" Why do people get a 200amp service upgrade?"
Below are just a few of the reasons customers choose to do so.
1- Upgraded life style.
Because customers are constantly upgrading their life style. Take for instance the following examples. Having your kitchen remodeled, which may require 50amps or more. Installing a central A/C system may require 30 to 50amps. Installing a hot tub can be 50amps or more. Inground pool may require 40amps or more. Extending the home with an addition many times causes an upgrade of service because of additional circuits. Life style upgrades.
2- Resale value.
Many home buyers are looking for their electrical system to have already been updated for their future upgrading of their life-style. They do not desire to make that another item on their list of things to do when purchasing a home, the same as you would feel when buying a car. You want whatever items on your car to be already in place when you drive off the lot. Also, it brings the value of the house up, for either refinance or the sale of the home. Resale.
3- Outdated panels.
Federal Pacific, Zinsco and Push-a-Matic panels as examples, are outdated and can be a fire hazard because of their poor trip rating. Plus it is very difficult to find those breakers as replacements. Some brakers cost as much a $150 to replace. Having installed many modern G.E. panels, they give you the ability to have not only the lastest panel, but makes it easier to find those breakers anywhere when you need a replacement or to add future circuits .
4- One to many sub-panels.
Some have a nightmare of panels. Having two, three or more panels all being attached some how to one main panel all on the same wall. Centralizing all circuits to one main panel makes it easier and safer, giving you space for future growth. You should not have to guess which panel it is when it comes to electricity. Many times, when additional panels are tapped off a main panel serveral times, they are many times not fused correctedly so as to protect the loads on them, which makes for a very serious situation or fire hazard.
5- No insurance coverage.
Many insurance companies will not insure your home if you have fuses. Perhaps they may give you partial insurance. Either way, upgrading a fused service to breakers gives you that ability to get the proper coverage and protection you need for you and your family, and rid yourself of those aweful fuses.
6- Power outages and cosmetics.
Some customers live around a lot of tall trees. That can be hazardous, because when one comes down from old age or from a wind storm, it tears or breaks the cable causing you a power outage. A underground service allows you to do both, in that the line is out of danger from trees and it gives a nice cosmetic look to your property.
7- Old worn out hazardous condition.
Old frayed cables that has torn insulation makes it easy for water and moisture to get into the cable outside the home dripping down into the meter and sometimes into the electrical panel which causes it to corrode and rust. That can cause poor connection which can cause arcing, which inturn can lead to power problems or fire. Sometimes the cost of replacing the outside weather beaten cable, rusted meter pan and more then likely not having the proper grounding system of outdoor earth ground and indoor water grounds. It is usually only a difference of a few hundred dollars for a 200amp upgrade of service.
8- Relocate meter outside.
Because of the homeowner not being home during the day at times. The meter reader cannot come into the house and read the meter properly. So they make estimates from pass usage or just guess. That is not always accurate becasue you may go away for vacation or simply not use your electric at the same level each month. I recently talked to one homeowner who said that they were being charge from $200 to $300 per month extra. I know I don't have that type of money just to give to the power company. Or you may try to be there each time they come, only to inconvience yourself each month. Usually the system is a older one and it doesn't have the proper grounding to it. So after it is all said and done, the only item that hasn't been touch in the process is the panel. For a few hundred dollars more, most people will go ahead and upgrade everything and move the meter outside.
9- 110volt Service
A customer may have a service that is 110volt instead of 220volts or 120volt instead of 240volt. You cannot run central air units, electric oven, wall ovens, spa and steam showers and anything needing 240volt power usage. To change the service to 220volts or 240volts would require a change in overhead cables and meter, cables to panel or fuse box and grounding system. Hence, most will go ahead and go with a complete 200amp upgrade.
10- Circuits that trip
Sometimes because the house is older and built 30 or more years ago. They didn't of course wire homes with the thought that they would be using the type of loads now that you find in a modern home. Usually they may have a fuse panel with no more room to add a circuit because that is the way fuse panels are made. So the panel needs to be changed out to a breaker box anyway to provide dedicated circuits to the problem areas. Mostly in kitchens and bathrooms you will have those tripping problems or overloads. Depending on future growth and the immediate dedicated circuits, a upgrade may be necessary to solve the issue now and any future ones.
11- A home inspector gave these few reasons why.
- Existing service is only 120volts
- Existence of a Federal Pacific "Stab-Lok" service panel
- Rust or corrosion on terminals
- Solid aluminum branch wiring
- Knob and tube wiring
- Deteriorated wiring from weatherhead to meter
- Evidence of less than professional wiring
- Over fused service panel