An electrical panel serves as your home’s hub of electrical activity, and if it keeps malfunctioning, it could ruin your electric appliances, shorten the panel’s life, and even put your home and family in danger. Seemingly minor issues can cause a fire in your home, but preventative maintenance by a qualified electrician can keep your electrical panel in good working order. It can also extend the panel’s life. Read on for more benefits you’ll get from having regular preventative maintenance on your home’s electrical panel.
Preventative Maintenance Starts With the Basics
Regular maintenance keeps the panel’s electrical connections solid and prevents dirt, corrosion, mold, or other organic matter from settling in, especially if the panel doesn’t have a protective door. A qualified electrician will inspect the panel’s components and replace any individual circuit breakers that no longer work as they should. They will also inspect and mend any frayed wires and examine the panel and its components for damage and other signs of wear and tear.
Your electrical system will be checked to ensure that the panel board and your Rochester, MN home’s outlets have proper insulation to protect against shocks and overheating. The electrician will also verify that the electrical panel sends the proper voltage to every room and area where your home uses electricity.
Signs Your Electrical Panel Needs Attention
Having your electrical panel inspected periodically can resolve issues before they become more serious. Over time, you might notice that certain breakers, such as the one for the kitchen, keep tripping. This could signal an imbalance of electric load on one circuit as compared to the others. It could also mean that your panel is older and was not designed to handle modern appliances and the increased level of electricity usage. Rochester was founded nearly 175 years ago, and there are many older homes in the area. If yours is one of them, getting an electrical inspection should be a priority.
You could also see your home’s lights start to flicker, dim, or even turn off on their own. As problems continue to worsen, you might start to get mild shocks when you turn on a light switch or touch an outlet in your home. These are all signs that your panel needs more than just preventative maintenance.
What Happens When Maintenance Doesn’t Take Place?
Preventative maintenance protects and extends the life of your electrical panel. A panel’s average lifespan is anywhere from 25 to 40 years. This range can vary greatly depending on how often your panel has been hit with power surges, whether it’s been maintained over time, your home’s power demands, and other factors.
Overloaded circuits can emit hissing or crackling sounds from the panel. If this happens, you can also expect your connected electronic appliances and devices to perform poorly.
As the overloads continue, you might find blackened areas on the electrical panel from fires that flashed and burned out. You will probably smell burning plastic and possibly find melted wiring or other physical signs of damage.
Irregular wiring and other signs of electrical problems such as sparking or shorting can cause some of these problems. An important maintenance check is to see whether persistent overheating has occurred, as this could mean that your circuit breakers and electrical panel are reaching the end of their useful life and need to be replaced.
Ensure Your Family and Home’s Safety
Keep your family and home safe from electrical fires, power outages, and the risk of electric shock. Have our licensed, qualified electricians at Paxton Electric in Rochester, MN perform a preventative maintenance check and any needed repairs on your home’s electrical panel.
You will get top-quality service, fair prices, and thoroughly vetted electricians to perform the work. Don’t put this one off. Contact our friendly staff at Paxton Electric for an appointment today!
