First, let’s understand what is a panel and why is it so important. An electrical panel, also called circuit breaker panel, is what connects all the electrical circuits within your home to the big wires from your electric company (for us in Hawaii that is the Hawaiian Electric Company). Now imagine too much power flowing through the house wiring (from the big ones to the small one). It can heat up the system and cause it to melt. That can start a fire. Call PRO Electrician Honolulu for a reliable electrical panel upgrade or repair.

Do you still have a Fuse Box?

Another concept you want to understand about your electrical box is if it has fuse blows (on the old panels) or a circuit breaker to flip off (much safer). If you have an old panel chances are that it is working at an overload. Every time you buy a new appliance or add another light, you are consuming more electricity, which means increased electrical load through the wires. If your circuit breaker is old, chances are that you are using a lot more appliances simultaneously overloading the system.  At some point, the typical American family will have lights, TV(s), computer(s), phone(s), refrigerator, washer/dryer, oven, and microwave all turned on at the same time. Add the fans or A/C in Hawaii and the old panels are overloaded and may trip. The 100 amps are not likely to handle all the 2020 modern high-tech consumption.

​As a rule of thumb, you also should avoid loading the same outlet with a lot of appliances connected. Architects have that into consideration nowadays and you may notice that the modern homes have several outlets along the same wall. The same is not true for old houses and in those cases upgrading the circuit breaker and sometimes adding a new outlet can be key for safety and success.

If you are looking into adding a new circuit but your panel is still good, you should look into adding a subpanel to your Oahu home.