San Jose Electrician: when electrical panel definitely needs replacement
power breaker, load centre, fuseboard, distribution boards
San Jose Electrician: When do you need help with your electrical system?
When something goes wrong with your electrical system it is not always easy to diagnose the problem.
Some problems can be detected quickly and some need hands on investigation, testing tools, time and professional know how.
If you have an electrical problem and not sure what to do, here is a short checklist that will help you to decide and take appropriate action.
Warnings of potential electrical hazards:
- POWER OUTAGES in the house or a part of it
- OVERRATED electrical panel
- DIM/FLICKERING lights
- ARCS/CPARKS in the system
- SIZZLES/BUZZES coming from the wires
- OVERHEATING
- ODORS from the electrical gadgets
- PERMANENTLY INSTALLED EXTENSION CORDS
- LOOSE PLUGS in the walls
- DAMAGED INSULATION of wires
- ELECTRICAL SHOCKS from the system
All of these problems need your attention and immediate action because your safety might be at stake.
Solutions:
- If you experience unexpected power outages, it means that fuses in your home need replacement or circuit breakers need resetting.
- If your electrical panel is overheated, it means that your electrical panel contains fuse’s or circuit breaker rated at higher currents than the capacity of their branch circuits. You possibly need to repair or install a new electrical panel.
- If your lights are flickering and the size of your TV picture is varies when the wind blows, it could be caused by bad contacts at the junction of the service entrance cable. This is a serious problem, do not at-tempt to correct it yourself or touch any of the equipment – call us (408) 459-8024, or your electric power company immediately for help.
- If bright light flashes or shower’s of sparks produced anywhere in your electrical system, this part of the system needs to be examined and replaced. Sparking wires could result in a wall of fire, it is an emergency situation that needs to be addressed immediately by a professional, licensed, insured electrician. If you notice sparking wires in or out of your home, you need to shut off the circuit breakers immediately. Do not go near the area until the power has been turned off and call us for assistance.
- If unusual sounds come from the electrical outlets, appliance or another system you want to turn that system off and obtain help from a qualified electrician.
- Most electrical fires are caused by overheating of electrical parts such as receptacle, outlet power cords and plugs. Electrical parts might be warm but should never be hot, painful to touch or discoloured. There are three main causes of electrical overheating that lead to electrical fires: excessive current, poor connections, and insulation breakdown. Turn off your appliance and inspect the connectors, replace connector if damaged, loose or striped off insulation. Inspect the power supply, make sure it is not excessive and appropriate for your appliance or wire gauge. Call us for help if problem persists.
- Odours from the electrical gadgets is a sign of overheating. Examine the situation, determine the cause, call us if you need help.
- Permanently installed extension cords is an electrical safety code violation. Extension cords are intended only for short term use. Discontinue use of the extension cords, get a qualified electrician to install permanent wiring to extend your home system. Also know that extension cords must be protected from damage, and not run through doorways or windows where the doors or windows may close, causing damage to the cord.
- Do you have loose plugs in the walls, attachment plugs that wobble or pull out of a receptacle easily? This can be another safety hazard that need to be addressed by professional electrician. Loose plugs tend to overheat and may spark the fire. Call us for repair of the loose plugs and outlets.
- If wires in our home are frayed or damaged they can spark a fire or cause electrocution. Frayed wiring needs to be fixed as soon as possible. Call us to help you with this problem.
- If you get a shock when you touch the outer shell of an electric lamp or socket, immediately unplug the lamp, check the receptacle outlet and the plug of the lamp cord to be sure that they are polarized – one blade wider than the other. lf not, they should be replaced with polarized ones by a qualified electrician.
Questions?
Please contacts us at (408) 459-8024 with all your questions or electrical safety concerns. We will schedule an appointment, examine the problem, fix it, and help you to make your home safe.
San Jose Electrician: When to replace Electrical Service Panel
Making a decision to replace Electrical Service Panel should be an easy task because energy efficiency and safety is the most important things to consider.
What is an Electrical Service Panel?
Every home and apartment in America has an electrical panel that controls and distributes electrical power across the building.
An Electrical Service Panel also often called a circuit breaker panel, a consumer unit, or a fusebox, is like a heart in human body designed to regulate the flow of electric current in your home, to brake it into circuits in order to prevent overflow.
When do I replace Electrical Service Panel?
When Electrical Service Panel is not working properly, damaged or too old to carry sufficient amount of pressure required to deliver energy to your appliances, it needs replacement.
6 reasons to replace your Fusebox/Electrical Service Panel
- If your existing electrical panel is damaged and can not be repaired
- If you want more power to your home for a new kitchen, new media center, new appliances
- When your outlets are ungrounded and you want more outlets
- When your concerned with your safety and your insurance company requires an upgrade
- You are selling your house and want to add value
- If you own Zinsco or Federal Pacific panels that according to Underwriters Laboratories are not safe
To be sure that your panel is safe, you want to contact us and ask for a free safety inspection.
Call Us:(408) 459-8024.
How long the power will be off?
When replacing the Electrical Service Panel, the power in your house will be disconnected, the old panel will taken off, the new one installed, and inspected. This can mean a loss of power ranging from 1-2 days. Contact San Jose Electrician with your questions.
About Zinsco Circuit Breaker Panels
Zinsco brand panels, made by Sylvania, frequently pose safety and reliability risks. We highly recommend their replacement if you still have them in your home.
See more field failure reports on Zinsco Electrical Panels & Zinsco Circuit Breakers: http://www.inspectapedia.com/electric/Zinsco_Reports.htm
About Federal Pacific Electrical Panels
Federal Pacific Electrical Panels were produced by Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Company from mid 50’s to mid 80’s and do not confirm to today’s electrical safety standards. According to UL (Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certification organization) research tests, FPE panels fail to trip at a much higher rate than standard panels.
See more reports and information on Federal Pacific Electric Hazards.
http://inspectapedia.com/fpe/fpe.htm
We recommend that residential FPE electrical panels be replaced entirely, regardless of model number or year of manufacture due to design flaws and manufacturing defects.
