Your Electrical Panel Is the Foundation of Your Home’s Power
Your electrical panel — also called a breaker box or load center — is the hub that distributes power to every circuit in your home. When it’s working correctly, you never think about it. When it can no longer keep up with demand, or when it’s a model known to have safety issues, the consequences range from inconvenience to genuine fire risk.
North County San Diego homes span decades of construction. Older neighborhoods in Leucadia, Olde Carlsbad, South Oceanside, and Old Encinitas often have 100-amp panels that were designed for a fraction of today’s electrical demand. Newer communities in Bressi Ranch, San Elijo Hills, and Carmel Valley typically have 200-amp panels — but even these can be pushed to their limits by EV chargers, home additions, and high-efficiency HVAC upgrades.
This guide covers the nine most common signs that your panel needs attention, what a panel upgrade involves, and when to call a licensed electrician.
Sign 1: Breakers Trip Frequently Under Normal Use
Circuit breakers are designed to trip — that’s how they protect your wiring from overloading. An occasional trip when you plug in too many things at once is normal. But if you find yourself resetting the same breaker regularly under ordinary household use — running the microwave, hair dryer, or vacuum — the circuit may be undersized for the load, or the breaker itself may be failing.
If multiple breakers trip frequently, or if your main breaker trips, the panel itself may be undersized for your home’s total electrical demand.
What to do: Schedule an evaluation. The problem may be a single overloaded circuit that can be remedied with a dedicated circuit, or it may indicate the panel is at capacity and needs upgrading.
Sign 2: You Still Have a Fuse Box
Fuse boxes were standard in homes built before the 1960s. While they were appropriate for the electrical demands of that era, they were not designed for modern loads and cannot be easily expanded. Replacing blown fuses with the wrong amperage is also a common DIY mistake that creates fire risk.
If your home still has a fuse box with glass or ceramic fuses, upgrading to a modern breaker panel is strongly recommended — both for safety and to make the home insurable and marketable.
Sign 3: You Have a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or Pushmatic Panel
These three panel brands have well-documented safety histories:
Federal Pacific Electric (Stab-Lok): Manufactured widely from the 1950s through the 1980s, Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels have a documented history of breakers that fail to trip during overloads. This is a serious fire risk. If you have a Federal Pacific panel — identifiable by the red breaker handles and “Stab-Lok” label — replacement is strongly recommended.
Zinsco (also sold as GTE-Sylvania): Zinsco panels, common from the 1950s through 1970s, have breakers that can fuse to the bus bar and fail to trip. Inspection and replacement are recommended.
Pushmatic: While Pushmatic panels are more mechanically sound than the above two, they use button-style breakers that are difficult to reset after tripping and breakers that are now expensive and hard to source for repair.
Many homeowners in older North County San Diego communities — particularly in Solana Beach, Eden Gardens, and older neighborhoods in Encinitas and Carlsbad — still have these panels. A licensed electrician can identify the brand quickly during a visual inspection.
Sign 4: You Are Adding an EV Charger, Hot Tub, or HVAC System
Adding a Level 2 EV charger, hot tub, or new HVAC system to an existing home requires a dedicated 240V circuit — typically 30 to 50 amps. If your panel is already at or near capacity, there may not be space for a new circuit without a panel upgrade or sub-panel addition.
This is one of the most common reasons we are called to evaluate panels in North County San Diego. Homeowners who just purchased an electric vehicle discover that their 100-amp panel from 1985 cannot support a new 50-amp EV charger circuit without some panel work first.
The good news: a panel upgrade done in conjunction with an EV charger installation is efficient and cost-effective since both the panel and charger permits are often pulled together.
Sign 5: Lights Flicker or Dim When Appliances Turn On
If your lights dim noticeably when you start the HVAC, run the garbage disposal, or plug in the vacuum, it indicates voltage fluctuation — a sign that the panel is struggling to provide stable power across all circuits simultaneously.
Some voltage fluctuation on motor-start loads is normal and minor. Dramatic dimming every time an appliance kicks on is a sign that your panel is undersized for your home’s total load.
Sign 6: You Are Planning a Major Remodel, ADU, or Room Addition
Kitchen remodels, primary bathroom renovations, garage conversions, and ADU additions all add significant electrical load. A kitchen remodel alone can require dedicated circuits for the refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, and multiple countertop outlets. An ADU needs its own sub-panel in most cases.
Planning your electrical capacity upgrade at the same time as your remodel — rather than discovering you need a panel upgrade mid-project — saves time and money. We recommend a panel evaluation before finalizing any remodel permit application.
Sign 7: Your Homeowner’s Insurance Is Flagging the Panel
During home sales and insurance renewals, inspectors and adjusters increasingly flag older panel types — particularly Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and panels over 30 years old — as conditions for coverage or pricing adjustments.
If your insurance company or a home inspector has flagged your panel, it is not something to defer indefinitely. Beyond the insurance implications, there are legitimate safety reasons these panels are being flagged.
Sign 8: You Hear Buzzing or Smell Burning Near the Panel
A properly functioning electrical panel makes no audible sound. Buzzing, crackling, or humming from your panel indicates loose connections, overloaded circuits, or a failing breaker. A burning smell — even a faint one — near the panel is a more urgent warning sign that should not be ignored.
If you notice either of these signs, schedule an inspection promptly. Do not wait to see if the problem resolves itself.
Sign 9: Your Panel Is 30+ Years Old and Has Never Been Inspected
Electrical panels have a general useful lifespan of 25–40 years depending on the brand, quality, and load history. If you have moved into a home and do not know when the panel was last inspected or replaced, having a licensed electrician evaluate it is a prudent step — particularly if the home is in an older North County neighborhood.
What a Panel Upgrade Involves in North County San Diego
A residential panel upgrade in Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside, Del Mar, San Marcos, Solana Beach, or Rancho Santa Fe typically follows this process:
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Load Calculation — The electrician calculates your home’s total current and projected electrical demand to determine the correct new panel size (typically 200A for most single-family homes; 320A or 400A for larger homes with pools, spas, EV chargers, and ADUs).
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Written Proposal — You receive an itemized quote before any work begins.
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Permit Filing — The electrician applies for the required permit with your city’s building department. Panel upgrades in all North County San Diego cities require an electrical permit and inspection. SDG&E coordination is typically required for meter and riser work.
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Scheduled Power Outage — Panel work requires a temporary power shutoff, typically for a half-day. We schedule this window to minimize disruption.
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Installation — The old panel is removed and the new one installed. All circuits are transferred, re-labeled, and verified. Most upgrades are completed in one day.
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Inspection — The city inspector verifies the installation meets current NEC code. We attend and address any corrections on the spot.
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SDG&E Reconnection — If the meter or riser was involved, SDG&E reconnects service after the inspection sign-off.
Panel Size Recommendations for North County San Diego Homes
| Home Situation | Recommended Panel Size |
|---|---|
| Standard single-family home, no major additions | 200A |
| Home with pool or spa | 200A minimum, evaluate 320A |
| Home with EV charger + pool + HVAC | 200A minimum, evaluate 320A |
| Large home with ADU, multiple EVs, pool, spa | 320A or 400A |
| Multi-unit property or commercial | Evaluate case-by-case |
Ready for a Panel Evaluation?
If you recognize any of the signs above, the next step is a free on-site evaluation from a licensed electrician. Wheyland Electric performs panel evaluations throughout North County San Diego — Carlsbad, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos, Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Oceanside — with no cost and no obligation.
We hold California Contractor License #940291 and back all panel upgrade workmanship with a 1-year labor warranty.
Contact Wheyland Electric for a free panel evaluation and estimate.