Electrical Panel Board

Understanding Electrical Panel Board

 An electrical board is known as a breaker box or distribution board, to distribute it to the various circuits within your house. It acts as a centralized hub for electricity distribution in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. Its main function is to receive electricity from a utility provider and distribute it to every branch circuit.
 

Types of Electrical Panel Board

Main Breaker Panel

It includes a primary distribution point for electrical circuits that shut off the power to the entire house. It’s used to control centrally all electrical circuits. It has the main breaker for emergency power cut-off. It’s mostly found in residential places.  

Main Lug Panel

The main lug panels don't have a main breaker in the panel. It’s connected separately at the meter or a main breaker in another panel. It’s used up in sub-panels, requires separate disconnect, and is used up in large homes with multiple electrical panels. 

Sub Panel
 

Sub panels are designed to increase the capacity of the main panel and are installed in different locations within the home like in the basement. It provides additional circuits to electrical panels. It allows to distribution of power in large homes. It’s used to connect the main panel with a feeder breaker. 

Transfer Switch

Transfer switches are used in homes with backup generators. It allows the safe transfer of power during outages. In transferring power, it protects the electrical system from overloading. 

Smart Panel

Smart panels are built with advanced features like monitoring of technology, remote control, smartphone access, and home automation systems. Smart panels are a simple solution to manage power from the final distribution to the main distribution board.  

Advantages of Using Electrical Panel Board

• Distribution of power

The electricity panel board manages the flow of electricity, it securely transfers the flow of power to every circuit of the home or premises.   

• Safeguard System

It acts as a safeguard system to prevent overloads and potential electrical fires by tripping and cutting off power when a circuit becomes overloaded.

• Centralized Management

It works on a centralized location of premises to manage your home’s electrical system and make it easier to resolve troubleshoot or add new circuits.  

Indications For Upgrading The Electric Panel

• Frequently breaker trips are a sign that the panel can’t handle the electrical load. Frequent tripping can indicate a faulty electrical panel which is required to be addressed urgently. 
• Flickering lights indicate a potential problem with the electrical panel. It’s a sign of an overloaded circuit, faulty wiring, and an old panel which required to replace fastly. 
• If your connection is more than 2 decades old, it’s time to upgrade the panel. Older panels do not meet modern electrical demands.  
• If your older panel contains fuses, it’s not reliable and it requires to be replaced with a modern electrical panel. 
• Modern appliances require to significant energy like hot tubs, or electrical vehicle chargers. 

Maintenance Tips For Electrical Panel

Maintenance tips for electrical panels are required for the proper safety and functionality of the building or premises. Some simple steps to follow are:
 

The area around the panel must be clear

The area around the electric panel must be clear without obstruction. In case of emergency, it’s able to easily get access. NEC recommends clearing the electric panel up to around 36 inches. 
 

Regular inspection of the panel

It’s required to carry out a basic visual inspection with trained professionals. It helps early detection of the problem. It’s necessary to examine any damage and decay for further raised problems. 
 

Testing of circuit breaker

It must be essential to test the circuit breakers to keep working perfectly without any damage. 
 

Schedule Inspection

It’s essential for professional inspection by an electrician every two to five years. All the components must function correctly and check for any potential issues.