When Do I Need a Panel Upgrade?

Electrical panels have a life span of 25-40 years, depending on the conditions the panel faced and maintenance provided. There are also many electrical panel brands, which are considered very unsafe:

Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) panels along with other variations of this brand name can be very dangerous. The most problematic type of panel made by Federal Pacific Electric is the “Stab-Lock” panel. Federal Pacific Electric circuit breakers may fail to trip in response to an overcurrent or a short circuit. A circuit breaker that may not trip does not afford the protection that is intended and required, creating a fire hazard. Simply replacing the circuit breakers might not be a reliable repair. There appears to be no official recall on these panels, mainly because the company that made these panels is out of business.

Zinsco & Sylvania panels from 1970-1980 have an inconsistent history of various problems associated with them. They are outdated and by current standards considered dangerous. Zinsco circuit breakers may fail to trip in response to an overcurrent or a short circuit. A circuit breaker that may not trip does not provide the protection required and creates a fire hazard. Simply replacing the circuit breakers might not be a reliable repair. There appears to be no official recall on these panels, mainly because the companies that made these panels are out of business.

Bulldog panels use a unique, proprietary type of circuit breaker called a “Pushmatic.” which is an older system that is no longer manufactured. The problem with Pushmatic breakers is that they are thermal with no magnetic trip. Secondly they are grease-fed breakers, meaning that if they’re not used and serviced regularly they become stiff and difficult to operate or reset. Since they are no longer manufactured the replacement parts for Pushmatic are also difficult and expensive to find.

Fuse boxes are old electrical panels that use fuses instead of circuit breakers to protect your wires from becoming overloaded. When a circuit draws too much electricity, the fuse burns out and must be replaced. Fuses aren’t inherently unsafe. They work just like circuit breakers (except they have to be replaced, not just reset) However, most fuse boxes in homes today are unsafe because they’ve been modified to try to accommodate today’s energy demands. What happens is that homeowners place too many things on a single circuit. That leads to fuses blowing out. This in turn can lead to homeowners replacinga 15 A fuse with 20 A, so it would stop blowing. By doing this homewner will create a huge fire hazard since the wires in the circuit are only rated for 15 A. If you have any of the forementioned panels we highly recommend to replace them. At the very least, have a licensed electrican inspect the panel.

FAQs

When is a main panel upgrade (MPU) required?

• An outdated electrical panel model that is no longer listed as approved by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)
• Not enough space to add an additional electrical breaker
• If the breakers in your electrical box cannot handle the extra electrical load provided by the solar power system. 
• Will not be able to handle a higher DC input voltage that is required for the solar system size. 

Difference Between Main panel and Subpanel

Main panel is directly connected to utility service and has a service disconnect switch that covers the main panel and all of its sub panels. In most cases, this is where the meter is located. Main panel is also called the service panel. The main panel can have circuit breakers that control sub-panels an/or branch circuits. A sub-panel is connected to the main panel by a feeder circuit which usually has a breaker at both ends. Sub-panels can also have their own sub-panels, but generally, they only control branch circuits, which end in an appliance or load.