do you ever replace the electrical panel?

Question

i've acquired a couple of rental properties now and during every inspection they always suggest replacing the electrical panel, because it's old.    They of course fine, but how often do you guys replace them?  just for the sake of replacing them.

Travis McCormack · Answer

@Khanh Nguyen

I generally replace every electrical panel that uses the old school screw in fuses. The insurance companies don’t like them and I’ve seen people canceled when the insurance company finds out it’s screw in fuses.

I would replace an electrical panel with breakers if they said it was overloaded, example you have a 125 amp panel and you’re overusing the panel so you should upgrade to a 200 amp panel

I would also replace older electrical panels with breakers if they have a bad history. We got a place with year old old old Federal electrical panels with breakers one time and the panels were known to not trip the breakers when the load was too high sometimes so they were essentially a fire hazard so we changed every one of them out.

Those are the main instances I change a panel, if it’s a fuse panel, if it’s overloaded (fire hazard) and needs to be upgraded, or if it’s a panel that has a history of problems and should be upgraded for the safety of your tenants. I wouldn’t just do an upgrade on an electrical panel randomly

Alan F. · Answer

5yr old thread?(head scratch)

NAHB recommends panel (complete with breakers, grounding/bonding) every 25-40 years depending on location, brand etc.All screw shell fuse panels, pushmatic (bulldogs) FPE Stab-Lok, Square D XO and Any Zinsco should be replaced Immediately. They are all on recall & have no magnetic overload protection, only thermal.

FWIW Breakers are not switches or approved disconnects and they dont pop because they're bad, they pop from overload or direct short, i.e. potential loss to ground.

Investors are the last people anyone should be asking for electrical advise (seriously no offense meant)

Always have work done by licensed and insured electrical contractors with inspections

Russell Brazil · Answer

I always replace fuse boxes and Federal Pacific panels.

John Mocker · Answer

Khanh,

If the panel has fuses, budget for an immediate replacement.  There are many Insurance carriers that will decline if the house is on fuses rather than circuit breakers.  Further, there are certain brands of breaker panels that will cause issues in trying to get insurance.  Discuss with your agent the brands that will give you problems and check when you are evaluating a property.  Lastly, watch for active and inactive knob & tub or Aluminum wiring.  Both of those will cause you problems getting coverage.

John Morgan · Answer

@Khanh Nguyen

I’ve replaced 4 or 5 due to being old and breakers popping all the time. Cost me around $1000-$2000. These were homes built in the 40’s and 50’s.

Jaron Walling · Answer

@Khanh Nguyen We don't replace the panel unless it's terribly outdated like others mentioned. It's a fire risk and increases insurance costs. We would penciled that into our rehab budget and our offer price because a new electrical panel is $5-8K easily.

We do hire an electrician to run though the panel, check the breakers, and label the switches correctly. This ensures safety and helps tenants and myself work turn areas off when necessary.

Roy N. · Answer

We often replace fuse boxes, even older breaker panels, but never just for the sake of replacing them.

If by "old" do you mean a fuse box, then it is also quite probably your wiring is "old" as well ... most probably ungrounded and possibly even knob-and-tube (KnT).  In those instances we would incorporate a {partial} rewire into our renovation plans.

It is also possible you have a breaker panel from a defunct manufacturer for which you cannot easily secure new breakers.   There are some breaker panels which have a history of malfunction and instances of fire ... your insurance provider would likely encourage you to replace them.

Finally, if you are upgrading/modernizing the electrical in the building, the existing panel(s) may have insufficient capacity:  you may need/want to upgrade the entrance size and/or may need to add more circuits than the panel supports.

Nicole A. · Answer

No, I don't replace for the sake of replacing. Unless the box is super old like the fuse-style, it's likely staying. The inspector may just simply just be mentioning stuff for your information and to beef up his report to you.

We replaced the one in our personal home not because it was super old, but because we were adding a lot of of breakers and needed a bigger box and setup for more power.

do you ever replace the electrical panel?

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