The 5 Things You Need To Know
About Your Electric Panel

Is Your Electric Service At Risk?

You can start by looking at your outside service (without touching) and making sure the cable does not look sun burned or cracked. This happens from the wind, heat, cold, and water. When the cable becomes sunburned, cracked and the protective shielding is missing it is not only dangerous to be around or touch, but this condition can also be a threat to your home. There should also be a good seal around the meter base where the cable enters the box, and where the cable enters the home through the outside wall. Both of these items are very important to know the condition of because they are steps that can be vital in keeping water out of your service panel.

The inside of your home is where your service panel is, and this is just as important of a part of the safety and health of your home as the outside is. When checking the health of the service panel, the best way is to use the four senses. Quicktricity electricians use these four senses when they evaluate an at-risk panel.

• Listen for popping and buzzing sounds. This is often a sign of a bad circuit breaker, or moisture in the panel.
• Visual check for corrosion, rust or burn marks. This check of your service panel can be done without touching it. If there are signs of rust or corrosion, this usually means that there is moisture buildup in or on the panel. Exposure to water will eventually cause the electric panels box to deteriorate and become a hazard. If there are signs that this may be happening, do not attempt to touch or fix yourself.

• Heat coming from the panel or an individual breaker is a definite sign of an at-risk panel, and should be replaced immediately. This can be a sign of overdraw of current, or arcing in the panel.

• The Scent of burning plastic in the area of the service panel is cause for concern and should be inspected right away. This scent comes from the arcing problem within the panel which burns at thousands of degrees and can burn through the panel and in the case of the panel in the video, burn a hole into a block wall.

Dimming lights are a sign that there also may be a serious issue with your service panel. This could be caused by an problem in the electric service panel or another issue with your electric system that could damage appliances and electronics.

The above symptoms can all indicate a problem with your electric panel and should be inspected immediately if noticed. Please do not try to inspect or replace the electric service cable, meter base, or electric panel yourself. Touching the wrong part of the panel can be very dangerous and should be left to a qualified electrician with the proper training and equipment.

What our Electricians Can Do:

Quicktricity electricians can inspect the electric service panel in your home. All our electricians stock service panels on their truck, so if needed you can have one installed the same day. Problems with your electric service can be very serious to the safety of your home. So if you are experiencing these symptoms Schedule TODAY or Call 717.473.4239.