An electrical service upgrade or electrical panel replacement might be just what you need to ensure your electrical system handles your family’s home safety and electrical needs.

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Service Upgrade is the replacement of the electrical power connection from the city power pole to your home. It is critical your electrical service wires and mast are in good condition for safe delivery of electricity to your home’s electrical panel.

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Electrical Panel Swap/Upgrade is vital if your panel is outdated, you have an unreliable panel, you need more power outlets or you need more power to your home. There is a lot of dangerous electrical energy running through your electrical panel 24/7 and your panel should be inspected regularly and changed when needed.

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Your home electrical panel is the heart of your home’s power system. Don’t let your panel fail due to excess stress, or let it “wear out”.

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Faulty electrical panels cause 2800 house fires every year which could be prevented by regular inspections of home electrical panels and replacing old or faulty panels as manufacturers recommend panel replacements after 30 years.

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You may just need to upgrade your electrical service because renovations, installing a hot tub, or just adding any electrical circuits loads can bring the power consumption above the available limit, requiring a service upgrade.

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Reasons to Upgrade or Replace Your Electrical Panel

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WHY UPGRADE? Available Breaker Spaces…

– many times when doing a renovation or installing a hot tub, or just adding any electrical circuits, we then discover that there is not enough available breaker spaces and a service upgrade, or the installation of a sub panel, becomes necessary.

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WHY UPGRADE? Available power…

– when adding additional power loads, depending on the size of the loads, the panel may have to be upgraded. Adding a 40A hot tub or a 60A car charger often brings the power consumption above the available limit, so one then requires a panel upgrade.

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WHY REPLACE? Age…

– as time passes the natural wear and tear of the electrical equipment (breaker) occurs and the chance of equipment failure increases. Electrical panel manufacturers recommend panel replacements starting at around 30 years, depending on the panel brand and IF it was checked and maintained periodically.

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WHY REPLACE? Defective Panel Design Causing Fires…

– To this day an average of 2800 fires per year are a result of FPE panel malfunctions.

CAUTION: There are two brands of panels that may have major manufacturing and or design flaws that potentially put home owners at risk, they are Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) panels and certain Zinsco panels.

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Federal Pacific Electric Company was one of the most common manufacturers of circuit breaker panels in North America from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Experts now say that stablock breakers can appear to work fine for years but after one over current or short circuit they can then become a fire hazard.

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An expert who investigated the potential hazards of FPE panels stated that under test conditions FPE panels fail to trip at a much higher rate than standard panels. Tests have proven that one in four breakers will NOT trip causing breaker malfunction and is a fire risk.

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When a breaker fails to trip and extreme amount of power from the supply surges into that circuit, it cannot be stopped or shut off manually. Electricity will flow burning the insulation off the wire and or melting equipment. The panel could over heat and catch fire causing serious harm to a home and its occupants. Many FPE panels with stab loc breakers can operate for years, but if and when they do malfunction, a fire disaster could occur.

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To this day an average of 2800 fires per year are a result of FPE panel malfunctions.

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  What brand of electrical panel do you have? Is it a safe brand/model?

• Every electrical panel should be regularly inspected by a trained, professional electrician.

• Adding more electrical devices in your home and need more breaker spaces?

• Adding more power loads to your home and need a service upgrade?

• Do you have outdated and potentially dangerous aluminum wiring in your home going to your electrical panel?

Are you just not sure, but want to be safe?

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