Every time you flip a light switch, plug in your phone charger, or turn on your TV, your home’s electrical panel goes to work. At its core, your panel serves as the brains of your electrical system, telling which plugs and switches to work when you need them. Since many people don’t even think about calling an electrician until they notice something going wrong with their panel, you may not know what to expect during a service call. We’ve got you covered with a quick sneak peek of what an electrical panel service visit usually looks like.
Talking About Your Concerns
An electrician isn’t going to just show up at your house and start poking around in your electrical panel; they need to hear more about why you called them and what your concerns are. Do you have lights randomly flickering or dimming? Are there outlets in your house that don’t work when you plug something into them? Do your kitchen lights get dim every time the refrigerator runs? By learning more about what’s behind your call, your electrician can get a better idea of where to start.
Time for a Visual Inspection
When you look at your electrical panel, you might just see a series of switches and wires, but when a trained electrician looks at your panel, they see things that the untrained eye won’t be able to pick up on. Some slight discoloration around a breaker might point to a faulty wire in the panel. A wire that’s worked its way loose may not even register to the average homeowner, but an electrician might be able to solve the problem just by looking at the panel.
Next Comes the Testing
Once the visual inspection wraps up, your electrician can start doing what they’re trained to do: testing the panel to determine where the problem lies. That visual inspection might put them on the right path, but it really only tells part of the story. When your electrician starts testing breakers, they can usually pinpoint the problem, and when they know exactly what’s wrong, they’ll provide the solution that you’re looking for.
Recommendations
You may not know it, but your electrical panel can become obsolete over time. Depending on its age and the severity of the problems you’ve been dealing with, an electrician might recommend a completely new panel, but they may also recommend a repair. When you have your options in front of you and the advice of an expert, you can make a decision about what to do with your panel.
Many homeowners go years without needing to schedule electrical panel service with a professional electrician, but when the time comes, it helps to know what you can expect. If you live in Delray Beach, FL or a surrounding area and need electrical panel services, make your first call to Assurance Power Systems.
