Today’s brands (Eaton, Cutler Hammer, Murray, Siemens, & GE) are deemed safe by the appropriate government agencies. However, brands like (Zinsco, GTE, Sylvania, & Federal Pacific) were deemed unsafe/obsolete by the same government agencies. The circuit breakers for these electrical panels failed to shut off/trip when necessary. (i.e. shorts on a circuit, overload circuits) For this they lost their government approved UL listing status. Bulldog electrical panels became obsolete over time. Bulldog circuit breakers became unreliable overtime because older circuit breakers may state they are on when they are actually off; or may state off when it is actually on. Other times the circuit breakers may not reset anymore and become stuck.

Here at Supreme Electrical Services, we recommend getting your electrical panel replaced if you have any of the following electrical panels:

Zinsco
Sylvania
GTE
Federal Pacific
Bulldog/Pushmatic

When it comes to wiring, most often the biggest issue is grounding. Most of today’s new home’s are wired with a grounded romex cable. This cable is today’s industry’s standard. Older homes may have wiring called cloth romex or knob and tube wiring. It is highly unlikely that cloth romex or knob and tube wiring include a grounding wire. Grounding is important because it helps protect people from electrocutions, and appliances from getting damaged. Homes with this wiring most often have 2 prong outlets rather than 3 prong outlets. Knob and tube wiring is the most dangerous of the older wiring. It has the greater risk of sparking or overheating over flammable material in the attic or walls. Homes with knob and tube wiring aren’t allowed to have insulation installed due to the higher fire risk. If you have cloth romex or knob and tube wiring, we highly recommend you consider getting your home rewired.

Adequate circuit distribution in a home simply means that the individual circuits in the home don’t have an excessive amount of load on them. For example: not having the microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, and window AC all on the same circuit. Every home is different, however older homes tend not to have adequate circuit distribution for today’s energy demands. Inadequate circuit distribution leads to; tripping circuit breakers, melting/burning outlets, melting/burning wiring. Inadequate circuit distribution could result in a fire hazard.

AFCI stands for Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter. AFCI protection can be installed on newer electrical panels and also with special AFCI outlets. These devices monitor the circuit for arcing/sparking. If an arc/spark becomes present in the circuit the device will turn the circuit off to prevent an electrical fire.

GFCI stands for Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter. GFCI protection can be installed on newer electrical panels and also with special GFCI outlets. These devices monitor the circuit for a potential ground faults. Basically, the device will turn the circuit off, if it senses that some of the electricity is going somewhere else it shouldn’t. (Potentially you) These devices are meant to help protect against electrocutions.

Smoke alarms are required be present in every bedroom in a home. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be placed in hallways or areas outside of the bedrooms. Smoke and carbon monoxide protection is crucial in preventing fatalities in case of a fire or other hazards. Other hazards can include but are not limited to problems with: the furnace/FAU, the chimney, water heater, and a running vehicle.