Nick Electric Is Your Full Service Electrical Contractor For All Your Electrical Panel Needs In Madison, Middleton, Waunakee, Verona, WI
The electrical service panel is the heart of your home’s
electrical system. While it distributes power to all outlets and
lighting in your home, its most important function is to provide
protection from circuit overload.
Top 7 Reasons for Upgrading Electrical Service
- You have circuits and fuses constantly “blowing out”
- Your home is older and outdated electrical wiring is becoming a hazard
- You added a major appliance, such as a hot tub or washing machine
- Your home is older and not able to handle new technology – such as 3D Televisions
- Your homes electric output is damaging electrical appliances, such as computers and cell phones
- You have frequent “brown outs”
- You would like to add additional living space to your home
“Should I upgrade my electrical service?”
This is a question homeowners ask frequently. There are two reasons
why a homeowner might want to upgrade their service. One is safety. The
other reason is to increase the electrical systems capacity. An upgrade
of an electrical service typically involves an older residence with
service size of 100 amps or less and the homeowner is deciding whether
to increase the amperage.
If you are adding new appliance, such as air conditioning or a hot tub, an increase in service size may be required.
Safety Concerns
There are many homes out there with panels manufactured between 1950
and 1980. A lot of folks might think, “Well, this panel has been here
all these years and I’ve never had a problem. Why should I do something
now?”
Our response to that is these panels and breakers can be as old as 50
years old. Anything that is 50 years old is due for replacement, no
matter what it is, especially if it is guarding your home and family. In
addition if called upon to trip, many of these breakers trip too late
to prevent damage or may fail to trip at all.
Tests have shown that more than half of the breakers tested failed to
trip at 135 percent of their rated load. This means when the circuit
breaker is supposed to be protecting a circuit at 20 amps and should
trip at anything over 20 amps, it still failed to trip at 27 amps. That
is a very serious problem and the heat that can build up in an extended
overload period could ultimately break down components of your wiring
and lead to a fire. We never know when a fault may occur that would
result in a tripping breaker.
For more information on this subject you can go to www.ismypanelsafe.com
Benefits of an Electrical Service Upgrade.
Besides the increase in available amperage, a modern state-of-the-art
electrical service will provide peace of mind knowing you and your
family are protected 24/7.
A new electrical service may also increase the value of your home and
will most certainly be a selling point when the time comes to sell your
home. In fact, many older electrical services will not pass inspection
and will need to be replaced as a condition of the sale. So why not do
it now and enjoy the peace of mind?
Call Nick Electric at 608-574-8769 to schedule an appointment for us to look at
your electrical panel to ensure it is safe and adequate for your
electrical needs.