Licensed electricians take care of your home when you need them to supply extra energy to your newly installed appliances that are not currently supported by your old electrical panel. A few questions we like to start out asking to understand the possible need of a new panel is -What’s the breaker panel? And do I need an update to my electrical panel?
To learn about the power of your new breaker stand, look inside. There will be a sticker, typically on the door, that lists the maximum voltage, current and power dissipation capacity for the panel and busses. Most of the breaker boxes are 100, 150 or 200 amps. The average home typically requires 200 amp panels to completely run all your equipment and satisfy your electrical needs.
If you answered yes to our questions above, or consider that your current panel does not meet modern home electricity standards, you can agree that it is time for an upgrade.
So, How do you upgrade your electrical panel: should you do it yourself? If you’re in the East Houston Area you should probably call a La Porte Electrician. Depending on the local and state laws, certain homeowners can obtain a permit and do this on their own. In the vast majority of cases, you’ll want to contact a reputable electrician like Bay Area Electrical to carry out this potentially dangerous and entangled job. In reality, certain cities require a certified master electrician to do this kind of work.
What are some of the reasons why you should leave this job to a pro? Note, when you’re working on the plug, you can remove the electricity from that field. However, this is not the case with the electrical panel. Even when you turn down the main breaker, the lugs also bear live energy. You should leave this type of job to a pro. The two top lugs of the meter are where the power lines are connected, which means that there is a high voltage at a lethal level coming into the service panel. If you come into contact with it, either directly or indirectly, you may be seriously injured or killed.
How to update the electrical panel
Even if you upgrade the electrical panel on your own, it will not raise the power supply to your house on its own. A professional electrician will inform you that you will also need to install new cables and an electricity meter in addition to a new breaker box. You’ll also want to focus on an authority to tell you more about local codes and make sure the update complies with the new regulations.
The main parts of your breaker panel are the central breaker, the circuit breaker and the so-called bus bars. What does each of them do?
Main Breaker
This large circuit breaker protects your circuit breakers from being overburdened by limiting the amount of electricity that is fed into each circuit breaker. The key breaker always sets the amperage limits of your breaker line.
Circuit Breakers
Many homeowners are familiar with these parts, which are what “trips” when there’s a power surge to some part of your home. Every breaker has an on / off switch that controls the amount of electricity that goes to each circuit.
Bus Bars
These components bring power from your electrical meter to your individual circuits with two dark, thick wires.
Neutral Bus Bars
Your neutral bar connects to the neutral wire of the main circuit and brings electricity back to your panel after delivering the required power to all parts of your home. In some areas, your neutral bar is connected to the main ground wire.
Grounding Bus Bars
All the grounding wires are connected together at the ground bar, which also leads to the grounding resistor, which goes underground.
When it comes down to needing a new panel installation, it’s best to contact a La Porte Electrician to ensure the work is done correctly and safely.