Main Electrical Panel
If you have an older home in greater Seattle or are adding large electronic items, you may not have enough breaker space. Fischer Electric's journeyman electricians can upgrade your electrical panel to increase circuit capacity while maximizing safety.
Give us a call today to discuss an electrical panel upgrade in your Seattle, WA area home. We ensure your home complies with code requirements and enjoys uninterrupted power.
Your electrical service panel links your home electrical components. If circuit breakers in your home trip frequently, or your panel is more than 20 years old, consider an upgrade. In the Seattle area; from Everett, WA and Mill Creek, WA all the way down to Kent, WA and Auburn, WA; our experienced technicians will provide an inspection. If necessary, Fischer Electric offers several different upgrade options for your home.
Common indicators you need to upgrade your electrical panel
- Lights flicker periodically
- Breakers trip
- Appliances are damaged or stop working
- Fuses blow periodically
- Unexplained power outage in your home
- Certain outlets or switches in your home stop working
Keep an eye out for a few specific service panels that have safety issues. An FPE panel, or Federal Pacific Electric panel, has a safety defect and should be replaced. Another defective panel is called a Zinsco panel. Their breakers can actually melt! A Pushmatic panel is known to have a breaker switch that can be more difficult to reset as it ages. Finally, a fuse box is the oldest category and can only handle up to 60 amps. Fuse boxes present a risk of electrical fire and electrocution and need to be replaced.
How much does it cost to upgrade your electrical panel?
This varies depending upon the amps. For example, 100 amps would be a cheaper electrical panel upgrade than a 400 amp upgrade, potentially by as much as 25%. Fischer's experienced electricians can inspect your current electrical setup and advise on the need for an upgrade. For some homes in the greater Seattle, WA area, our electricians can do virtual assessments. Our estimates are always free.
Primary electrical panels types
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Main breaker panel
The most common. This panel controls the electricity to different rooms and areas in your home. This can be used to cut electrical power to your house. Main breaker panels are categorized based on different amperages and capacity for the number of circuits.
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Fuse boxes
A fuse box prevents circuits from overloading. Fuses will short out when an excess amount of electrical current flows through them. Fuse boxes are a type of electrical panel that are found in older homes, typically those built up to the end of the 1970s.
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Main lug panels
This type is primarily used as a distribution panel in a system that includes a main breaker.
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Sub panels
A type of electrical panel that takes power from a main panel through a circuit. These panels do not have a dedicated disconnect, but they allow a home to modify the distribution of electrical currents through the home.
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Transfer switches
A specific type of sub-electrical panel that transfers power from a generator into the breaker panel. This provides a home to have backup electrical power wired into the home's main electrical panel, thus creating a seamless transition from utilizing utility service electrical power to a backup generator power source. This setup is helpful in the event of a power outage.
Primary reasons to upgrade your electrical panel
- Current electrical panel is obsolete in an older home
- New appliances are being installed and additional circuits are needed to support them
- Increase safety in an older panel with cramped wire connections and loose connections.
- Save money on homeowners insurance
- Reduce electrical bill
- Increase the re-sale value on your home