Electrical Panels

Can you update your electrical panel?

Do you live in an older home? Do you find yourself flipping breakers all the time to restore power to different areas of your home or office? If so, your home’s original electrical panel may not be adequate to support your modern family’s electrical needs. Plus, your electrical panel may not be up to code. This can become a fire hazard down the road. To update your home’s electrical panel call Real Estate Electric for a free quote.

What are the types of electrical panels?

Basically, you’ll find three types of electrical panels. The main panel houses your circuit breakers. It’s the heart of the home’s electrical system. Then there’s the subpanel which distributes the electrical load. The third panel type is called the service panel. This sends power to different areas of the house.

What is the standard electrical panel?

100 amp electrical service is the rule of thumb for most homes. It’s also the minimum requirement set by the National Electrical Code (NEC). A 100-amp service panel usually provides adequate power for a medium-sized Virginia Beach home. It would be enough to cover several 240-volt appliances like a stove, water heater, central air-conditioning unit, plus an electric car charger.

What is the difference between a breaker box and an electrical panel?

There’s no difference. You’ll typically find your home’s electrical panel in the garage or a utility closet. It’s a tall metal box mounted to the wall with a cover door (usually gray or silver). When you open it you’ll see the circuit breakers. Circuit breakers are mechanical switches that can tell right away if there’s an overage of current. When that happens, the breaker will cut off the flow of electricity. You can tell which breaker tripped because the switch is pointing to the opposite side of all the other switches in the box. They can simply be reset by flipping the switch back in place.

What is an electrical power panel?

Electrical panels are also called breaker panels, load centers, service panels or breaker boxes. It’s the steel box that houses your home’s circuit breakers. In the event of an overload or short circuit, the circuit breakers “trips” the circuit that carries power to that area of your home. If you’ve ever tried to operate a hair dryer, a fan, and dishwasher on the same circuit, you may have experienced a loss of power. A simple flip of the switch in the breaker box will restore power.

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