Scherer Electric Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Electrical Panels’

Looking Closer Into Circuit Breakers

Monday, September 26th, 2022
panel-replacement

One of the most important jobs we do for our many customers is replacing indoor electrical panels in Buffalo, NY and throughout Western New York. Too many homes have outdated electrical panels, or even ones that were never safe in the first place. There are also older homes in the area that still use fuse boxes rather than a circuit breaker panel. We also handle replacing electrical panels that have sustained damage and are no longer reliable or safe.

Today we want to look in more depth at the circuit breakers in your electrical panels. Please note that this isn’t a DIY guide: you shouldn’t attempt to repair or replace any circuit breaker yourself, as this can create major hazards. Always trust licensed professionals like us. We’re offering this information to help you understand circuit breaker problems and when you’ll need to call for assistance.

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Ways to Tell Your Electrical Panel Has Damage

Monday, July 4th, 2022
outlet-with-scorch-marks

One of the most important jobs we take on as electricians is replacing electrical panels in Orchard Park, NY and elsewhere in our service area. Panels are the central “switching station” for a home’s electrical system: this is where the incoming current divides into the various circuits for the rest of the building. As residential electrical usage increases, old panels become obsolete and need upgrades. 

But panel age isn’t the only reason you may need to have a panel replacement (or in some cases panel repairs). A damaged panel requires professional assistance right away or your home may face serious electrical hazards or a loss of power.

How can you determine if you have a damaged electrical panel? We’ll guide you through the major signs below.

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Do You Have an Old Fuse Box? Here’s Why You Need to Upgrade!

Monday, March 28th, 2022

The fuse box or fuse panel was standard in homes for many decades. The fuses separated the different circuits for the house, and in case of a voltage overload, a fuse would burn out and cut off the electrical flow to its circuit. 

However, the fuse box is out of date—and has been for some time. Electrical panels that use circuit breakers have replaced them. Circuit breakers trip due to voltage spikes rather than burn out, and they can be reset afterward rather than having to put in a new fuse. 

If your home still has a fuse box, you might think that it isn’t that major of a problem and you can get by with the occasional inconvenience. We don’t recommend this course, for several reasons. We’ll explain why scheduling a professional fuse box replacement in Buffalo, NY is the best choice for your home—and one to have done as soon as you can.

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Electric Panel Replacement for 2022? You May Need It!

Monday, January 17th, 2022
panel-replacement

Do you have plans on making important upgrades to your house for 2022? We’d like to suggest looking into the possibility of getting a new electrical panel (circuit breaker box) this year. You may not need it, but if you do, you’ll be glad to have this important job completed. Far too many homes have old and outdated panels in place, and the consequences can be large.

We are experts in all things electrical, and if you need to know if your electric panel in Buffalo, NY is ready for a replacement, you can trust us for honest answers and great service.

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What Your Electrical Panel Does—And Why It May Need a Replacement

Monday, July 5th, 2021
panel-replacement

The electrical panel for your house serves a vital and necessary function. You probably already have some sense of what it does if you’ve ever had to reset tripped breakers or shut off the power to part of the house. But can you give a good “job description” of your electrical panel and why it’s so important? If you can’t, that’s no problem. You don’t have to be an electrical expert about all parts of your home—that’s why you have professional electricians in Orchard Park, NY like us to help you out.

We’re going to give you the basics about your electrical panel, and then we’re going to go into the question of whether you need to have a new one installed.

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Summer Electrical Problems You May Encounter

Monday, June 7th, 2021
sunshine

Summer is approaching, and we can almost guarantee it will be a more enjoyable one than last year! But summer brings with it some major electrical challenges for a home. Households use enormous amounts of electricity during summer. For some homes, such as those that rely on gas-powered heaters, summer may have higher electricity use than winter—and the hotter the summer, the more electricity consumption rises. 

We’re experienced with dealing with summer electrical problems. Below we’ve listed a few of the most common electrical troubles you may run into this summer. 

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Answering FAQs About Electrical Panel Upgrades

Monday, May 10th, 2021
panel-replacement

One of our essential jobs as electricians in Buffalo, NY is servicing and updating residential electrical panels. Outdated and damaged electrical panels are a major cause of electrical problems in homes, including potentially hazardous ones like electrical fires. We take this work seriously and encourage homeowners to pay special attention to their panel needs. 

People often have questions about their electrical panels and when they should make upgrades to them, as well as how to do an upgrade. Below we’ve answered some of the most common questions. 

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What You Can Do to Help Prevent Electrical Fires

Monday, April 12th, 2021
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One reason we tell our customers to only rely on professional Buffalo, NY electrical service technicians for any electrical need rather than to call an amateur or go “do-it-yourself” is because of the potential hazard of electrical fires. Electrical fires are one of the biggest sources of fires in homes: according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, electrical fires from outlets alone cause more than 5,000 fires per year.

We want you to avoid electrical fires in your house, and there are steps you can take to reduce the chance of them occurring with our help.

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4 Home Electrical Troubles That MUST Have an Electrician

Monday, March 1st, 2021
scorched-outlet

We’re a professional electrical contractor, so it makes sense that we would recommend homeowners only call on Angola, NY electricians with licenses to solve their household electrical troubles. But we don’t do this just because we want more business. We wouldn’t be western New York’s favorite electrician if all we cared about was picking up jobs. As experienced professionals, we understand the importance of the skill of a trained and licensed electrician when it comes to fixing household electrical problems. We’re here to keep the lights on and keep our customers, their families, and their property safe.

For example, below are four electrical troubles you may encounter in your house that must receive service from a licensed electrician to diagnose and/or correct. Don’t risk DIY work or calling an amateur “handyperson” for any of these situations. At best, the problem will remain. At worst … well, imagine whatever electrical disaster you wish, it’s not an exaggeration. 

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A Power Outage! What Do You Do?

Monday, February 15th, 2021
flashlight

Winters in New York can be beautiful as long as you have a home with a good heating system, the right insulation, and a steady supply of electricity. But with our low temperatures, a sudden loss of electrical power to your house can mean a serious emergency. Storms, power plant accidents, power surges, even accidents within the home’s electrical system can leave you trapped without the electricity you need to get by. 

Our first message about power outages is not to panic. There are steps you can take, and in many cases a professional Angola, NY electrician can provide you with the help you need. Below are steps you can take when the power suddenly goes out in the winter.

ONE: Check on your electrical panel

It’s possible the reason that you’ve lost power to the house is that the main breaker in the electrical panel has tripped. Check the panel to see if all the breakers are in the “on” position. If they are, test the main breaker switch to see if this restores power. 

An important note of caution: an older breaker panel may be the source of the electrical failure, and we recommend calling us to investigate if the panel needs to be replaced. 

TWO: See if this is a municipal problem

In other words, go talk to your neighbors to discover if they also have lost electrical power. If this is the case, then you aren’t dealing with a specific problem in your home, but an issue with the municipal power supply. 

THREE: Call the power company

If you determined in step two that the issue is municipal, the next step is to call the power company to see the extent of the problem and how long you can expect for it to continue. In fact, the power company may not even know the problem has occurred, so you’re doing the community as well as your home a service by alerting them to the outage so they can take care of it.

FOUR: Unplug major appliances

Those appliances may not be receiving any power at the moment, but when power is restored it can bring with it a surge that can damage them. This is mainly a problem for precision electrical appliances such as computers, the microwave, and the entertainment system. 

FIVE: Don’t try to do any DIY stuff

If you suspect that you might be able to fix some of the electrical problems that caused the blackout, please resist. Electric services need to remain in the domain of professionals. Once the power is restored, you’ll have an idea of what needs repairs, and you can call our team to handle them. Otherwise, please leave the tools alone. You might make a mistake, and when the power does come back on, it could create a major hazard.

SIX: Think about getting a generator

This isn’t so much a step as it is an important moment for reflection. If you have a whole-house backup generator, you wouldn’t be in this emergency situation right now. We recommend you call us once the power is restored to schedule an installation for a whole-house generator—one of the best “insurance policies” you can have against this problem occurring again. 

Scherer Electric is Western New York’s Favorite Electrician! Call us for 24/7 emergency service when you have electrical problems.

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