Electrical Service

Many homeowners call us asking to add something new to their electrical system. Whether it is a new appliance or additional outlets, these types of projects require two things: an available circuit and amperage. When evaluating these requests, the first thing we look at is the electrical service. This is the main wires from the utility company that feed into your homes power usage meter and distribution panel.

Depending on the age of your home and the amount of electricity you use, your electric service may have a different size or capacity. This is measured in Amps and is typically between 100 – 400 Amps for residential use.

In most cases you can find your main electrical service panel by locating the outdoor meter on one of your exterior walls, or looking for a vertical gray metal (or brown or white) box mounted inside a garage or utility area. The panel will have a door with small toggle levers to turn the breakers on and off. These individual breakers are numbered and range from 15 amps for lighting circuits to 60 or 100 amps for dryers, water heaters and electric heat.

Aside from weather damage such as lightning strikes or high winds, the most common causes of main electrical service problems are trees and shrubs that grow too close to the lines or mast. They can snag and bend the mast which can disconnect or damage the line itself. This can often be easily prevented by keeping trees trimmed and not planting near power lines.Electrician