The holidays are rapidly approaching. If you plan on having guests stay in your Fayetteville, North Carolina, home, you’re going to use more electricity than normal. To ensure your home is safe from electrical fires and you have no disruption in your electricity, consider upgrading your electrical panel. Look out for the following signs that you need a new electrical panel:
Burning Smells
Burning smells are never a good sign and need immediate attention. If you notice a smell like burning wires, turn the circuit breaker off and have the electrical panel looked at right away. If the wires are burning inside of the walls, they could start a fire, so don’t hesitate to call us!
Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping
Your electrical panel’s circuit breakers stop the flow of electricity when the load on that circuit exceeds the capacity of the electrical panel. If your breakers keep tripping, it means that there are either too many appliances pulling from that particular circuit or the panel can’t keep up with your home’s demand and needs upgrading.
Flickering Lights
If lights flicker when large appliances are in use, there are too many of them on the same circuit. Appliances that are in use add a heavy load to the circuit. Make sure all of them aren’t plugged into the same one or upgrade to a larger capacity electrical panel. Flickering lights may also indicate a damaged panel.
Evidence of Electric Fires
If you plug or unplug an appliance and you see sparking at the outlet, there might be corrosion or damage to either the wiring or the electrical panel. Again, any time there is sparking or burning, the panel and wiring need inspecting, and most likely, the panel will need upgrading.
Give our friendly team at Cape Fear Air, Electric, & Plumbing a call today to schedule an appointment for an electric panel upgrade before your holiday guests arrive or if you experience any of the above issues. You can reach us at 910-216-9394.
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