Electrical Panel Installation & Maintenance in Lexington, NC

More About Regular Electrical Panel Maintenance

There’s a common misconception that the circuit breaker panel in a home doesn’t need to have routine preventive maintenance. After all, there aren’t that many moving parts in a circuit breaker panel—the breakers only move when one of them trips—so how much stress could it really take on over the year? The answer is quite a lot.

According to research from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the failure rate of electrical components is three times higher if they don’t receive regular maintenance to prevent problems.

The main issues that face an electrical panel over the year are loose connections and exposure to moisture. Temperature changes are behind both of these problems. Loose connections will lead to circuits failing, and moisture will encourage corrosion, which can ruin the whole panel.

You cannot maintain an electrical panel on your own as a DIY project: this places you at risk of a dangerously high voltage shock. This is when you need to call on your local Lexington, NC licensed electricians at Pro Plumbing Air & Electric. We’ll inspect the panel and run tests to check if anything needs tightening or other repairs. Our technicians can also advise you if you have an aging electrical panel that should be installed to replace your current unit.

What To Know About Replacing Your Electrical Panel

You'll want to have Pro Plumbing Air & Electric replace and install a new electrical panel if you have a Federal Pacific or Zinsco / GTE-Sylvania panel. These panels are old, obsolete, and sometimes dangerous.

For a long time (1950s-1980s) Federal Pacific Electric was one of the most popular manufacturers of electrical panels in the United States. And they were installed in millions of homes, but these panels are extremely unsafe.

• Why they’re unsafe: FPE electric panels’ circuit breakers fail to trip when they should (when there’s a short circuit or circuit overload). This problem has lead to thousands of fires across the United States. Also, many reports that FPE circuits in the off position still send power to the circuit. This can cause electrocution when working on a circuit you believe to be off, or the surge of power can melt wires and start a fire in your home.
• How to tell if you have one: FPE panels are most common in homes built between 1950 and 1980. Federal Pacific Electric or Zinsco will likely be written on the cover of your breaker box. Inside, look for the name Stab-Loc (the brand name of the circuit breakers).
• However, not all Sylvania and GTE-Slyvania branded panels are dangerous. So if you have one, an electrician will need to inspect it to see if it has the problematic design.