When to Upgrade Your Electrical System

August 8, 2018

You may have heard some of the reasons why electrical systems need to be enhanced or replaced: insufficient panels, faulty wiring, or old age. But unless you have studied electrical systems or are familiar with home renovations, you might not know what signs to look for specifically.

At Buzz Electrical, our team of experienced electricians has performed hundreds of electrical upgrades over the years and has extensive knowledge of current electrical codes. Here is our guide on when to upgrade your electrical system.

Your house is over 20 years old.

If your house is more than a few decades old and has never had any electrical components replaced, it is likely time for an upgrade. Older homes typically have fuse boxes or electrical panels with 60 amps, and sometimes have different wiring materials and outlets. Make sure your older home is up to modern electrical codes by scheduling an inspection from a licensed professional.

You have a fuse box instead of circuit breakers.

Homes built during or before the 1960s might still have fuse boxes instead of electrical panels with circuit breakers. When power surges happen in your home from storms or appliances, having circuit breakers is a major advantage. Fuses will burn out and must be replaced, whereas circuit breakers can be reset by simply flipping a switch.

Your electrical panel is less than 200 amps.

When electrical panels were first designed and installed in homes, 30-60 amps were sufficient to power appliances and lights. Today’s technology includes HD TV screens, powerful computers, larger refrigerators, and all sorts of new devices. An electrical panel with 100 or 150 amps can get by in a smaller home, but new homes are built with 200-amp panels today. If your breakers are frequently tripping, your lights are flickering, or your appliances are not operating at maximum capacity, your electrical panel may not be powerful enough.

You have aluminum wiring.

If you live in an older home, you could have aluminum wiring instead of copper, or a combination of the two. There are many advantages to copper wiring. It is more durable, rust and oxidization don’t affect its conductivity, and it holds up better over time. (Read more about the differences between aluminum and copper wiring in our blog post.) A combination of the two metals in your wiring can be dangerous because aluminum wiring heats up and expands more quickly than copper when an electrical current passes through. If your home has both types of wiring, it could be at a higher risk for electrical fires. Replacing all of the wiring in your home with copper is a worthwhile investment.

Have you been wondering when to upgrade your electrical system?

If anything on this list applies to you, the sooner you upgrade your electrical system, the better. Our licensed electricians at Buzz Electrical are equipped with all of the tools and skills they need to bring your electrical system up to code and into the 21^st century! Call today for more information about electrical system upgrades.

Family-owned and operated Buzz Electrical is Fayetteville’s leading electrical company! If it is time to upgrade your home electrical system, we are here to help. Give us a call at (479) 267-2899.