4 Things to Know About Your Home’s Electrical Panel
After your electricity goes beyond your meter, it travels to lights and appliances throughout your house by several different electrical circuits. The distribution center or main electrical panel and smaller sub-panels control these circuits. Here are some things you should know about your Tampa, Florida, home’s electrical panel.
Circuit Breakers
An electrical panel is a painted or gray metal box that’s usually in a utility room, laundry room, garage, basement, or closet. It could also be outside near your meter. The main electrical panel contains primary circuit breakers and an individual breaker to disconnect your circuits from incoming power. After a failure in your electrical system, the circuit breaker will automatically disconnect your electricity. You can also disconnect it manually by pulling a lever or removing a fuse.
Main Lug Panels
Main lug panels don’t have a primary circuit breaker. Instead, the line wires run to lugs, and they need a separate disconnect. The main breaker could be at the meter, or if the main lug panel is a sub-panel, it could connect to the circuit breaker at the main panel. Having a separate disconnect at your meter is helpful to fire authorities since they won’t have to enter your home to cut power.
Amperage
The greatest amperage that your electrical panel can deliver at one time is on your main breaker. For most homes, 100 amps are enough. However, many new homes have 150-amp or 200-amp panels. Electrical service panels rated at less than 60 amps are too small for modern needs.
When You Need a New Electrical Panel
Signs you need a new electrical panel include flickering lights, circuit breakers that trip constantly, melted wires, and needing to turn off one appliance to use another. You could also notice crackling sounds from your panel box or rust on the circuit breakers or panel.
Luminous Electric has more than two decades of experience, and our Angie’s List Super Service Award is proof positive that we only hire the finest electrical technicians. We can install, maintain, and repair electrical panels, surge protectors, generators, lighting, and more. Just call us anytime at .
