Living in New England, most of the homes that we see are older construction. The older construction houses we built during different codes and usually need to be updated before selling. However, if you happened to buy a house before the recent requirements it may be time for you to update your electrical panel. Any certified electrician in Bedford, NH will be able to inform you if your electrical panel will need to be updated, however, it is good to consider a preliminary look on your own so that you can have an idea on what you may be getting into before calling out Chamberlin Electric.
Networx made some good points in an article recently about homes particularly in the Boston area that are mainly older homes that many individuals love to stay in due to their charm and architecture. The main issue with these homes is that the older electrical panels run on fuses. These are actually out of date compared to the newer outlets and panels that are now a part of the code. A circuit breaker is definitely an important update because fuses are easily a fire hazard just due to the age for many of them.
When you have an old fuse box, there are many reasons on top of the fire hazards and code violations that you should consider when you look into updating your panel. For the electrical panels to be legal, the standard amperage should be at 100, 150, 200 or 400 amps. This will allow for all household appliances to be able to be used without issue, as anything less will actually violate code so you would not pass any inspection if you were to try. These amperage’s will allow you to add an addition to your home as well as other upgrades to appliances that would not be able to be used on older panels.
In order to see if you should upgrade is definitely to consider how many times you “blow a fuse”. Meaning when you use a hair dryer or other appliances, how often do you need to go and flip the switch to turn the electricity back on. By knowing if it is a certain appliance that is blowing a particular circuit, or the circuit itself, you simply test using each item that blew the fuse in order to see how much amperage your circuit is actually able to handle, if it cannot handle everyday items, upgrading is a must.
The main reason to upgrade is to make sure that you have a GFCI/AFCI circuit breaker. These circuit breakers are not required for many homes due to safety with shocks as well as fires. GFCI are Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters that can sense in a way when there will be an electric shock. AFCI are Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters will sense any dangerous electrical arcs that could cause electrical fires. These two circuit breakers are key to not only being up to code in your home, but also protecting your loved ones.
Are your panels updated to follow the recent codes and regulations? If you aren’t sure call your electrician in Bedford, NH, Chamberlin Electric at 603-595- 9473 so that we can make sure that
you are safe with updated panels.
