Panels and service
Electrical Panel Upgrades in Lake Forest Park
The panel is where most other projects in an older house either become possible or stop.
Prove it before you buy it
People rarely call about the panel for its own sake. They call because a charger will not fit, a heat pump quote came with a condition, or an inspection flagged it before a sale. What matters is whether the upgrade is genuinely needed. A full panel with a healthy service is a different job at a different price from a service that is actually undersized, and the two get confused expensively often. We run the load calculation, tell you which you have, and handle the utility coordination, the permit and the inspection if the answer is an upgrade. Panel work carries our two-year workmanship warranty on the labour.
What is included
A load calculation, not a glance
Real demand against what is planned — the only honest basis for a service size.
Utility coordination
Disconnect and reconnect arranged, and the meter base addressed where it must be.
The panel change itself
New panel and breakers, grounding and bonding brought current, every circuit identified as it transfers.
Permit, inspection and a readable panel
Filed, inspected, labelled so nobody guesses at breakers in the dark.
Why it comes up
A charger or heat pump is coming
The commonest trigger, and the one worth proving rather than assuming.
No spare slots
Sometimes solvable without an upgrade.
A known problem panel brand
Some panels from the sixties to the eighties have documented failure issues and insurers increasingly ask.
A sale or refinance flagged it
Addressing it is usually quicker than arguing about it.
How the work runs
Assess
Service size, meter position, grounding, and what is on the panel.
Calculate
The load calculation gives the answer, with the options.
Coordinate
Permit filed and the utility booked.
Change and inspect
Panel swapped, circuits transferred and identified, inspection signed off.
Questions about this work
How long is the power off?
Most of a working day for a straightforward change, agreed beforehand. The utility's timing drives the day where they have to disconnect.
Do I definitely need a bigger service?
Not always. The calculation separates a full panel from an undersized service.
Will my old circuits still work?
Yes. They transfer and are identified as they go.
Get the capacity question answered
The load calculation and the visit are one free appointment.