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Yesterday I had an electrician come to my house. I had had a power failure in the back of the house. When I checked the breakers, nothing had been tripped. I flipped the relevant breaker off and back on, and the power was restored. The electrician replaced that breaker and checked all the wiring on the five light switches in the affected area. He wasn't sure what the problem was, but everything is working OK now.
In the process of fixing this, he told me that I should consider replacing the breaker box. The type I have lasts 15-20 years, according to this guy. This one is 19 years old. It was made by Crouse Hinds. The cost of replacing the box (and all the breakers) is about $1,300. The box has two 50-amp breakers, two 30-amp, six 20-amp and three 15-amp, in addition to the 200-amp main. The house is just under 1,400 square fee.
He also said that for another $300, his company would check all sockets and light switches he had not yet checked. According to him, homebuilders here commonly fail to twist the ends of wires when they are connected. They just put wire nuts on them. He said that over time, the nuts can loosen and cause arcing. He thought that was probably why my power failed. For the $300, they would go through the wiring and be sure everything is properly twisted.
I would like an opinion on replacing the box and checking the wiring. The box is outside and exposed to the weather. That's mostly sunshine and heat; we don't get much rain in the desert. The electrical system is working OK now, but the last thing I need is a catastrophic failure in July. It is terrifically hot then.
In the process of fixing this, he told me that I should consider replacing the breaker box. The type I have lasts 15-20 years, according to this guy. This one is 19 years old. It was made by Crouse Hinds. The cost of replacing the box (and all the breakers) is about $1,300. The box has two 50-amp breakers, two 30-amp, six 20-amp and three 15-amp, in addition to the 200-amp main. The house is just under 1,400 square fee.
He also said that for another $300, his company would check all sockets and light switches he had not yet checked. According to him, homebuilders here commonly fail to twist the ends of wires when they are connected. They just put wire nuts on them. He said that over time, the nuts can loosen and cause arcing. He thought that was probably why my power failed. For the $300, they would go through the wiring and be sure everything is properly twisted.
I would like an opinion on replacing the box and checking the wiring. The box is outside and exposed to the weather. That's mostly sunshine and heat; we don't get much rain in the desert. The electrical system is working OK now, but the last thing I need is a catastrophic failure in July. It is terrifically hot then.
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