Your home's electrical panel is a crucial part of the integrity of your wiring and the electrical grid. The electrical panel houses all of your home's circuit breakers, which regulate power throughout your home. If your home is still relying on the original electrical panel, it may be time for an upgrade. Here's a look at some of the key indications that you're due for an electrical panel upgrade in your home.

Frequently Tripping Breakers

The circuit breakers in your home are designed to trip when there's a surge in the circuit or any other type of power flow problem. If you're finding that your circuit breakers are tripping frequently, that's an indication that there's either something wrong with the circuit breaker panel or the wiring. 

You may also have a problem with your circuit breakers and electrical panel if you find that you are tripping breakers when you plug things in or turn something on. If the increased demand on the circuit causes a breaker to trip, that's a key warning that your electrical panel is overloaded and needs to be upgraded or replaced.

Fuses In Your Electrical Panel

If you open your electrical panel and you see fuses or a mixture of circuit breakers and fuses, that means that your home has a severely outdated and antiquated electrical panel. These panels were designed to handle the lower electrical demand of older times, but the current electrical demands of multiple appliances, electronics, and more can actually lead to an overload on circuits like these.

You'll want to reach out to an electrical contractor right away to see about an electrical panel upgrade in this situation. Running this much electricity through electrical panels with fuses will blow fuses, overload the circuits, and potentially cause an electrical fire.

Flickering Lights Or Intermittent Power Issues

Because your electrical panel is the key to all of the power distribution throughout your home, persistent trouble with your electrical grid is a warning sign that the electrical panel is failing or overloaded.

If you notice that the lights in your home randomly flicker or flicker when your furnace turns on, that could mean that your electrical panel is being overtaxed and needs to be replaced. The same applies if you are struggling with general intermittent power issues in your home.

Talk with an electrician near you today about getting an electrical panel upgrade if necessary.