Last week we talked about the kinds of electrical wiring challenges you might face when purchasing an older home. One of the things we did not address in that post was the capacity of the electrical panel itself.
So today we’re going to talk about why you might need an upgrade.
Older homes tend to have 100-amp electrical panels. That was fine, in say, the 1950s. But these days, you might want to upgrade to a 200-amp electrical panel for both your safety and sanity.
To put it simply, people use a lot more electronics these days. Even if your appliances are more energy efficient they still take their toll.
Why? Because there are simply more of them.
Your grandparents didn’t have a microwave, a gaming console, a DVR, a blu-ray, a stereo system, multiple televisions, several cell phones, an e-reader and multiple computers. The average modern household has all of those things.
A 200-amp panel is simply more equipped to handle the demands of today’s home. If you stick to the older panel you might have to deal with circuit breakers that trip on a regular basis as you attempt to draw more power than your existing electrical system can handle.
Usually this will happen while you’re trying to run your AC.
Though you can find some videos that will try to walk you through the process of installing a new electrical panel it is not really a good DIY job. This is the kind of issue that a qualified electrician should be handling for you.
If you’re in an older home and you live in the Raleigh-Durham area, don’t hesitate to call us. We offer free estimates on electrical panel and other wiring upgrades.