We just built a new shop and had an electrician come to take a look to see what we needed to do to get electric to it. When he checked our box in the basement he was shocked and then said he was scared. It was an old box and he said that if we overused it - the breakers would not trip. It would just start on fire. Well $500 later, the box was changed out. We also changed the box out in the old garage - that cost $376 and put a new box in the new shop - $420. I know they were great prices - the electrician is my cousin. Do you know if your electric box and fuses are safe?
Ouch - that is a huge expense when I'm sure you were not expecting it. We have had our electric boxes looked at. We had to in order to get a mortgage for our home. Good thing you have an electrician in the family - I can't imagine what it would have cost from a non-family member.
I know what you're talking about. We bought an older home and had to upgrade the box from 60 amps to 200amps. What we had was more for a small Mobile home. It is nice now though but wasn't cheap at all!
I think you really lucked out with having an electrician in the family. I don't know if our electrical box is safe or not. I just assume it is since our house is only 6 years old. I thought one only had to worry about such things with an older house. Is this something that should be checked periodically, no matter the age of a home? I am sort of worried now since we didn't have an inspection when we bought our home.
Be careful with those old boxes. We put one in a house not long ago where, when we started removing the box, there was all sorts of indication behind the box that an electrical fire had started and burned out before causing the damage it could have done. Those were some lucky homeowners.
A new minimum service entrance panel would be a 100 amp minimum. some inspectors require a grade accessible gfci protected outlet. check the new code. any new construction requires the need for AFCIs -or- Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter breakers.
