A Guide to Electrical Panels for Home Owners

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As a homeowner, you must ensure that your home stays maintained and remains in good working order. Part of the reason for this is that you want to be assured you and your family can enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, free from any dangerous hazards.

Considering Home Maintenance

Another reason is that you don’t want to allow the value of your home to decrease because you’ve allowed the condition of your home to break down. But while some of the regular maintenance tasks your home requires are those that you can perform on your own, there are others that you’ll want to hire a professional to look after.

Knowing Your Electrical System

While almost all of the tasks related to the electrical system in your home are the type that you need an accredited electrician to perform, that doesn’t mean that you should ignore it altogether. For example, while you will need a certified electrician to upgrade your electrical panel, you should be able to know the signs that you need an upgrade. Otherwise, you may leave a problem unresolved for too long, posing a dangerous fire hazard.

Where Can You Find Your Electrical Panel?

In most houses, the electrical panel is tucked away somewhere like a garage, closet or basement to remain out of the way of daily household activities and hidden from children. If you don’t know where the electrical panel is in your home and are having difficulty locating it, you can go outside to find where the primary electrical wire from the street, or service drop, connects to your house.

If you follow that wire, it will likely lead to your electrical meter outside your home. The electrical panel is likely located directly on the other side of the wall as the meter or in a nearby area.

What Kind of Electrical Panel Do I have?

While most newly built homes today contain a main circuit breaker panel, it is possible that your panel will be a different type – especially if you live in a previously owned home and it is older. In that case, here are a few different types of panels that you might find:

Fuse Box
Sub Panel
Main Lug Panel
Transfer Switches

Whatever kind of panel you own, the safest way to get to know it is to hire an electrician to provide you with an explanation of your box and the basic features you might use it for, such as switching a breaker that has tripped in your home. It is best to install an electrical panel from trusted electrical control panel builders.

You shouldn’t need to call an electrician every time a circuit breaks in your home, but you should also take the time to learn more about it after you move in.

Like many features in your home, your electrical system requires yearly maintenance. If you aren’t sure when the last time your electrical panel was serviced, you already have a good reason to book a maintenance appointment with a local electrician who can help you to learn more about what you can fix on your own and when you won’t want to go without the help of an expert.