Holidays bring joy, laughter, and a whole lot of lights. While planning your sparkling displays, make sure your electrical panel is up to the additional load it will handle. Overloading your circuits can cause an inconvenient outage or even a dangerous situation.
Understanding Your Electrical Panel’s Capacity
Your electrical panel is the heart of your home’s power system. It distributes power to each of your outlets and appliances, thereby regulating the flow of electricity around your residence. Adding a number of strings of holiday lights can also double the demand on your panel. If left unmanaged, this places additional burdens on a system that might cause breakers to trip or, even worse, electrical fires. By knowing your panel’s capacity, you could avoid such a situation and keep the holiday cheer going.
Upgrading for Holiday Demands
If your panel is outdated or already near capacity, it may be time for an upgrade. An upgrade provides more circuits and higher amperage, granting you the freedom to add those additional lights without concern. A professional can let you know what is needed to help with the extra demands on your home’s electrical system.
Safe Ways to Add More Lights
Using energy-efficient LED lights reduces the strain on your panel. They operate on less power and are cooler to the touch, which is safer around decorations. Other than that, you can also install timers on your lights as a way to monitor and control energy usage. You can also install your decorations on different circuits as a means of balancing the load and preventing overloading on any one circuit.
Signs Your Panel Needs Attention
Red flags include flickering lights, breakers that regularly trip, and buzzing noises. These should not be neglected, especially during the holidays when electrical consumption is higher. Such occurrences indicate that your panel may be overloaded or defective, and this can be dangerous. Burning smells and scorch marks around outlets or the panel are serious signs we recommend you watch out for. These signs require immediate professional attention to avert possible hazards.
Regular Maintenance
Regular maintenance keeps your electrical system running well. If you get an inspection before the holiday season starts, you also benefit from early detection of possible problems, which can mean the difference between a minor and a major issue. Regular checkups not only increase safety but also make the operation of your home’s electrical system more effective.
Contact Sublime Electric in Boise, ID today so we can help you make sure your home’s electrical panel is ready for the holiday season!
