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Serving the South Puget Sound and Western Washington Areas Since 1976

Serving the South Puget Sound and Southwest Washington Areas Since 1976

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Sunset Air Blog

Signs You Should Replace Your Electrical Service Panel

A faulty electrical service panel in a home places it in danger. The service panel is where the main power line from outside a home enters and is routed throughout the electrical system. The panel also disconnects circuits if excess electricity flows through them by tripping circuit breakers. If the panel starts to malfunction to the point that it can no longer function correctly, not only will it risk shutting down all electricity to the house, it will put it at risk of electrical fires.

If you have an older service panel, you need to pay attention to signs that it may need replacement—before it fully fails. If you detect any of the warning signs below, call an electrician right away to inspect the panel and see if it needs repairs or a complete replacement.

For all your electrical needs, large and small, you can rely on the many years of experience at Sunset Air. We have served the South Puget Sound and Southwest Washington areas with excellent electrical repairs for almost 40 years.

Warnings That You May Need a New Electrical Service Panel

  • Constantly tripping circuit breakers: When a panel begins to wear down, it will be more susceptible to power surges through the wires, and consequently will start to disconnect circuits more often. This can also happen because your home energy needs have surpassed the capacity of the service panel. If you find that you are resetting breakers a few times a week, when before you rarely had to resent them more than a few times a year, then the panel is warning you that it needs serious repairs or a full replacement.
  • Evidence of electrical fires in the panel: Wires that wear down inside an electrical panel can create fires. These often quickly burn themselves out, but they will leave behind signs that they’ve occurred. If you smell an acrid odor from the panel, or notice charring and discolored marks around the circuit breakers, you’ve probably had an electrical fire in the panel. You need to call for professional assistance right away.
  • Breakers will not remain reset: Resetting a tripped breaker should take care of a problem under normal circumstances. But if you discover that a reset circuit breaker in the panel won’t stay reset, or it does not restore power, then you may have a faulty service panel. A professional electrician will be able to determine what the problem is and the best way to fix it.

If you still have an old fuse box rather than a modern service panel with circuit breakers, then you definitely need to have a replacement: fuse boxes are out of date and insufficient for modern electrical needs.

When you have an electrician in Gig Harbor, WA from Sunset Air replace your service panel with a new model, your home will benefit from increased safety and convenience. Contact us for all your electrical needs.

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