their older design, and the sheer volume of electricity your system has to be able to handle these days, having an old fuse box in place can actually be a serious fire hazard to your home. Because of this risk, there are even some insurance companies out there that refuse to cover homes that still have a fuse based system in place.
