Seriously, Check Your Electrical Panel
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The electrical panel box is like the brain of your home’s electrical system, and you really don’t want just any Tom, Dick, or Harriet messing around with it.
This is why we here at Upon Closer Inspection always say, “Do Not DIY Electrical.” However, you shouldn’t just completely forget it exists either. Every sensible homeowner knows their breakers should be labeled and how to switch them on and off when needed. But anything beyond that (unless you’ve had some training) is best to leave it to an electrician.
So today, we challenge you to go take a look at your electrical panel box and see how it’s doing. If you see anything that looks like what’s going on below, you should make that call:
Faulty Parts
Just like with cars or other types of machinery, electrical panels sometimes have parts that end up being recalled or, over time, are found to be either unsafe or rendered obsolete.
In this video, our inspector found a panel box with breakers he knew to be of a year and model known for faulty trip resets. He tested them and found that one was completely malfunctioning. These breakers will need to be replaced for the panel box to be in safe working order.
Older Panel Boxes Need Maintenance
Don’t judge a panel box by its cover! A freshly installed cover can hide an old, ugly mess. This box needs — at the very least — some maintenance to remove the corrosion and someone to plug up those holes to protect wandering fingers from electrocution. Also, a good panel box has all its breakers labeled so you can quickly and safely do what they need to do. You don’t want to be flipping breakers at random in an emergency.
Is This Thing On?
This sad, dirty dinosaur was found at a flip house, and yes, it was on. Besides the obvious issues like it missing its cover and being coated in leaves and other debris (a fire hazard), this is a Challenger panel box. It is one of five brands of panel boxes that have been recalled or have a recall notice.
From oldest to newest, the brands are Federal-Pacific, Zinsco, Sylvania, Bryant, and Challenger. If a home has one of these panel boxes, the approximate cost to replace one located in the garage is $1,600-1,800. If it’s located in a closet (no longer allowed), the cost to replace and move to an exterior wall or the garage is around $3,000.
If you have questions about your electrical panel box, the best thing to do is to call an electrician. We definitely recommend it if you’re facing any of the scenarios discussed or if something else shows up during a home inspection. It’s best to have all the information about a house before you buy, and to ensure that any repairs needed are being diagnosed and performed by a licensed professional.
