Signs of an Outdated or Unsafe Electrical Panel in Older Marin/Sonoma Homes

Homes in Sonoma and Marin County were built during a different time, and the capacity of the electrical panels was meant to handle the electricity needs of a different era. With the surge of new all-electric appliances, like air conditioning systems, electric stoves, heat pumps, and electric vehicle charging stations, the typical electricity demands are much different today than they were 30-40 years ago. And an electrical panel upgrade is sometimes required in order to keep up.

Your electrical panel is the center of all your functioning electricity, and a massive failure can cause equally massive problems in your home. Luckily, there are many warning signs that arise long before you have to deal with annoying and possibly dangerous panel issues.

Signs You Need an Electrical Panel Upgrade: Your Panel is Becoming Unsafe

These are the immediate danger signs that you are dealing with an outdated electrical panel that should be looked at by a professional electrician.

Tripping Breakers

When a breaker (the safety switch protecting the electrical system) trips, it is cutting the power before a circuit can overheat. This can normally happen every now and then to protect your panel. But if a breaker is tripping constantly, this is a warning sign of a bigger issue and an unsafe electrical panel. It could mean the specific circuit is carrying more than it should be or your panel is overloaded.

Flickering Lights

Lights that flicker frequently, particularly when a large appliance turns on, are signs of a strained panel. If your living room lights flicker when the AC system kicks in, for example, it is important to get the panel inspected by a local electrician right away.

Signs of Rust

Noticing signs of rust, corrosion, or scorch marks around outlets and circuit breakers is a strong warning that the panel has become unsafe.

Smell of Burning

Any kind of burning plastic smell coming from your outlets or any electrical appliance should be treated as an emergency. Call an electrician right away.

Warm Plates

Warm cover plates can be another early warning sign of your electrical panel or wiring becoming overloaded. Updating electrical panel or wiring is most likely necessary.

Sparking or Buzzing Outlets

Buzzing outlets, switches, or panels are not normal and could be the signs of an outdated electrical panel. Electricity should move silently when appliances are turned on. Sparking at the outlets or light switches are also a heavy red flag that something needs to be looked at in your electrical panel.

Upgrade Options

When it comes time to upgrade an unsafe electrical panel, one solution is upgrading to a smart electrical panel. This is a panel that lets you control the power usage in your home via an app on your phone. They also use smart tracking to cut back energy to certain appliances when needed, as well as make it easy for you to adjust and keep track of the amounts of energy all your appliances are using at any given time.

A SPAN panel is a popular type of smart electrical panel that allows you to view all your electrical energy data through one dashboard on your phone, track your energy costs and savings, and have control of all circuits.

When Your Panel Might Be Outdated

Even though you may not have an unsafe electrical panel, it still could be outdated and unable to handle the load of electricity required to run most modern homes. A local electrician can help here as well with services like load calculations, a process that determines how much usage is required for your appliances and if your current panel can keep up.

Adding Large Appliances

If you are preparing to add a large electrical appliance to your home, such as a heat pump or EV charger, it is worth having your panel inspected by a local electrician and possibly upgrading to an option such as a SPAN panel. You want to make sure your electrical panel can keep up with the large demand and not overheat, especially if you are working with an older home and an outdated system. Since the panels of 20+ years ago weren’t built to handle the volume of electrical appliances that are typical for households now, you will want a licensed electrician to inspect your panel before you move forward with the installation of a new appliance that will take a large amount of electricity.

Less Than 200-amp Panel

It is possible your home is working with a 60-amp or 100-amp service panel. If this is the case, it is recommended to get an electrical panel upgrade, since the volume of modern electrical appliances require a lot more power. Just having a heat pump alone means a 200-amp panel is recommended, and having a combination of large electrical appliances (like a heat pump and an electric vehicle charger) means a 200-amp panel is required to adequately power the home. A SPAN panel is a good option in this case, since this is a 200-amp brand. Tools like a smart electrical panel can be used to manage large energy usage.

No More Room

Make sure to check your panel to make sure you still have room! Though your panel may be operating safely, it could still be outdated if you have run out of room for any more breakers. In an increasingly electrified world, it is wise to stay ahead and get a panel update in case you want to add an appliance at some point in the future and don’t want the added hassle of updating electrical panel or wiring at the same time. Upgrading to a smart electrical panel could be a good solution.

What to Do Next

What happens once you’ve discovered you have an unsafe or outdated electrical panel? The best thing to do is call a licensed electrician in your area the moment you suspect any danger from your electrical panel. You want to leave electrical work like this to the professionals because of all the intricate wiring, codes, and precise workmanship that goes into the process. Updating electrical panel and wiring requires careful training and the correct tools, as well as permits.

John Owens Services has been a trusted contractor in Sonoma and Marin County since 1986. Licensed in electrical work for 20 years, we are dedicated to providing safe and accurate work on panel upgrade jobs to make sure your home can adequately keep up with electricity demand without overpowering or causing any dangerous side effects that can harm your house and your appliances. When you are ready for a full panel upgrade, we can take care of the process from beginning to end, from permit filing to onsite work, keeping you informed the whole way through.

Key Takeaways

• Older homes built in Sonoma and Marin County are often working with older electrical panels not built to withstand the modern use of electric appliances
• Frequent breaker trips, flickering lights, signs of rust or burning, warm cover plates, and sparking outlets are all signs that you have an unsafe electrical panel
• Your panel may be outdated if it is below 200-amp service, you are trying to add multiple large electrical appliances, or you have no more room for breakers on the board
• Modern options include smart electrical panels and SPAN panels that give you more control over your energy usage
• John Owens Services is a local licensed electrician who can assist with any electrical panel upgrade, repair, or inspection