November 14, 2016
Electrical Control Panel: Repair or Replace?
Electrical Control Panel In Dallas
Electrical control panels, working in busy industrial applications, serve as the nerve center for many businesses. They are a critical piece of equipment that can bring up some expensive downtime if they are not monitored, maintained and cooled properly.
An electrical control panel in your house or apartment is a major inconvenience — that’s one thing that every homeowner will agree on. However, the reason behind the outage is not so clear-cut. You may be left without electricity due to a number of different factors.
Electrical Control Panels At Home
The electrical control panel, or “breaker box,” is the heart and mind of your home’s electrical system. The panel connects to the power lines from the utility company and delivers the current to all of the different circuits running throughout your house. The panel is also home to the system’s main safety devices – the circuit breakers – that protect each circuit from overloads and other hazards.
An electrical control panel is a surprisingly simple system that nevertheless can be compromised by any number of problems, from faulty installation to weather and sunlight to plain old obsolescence. All problems with a service panel should be diagnosed and remedied by a qualified electrician, but here are some of the common reasons why you might need to repair or replace a panel or any of its parts.
Damaged Service Cables
The cables running from the power pole to the structural mount on your house are in the domain of the utility company. The cable grouping between the mount and the panel (called SEC, for service-entrance cable) is your responsibility. Problems here may include worn or damaged insulation, a loose cable, or damaged or non-existent clamps or anchors where the SEC meets the meter or service panel. All of these conditions require immediate repair.
Excess Moisture
Water and electricity are as deadly a duo as fire and gasoline. If a water leak or drainage problem brings water onto or near your panel, stay away from the panel and call a pro for help. Evidence of water or excess moisture inside the panel may show up as rust stains on the box or chalky, white corrosion on wiring and other metal parts. Water-damaged panels often must be replaced.
Improper Wiring
Faulty or careless installation can lead to any number of problems that should be repaired in electrical service panels. Common hazards include oversized breakers (such as a 20-amp breaker on a 15-amp circuit), two circuits doubled-up on a single-pole breaker (a code-violating effort to save space), double-pole breakers supplying two single circuits, and wires crisscrossing over the panel’s center. These problems can pose serious risks but are relatively easy to fix.
Poor Manufacturing
Over the years, a few electrical equipment manufacturers have created a legacy of problems for homes with their panels (the now-defunct Federal Pacific Electric company is perhaps the most notorious). Problems with faulty panels have included breakers failing to trip when they should, breakers that fall out of place or are easily damaged and improper installation due to non-standard design (and the installing electrician’s lack of familiarity with the products). If an electrician or home inspector tells you that your electrical control panel is on the “should be replaced” list, he’s probably not just interested in job security. But definitely get a second opinion before making a decision. Read full article..
The Importance Of Electrical Control Panel
Due to technological advances, many facilities today are operating with insufficient electrical wiring for both the quantity and power needs of their equipment. In addition, when buildings are updated or remodeled, the existing electrical wiring often goes untouched. A properly functioning electrical panel is an important component of your facility that affects safety and productivity.