Electrical Panel Safety Inspection

Electrical panel inspection importance

The electrical panel is the main hub of electricity in the home.  When properly installed, it will last for many years without any troubles. Sometimes problems begin to develop and if they are caught early, it is easy to take care of. If it is allowed to fester, the problem can become serious and result in an expensive replacement or even a house fire. 

What kinds of problems can develop?

Mostly hot spots caused by loose connections. The loose connections can be from the initial  installation, and from the repeated flow of electricity. Larger feeder wires particularly aluminum wires expand and contract. Over time this creates a loose connection which then creates heat.

Older panels were built with copper busses that were more substantial. In the past 20 years, panels have been cheapened up to save money and now have lighter duty aluminum busses. These aluminum busses are far more susceptible to hot spots at the breaker connection. Because of this, newer panels need to be checked just as frequently as older panels. 

Most of the time we take the panel for granted and don't think anything about it so we leave it alone and don't maintain it. It is important to get the panel checked on an annual basis. 

The things that are checked are as follows:

• Inspect for any signs of heat or hot spots
• Tighten all the connections especially the main feeder wires
• Check breaker function and tightness
• Check and tighten the grounding for safety
• Ideally, inspect with infrared camera to see hidden hot spots
• The older the panel, the more careful the inspection needs to be
• Test GFCI and AFCI breakers
• Check for wires that are pushing or bound against the metal can of the panel

There are newer "smart" panels that can give a great deal of information and energy savings during operation. We will write a future blog about these new smart panels.

To maintain a trouble free and safe electrical system, it is important to get the electrical panel inspected and checked on a regular basis. Doing so will ultimately save money and help avoid costly and scary fires.