Electric Panels - Buying Tips

Jan 27
08:40

2012

Antoinette Ayana

Antoinette Ayana

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Your home's electric panels are what powers your house. Trying to determine what size you need or even if you are in need of a new one can be confusing.

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We all know what beaker boxes looks like. It's a box,Electric Panels - Buying Tips Articles sometimes small, sometimes huge, with different switches inside that controls what gets power and what doesn't. The size of the box and number of switches in the box is all dependent on what you have in your home. If you need to expand the number of breakers then you might need to get new electric panels for your house. This guide will help ensure that you get the right item.

For starters, you need to determine if you need entirely new electric panels or if you need a sub-panel only. If you have plenty of power coming into your home but you need to add a few more circuits then you don't need a main breaker box, just the sub box. This will allow you to use the existing power supply but add additional breaker circuits for your fixtures, outlets, or appliances. This is the first step you need to make to ensure that you are getting the equipment that you need. If you are changing from a fuse box to circuit breakers be advised that no more power will be going to your home, so plan accordingly.

Next on the list of things to consider are the amps. You need to see what your current circuit breakers are. There should be a number on the electric panels in your home to tell you what the amperage is. If you have an older home, you'll probably run between 60 and 100 amps. If you have a newer model home you'll probably run no more than 200 amps. If you own an older home and need more amps contact a certified electrician to help you upgrade your home.

Finally, to get appropriate sized electric panels you need to know the type and number of circuit breakers you need to run your home. You can figure this out by looking at your existing breaker box and simply counting up the breakers. If you are upgrading from a fuse box to a breaker box then you need single pole (120V) breakers for switches, outlets and fixtures. For appliances you'll need double pole (240V) breakers. Check out your home and make your selections accordingly.

If you are unsure contact a trained professional to help you with your electric panels. This is a dangerous component and shouldn't be handled by anyone that is not certified or does not know how to handle electricity. If you need more amperage to your home, note that simply buying a bigger box is not going to do the job, you should contact a certified technician so that you are certain you get all the equipment you need.