Replace Your Federal Pacific Electric Panel!

July 20th, 2020
electrical-panel-repairs

The electrical panel for your home is the vital “switching station” where the voltage entering your home divides into separate circuits. The panel protects the electrical system in case of shorts and other electrical troubles by tripping breakers. It’s important that your house has a working electrical panel that will keep your home safe. Upgrading to an upgraded electrical panel increases your home’s electrical capacity, allowing more devices and appliances to run simultaneously without overloading the system. If you have an old, outdated panel, or one that has suffered damage, it’s time to schedule an electrical panel replacement in Buffalo, NY. A smaller electrical panel may not support modern appliances or future electrification projects, and upgrading provides flexibility for expansions, renovations, or additional electrification needs.

There is a specific case where we recommend you call us right away for a panel replacement, and that’s if you have a Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) circuit breaker panel installed. Many homes still have these panels, and they pose significant fire hazards. Insurance providers may charge higher premiums or refuse coverage for homes with outdated fuse boxes or risky panel brands. Routine maintenance by a licensed electrician is crucial to ensuring the circuit breakers will trip as intended and to prevent safety concerns.

If you’re unsure if you have an FPE panel, check for the Federal Pacific name or the “Stab-Lok” label on the panel. Unusual noises or smells from the electrical panel, such as buzzing or burning odors, are clear signs of potential electrical issues that need immediate attention.

Upgrading an electrical panel enhances home safety by reducing the risk of electrical fires and ensuring compliance with modern standards. It improves energy efficiency, potentially lowering energy bills, and increases property value. Signs like frequent circuit breaker trips, flickering lights, and insufficient power supply indicate the need for an upgrade. Hiring a licensed electrician is essential for a safe, code-compliant installation, and many utilities offer incentives or rebates to help offset costs, which typically range from $2,000 to $4,000 depending on panel size and installation complexity.

When should you upgrade your electrical panel?

  • Your panel is outdated, damaged, or no longer meets your home’s electrical needs.
  • You have a Federal Pacific Electric panel, which is associated with breaker failure and fire risk.
  • Your breakers trip often, lights flicker, or the panel shows signs of wear or overheating.
  • You are adding new appliances, remodeling, or increasing electrical demand.
  • A panel upgrade can improve safety, reliability, and available capacity.

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Why a Whole-House Generator Is the Best Generator Option

July 6th, 2020
generator-residential

Are you looking to get a generator as an electrical back-up in your house in case of a power outage? Good plan. In Western New York we don’t only suffer from blackouts during stormy seasons. The heat of summer puts immense strain on the power grid because of air conditioning systems, and this can lead to widespread power failures that trap people without cooling during the hottest times of the year.

But if the generator you’re considering is a small portable unit, we want to steer you a different direction and draw your attention to a whole-house generator in Buffalo, NY. We strongly advise consumers to use these generators if they want to help out with residential power outages. They are a bigger investment than a portable generator, but they’re also more beneficial long-term solutions—and you’ll be glad to have one when the time comes.

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Does My Home Need Grounding Services?

June 22nd, 2020
electrical-outlet-wall

What does it mean to have your house grounded? We could go into some lengthy engineering explanations about how electricity works, but we can provide a simpler discussion of the electrical flow in your house. Electricity is always trying to “ground,” which means it gets rid of all its negative energy so it can get back to being balanced. In your home, the way the electrical systems allow electricity to return to ground is through the neutral wires. The “hot” wires carry the negative half of the polarized charge of electricity, and the neutral wires contain the positive half. These wires run next to each other through your electrical system.

For an example of this standard grounding at work, look at an outlet. One slot is the “hot” side, and the other is the “neutral.” The current flows through the hot side and then into the neutral side to eliminate the negative energy.

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Why a New Electrical Panel May Be Necessary

June 8th, 2020
electric-tools

An important job we often focus on here at Scherer Electric is making upgrades to electrical panels for homes. In our long history as a top Amherst, NY electrician, and as Western New York’s Favorite Electrician, we’ve seen plenty of outdated panels in homes that needed to be replaced many years ago. There are also specific panel types that are hazardous, such as Federal Pacific panels that we advise all homeowners have replaced as soon as they can.

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Can I Install My Own Electrical Panel?

April 27th, 2020
hand-holding-wrench

If you’re asking this question, it’s because you either have a suspicion that your current electrical panel is out of date, or you know it’s out of date because it’s failed on you. Perhaps you have an old fuse box, and now realize that this antiquated technology isn’t viable anymore as you keep putting larger and larger fuses on it. Maybe you’ve found out about the danger of the Federal Electric panel installed in your house and want this fire hazard eliminated.

Great—replacing your electrical panel is almost certainly beneficial, and could even prevent a house fire. But if you came here looking for advice on how to install the panel yourself … well, we hope we stopped you before you wandered over to any hazardous recommendations on how you can do it yourself. Because even if you could, you shouldn’t.

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Why Do the Circuit Breakers Keep Tripping?

April 13th, 2020
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The electrical panel in your house, a.k.a. the circuit breaker panel, is the main “switching station” for the electrical system. This is where the incoming electrical current from the grid divides up into the circuits for the rest of the house. The breakers are in place to prevent an overload on a circuit from damaging the electrical system and causing problems like electrical fires.

When a circuit breaker trips, it means there was too much draw on that circuit. The switch temporarily shuts off the circuit, and you’ll lose power to part of the house. When this happens, we recommend you shut off all appliances in the area and unplug the outlets. Then go to the panel and find which breaker has tripped. Reset it, and then go back to plug in the appliances and turn them back on.

In most cases, this will solve the problem. But what if the circuit breaker keeps tripping? This indicates a larger problem, and you’ll probably need professional electricians in Clarence, NY to help you solve it.

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How LED Lights Work (And Why They’re a Good Investment)

March 30th, 2020
lightbulb-LED-100-dollar-bills

You’ve heard about LED lights, and may already have some in your home. LED lights are making larger strides each year as they start to overtake the use of standard incandescent and fluorescent lighting, offering a number of major benefits compared to older light sources.

We’re the Clarence, NY electrician company that can help you receive the greatest benefit from LED technology. We work extensively with both indoor and outdoor lighting and handling retrofits, and we back up our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Consult with us and we’ll help you make the best investments in electrical upgrades for your home.

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COVID-19 – Public Statement

March 17th, 2020

As we continue to monitor the unforeseen situation that is present with the coronavirus (COVID-19) and associated illnesses, Scherer Electric has developed this policy to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all team members, visitors, and our customers. 

Scherer Electric wishes to ensure all customers that we have continuity plans in place to deliver uninterrupted service and support to customers as we navigate the uncertainty of COVID-19.

Scherer Electric’s Team

Scherer Electric has implemented an extensive COVID-19 Policy accompanied by Scherer Electric’s COVID-19 Temporary Risk Management Procedures. We have implemented additional sanitization and cleaning protocols in our office, warehouses, fleet vehicles, and work locations. We have equipped field staff with the necessary equipment to ensure safe working procedures in homes and businesses of our customers. We have increased options for remote work where possible. The policy and procedures set in place are largely precautionary and will be constantly monitored and adjusted.

Scherer Electric’s Plan

No employees showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be working while showing symptoms and will not return until medically cleared. Prior to each home visit, your technician will call to confirm the appointment. At this time, the technician will describe the increased sanitary measures and confirm nobody at the location is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or has experienced symptoms within the past 48 hours.

All our installers are equipped with hand sanitizer and wipes for all surfaces. In addition, we all wear disposable protective shoe coverings in your home which are disposed of after every home visit. They have N95 masks on their trucks; which if you will feel more comfortable, they are happy to wear them in your home at your request. We are a smaller operation and the exposure for our employees are minimal. That translates to minimal exposure for you and your family in your home.

We encourage those who are well to keep their appointments. Customers who are ill or high risk, we wish for you to reschedule, and every effort to reschedule at your convenience will be made. We ask all customers to respect the health and safety of our team and community.

As we continue to monitor the situations, further communications may be updated.

Should you have any questions regarding this policy or wish to discuss our COVID-19 practices, please contact Kenneth Scherer at 716-648-6272 ext. 221 or CCR@schererelectric.com.

Thank you,

Deborah A. Scherer, owner
Scherer Electric

Contact Scherer Electric to learn more.

There is much to consider regarding the COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus) and its possible transmission in your home. While there are various and effective indoor air quality measures available to help protect your safety, including duct sanitization, ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light treatment, and HEPA air filters, they alone cannot protect from all forms of COVID-19 transmission. It is important to follow all official guidelines for preventing the spread of this virus.

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Are Three-Pronged Adapters Safe?

March 16th, 2020
electrical-outlet

The standard for major electrical appliances since 1969 is to have three-pronged plugs. Soon after this standard was introduced, the household outlets started to change over to three-prongs. A three-pronged outlet is a grounded outlet. The third prong, the one below the “hot” and “neutral” slots, is the “ground.” The ground slot is there to protect a person from receiving an electrical shock from the metal casing of an appliance because the electricity from the hot wire side is sent into the ground in case there is excess. You’ll notice that some appliances still use two-prong plugs because they don’t have large metal cases in them that can create this problem.

This lengthy explanation about grounded outlets and three-pronged plugs is necessary to get to the big question, “Is it okay to use a three-pronged adapter?” The cheater plugs allow you to plug a three-pronged plug into a two-pronged outlet, which you wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. If you live in an older home with two-pronged outlets, you may have plenty of these cheater plugs around. Is this a good idea?

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Watch Out for Federal Pacific Electrical Panels and Have Them Replaced!

March 3rd, 2020
electrical-panel-repairs

We watch out for the safety of our customers. Keeping electrical systems running without hazards for a house is an essential part of the job of any professional electrician. But our electricians in Orchard Park, NY have a special safety focus, which is replacing outdated electrical panels. Assessing the current electrical panel for age, condition, and compliance with modern codes is crucial before deciding to replace or upgrade.

There are many older homes in Western New York which still have their original wiring and electrical panels. Those panels may have been fine decades ago, but they aren’t right for modern electrical demands. The current panel may not support modern heating, cooling systems, or new technology like electric vehicles and solar panels. The amp panel’s capacity often falls short as homes require more electricity due to increased electricity usage and electrical use from new appliances and devices.

And then there’s the Federal Pacific electrical panel, which presents a significant fire danger for homes—and is found in far too many of them! If you have a Federal Pacific electrical panel in your house, please schedule service with us as soon as possible to have it replaced. Unusual noises such as buzzing or crackling from the existing panel or main panel are warning signs that it may need to be replaced. The circuit breaker inside your home’s electrical panel plays a key role in ensuring safety by protecting against overloads and preventing electrical fires.

Routine maintenance of your home’s electrical system is important to prevent hazards, ensure safety, and support future upgrades.

When should you upgrade your electrical panel?

  • Your panel is more than 20 years old or no longer meets your home’s electrical demand.
  • You have a Federal Pacific Electric or FPE panel, which is linked to breaker failure and fire risk.
  • Your home was built before 1990 and still has its original panel.
  • You want a safer system with more capacity for modern appliances and electrical use.
  • A breaker panel upgrade can improve safety, reliability, and available electrical load.

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