Electrical Panel Installation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Electrical boards, or breaker boxes, give electric power to a home from the electric company and direct how much electricity is provided to a circuit. If your electrical panel is on the fritz, many systems in your home will be affected. If your breakers need constant resetting and some of your outlets are out of order, you might have to call a professional electrician. An electrician can make the necessary repairs to restore your home’s electrical system to proper working order.

The location of the panels are typically in a garage or a closet in a home. You need to be able to get to your panel quickly in case of emergency, and you should understand its basic functions. Depending on the age and brand of a panel, it might no longer be safe for use in your home. If you are unsure on the age of your panel you can simply have your local electrician find that out for you.

When should you replace your electrical panel?

Breakers regulate the amount of electrical energy that flows into a circuit. They help to shut off electric supply into overloaded circuits. You may have noticed this if multiple electrical devices are simultaneously running in the same circuit. It’s as easy to resolve this as unplugging gadgets and resetting the breaker.

If this occurs regularly, then a professional can replace your older panels with new, updated ones which will be able to supply your home with adequate power for its needs. If just one breaker is tripping and the system is not being overloaded, then you might simply have a damaged breaker that needs to be replaced in order to solve the problem.

If you keep replacing breakers in your panel, it may be time to install a new, upgraded panel. If you “inherited” the panel from the previous owner of your home and aren’t sure how old it is, a mix of different breaker brands and colors is a good visual indication that a number of breakers have had to be replaced.

You need to have an electrician in your house when you are making a replacement of your old appliance. This is important if your new appliance requires a lot more power to run compared to your old one. If your electrical panel cannot give the needed power, then you need to get a new panel that can do so.

The latest panels are now equipped with AFCI outlets that safeguard wires from fires often caused by jumping electricity. This safety feature was not included in the panels installed before 1999. Your house can be at risk if you don’t have AFCI outlets at the panel or at the start of the circuit.

A skilled electrician can inspect and assess any vulnerability in your panel and outlets. If your panel has no other problems, it may be more cost-effective to mount AFCI outlets at the end of each circuit than replace the entire panel.

If there’s rusting or corrosion anywhere around the panel, homeowners should get it replaced immediately. Panels that are not protected and are worn out can cause surges, fires, and other similar damage.

Other signs that your panel needs replacing include:

• panel is warm or hot to the touch
• lights flickering when appliances are in use
• hissing
• burn marks on panel or outlets
• burning smell coming from panel
• popping or other noises coming from the breaker box
• melted electrical wires
• appliances overheating quickly when plugged in

When you find something wrong with the electrical energy of your home, contact a professional immediately. Overused circuits could “fry” anything associated with those outlets—PCs, devices, phones, etc. Ignoring signs of a faulty panel can be not only costly but also be very dangerous. If your electrical panel is malfunctioning, it can result in electrocutions or even fires.

While your electrical panel will last for many years, it will eventually experience wear and tear. The wires can become worn or frayed after some time. One common problem is rodents that nibble on wires and disrupt the supply of power. Whatever issue you have, an electrician can quickly detect the problem and solve it.

It can be as easy as replacing a wire, or it may require a total replacement of the panel. An experienced electrician can tell you whether your panel should be replaced and what your options are.

To keep your family out of danger you need to contact a professional this day to check your home’s panel. Professional electricians are highly qualified in the repair and replacement of electric panels. Those unskilled with electrical work could be putting themselves at risk of significant injury, and could cause more harm than good. A professional electrician is trained in all kinds of electrical work and can safely and swiftly attend to your home’s electrical needs.