Panels and services sized for today
Service upgrades
A panel with no spaces left, breakers that trip under a normal load, an older service feeding additions it was never sized to carry.
The honest symptoms of an undersized service
Most people do not call about a service upgrade directly. They call because a breaker keeps tripping on a Tuesday evening for no obvious reason, or because an electrician who came out for something else mentioned the panel is full and there is nowhere left to add a circuit. Sometimes it is an older two-prong outlet with no ground behind it, still doing its job in a house that has since added a shop, a pool, or central air the original wiring never planned for. None of these are emergencies by themselves. Together, over enough years, they are the signs of a service that was right for the building it was installed in and has not been right for a while.
What an upgrade actually involves
At a high level, an upgrade means replacing the panel and often the service entrance itself with equipment sized for the building's actual load today, not the one it had when it was built. A permit and an inspection are often part of that, depending on the jurisdiction and the scope of the work. Cobb Electric handles what falls on the electrical side and can tell you, before anything is scheduled, whether your situation is a straightforward panel swap or something bigger.
Cobb Electric — State-licensed electricians only, covered by general liability and worker's compensation. Call 903-757-4953.
Before you hire anyone
What to ask any electrician you call about this.
Ask whether the quote is for the panel alone or for the panel and the service entrance together, since those are different jobs with different scopes. Ask whether a permit and inspection are included in the price or handled separately, and who is responsible for scheduling that inspection. Ask what happens to power in the building during the work, and for roughly how long. A contractor who has actually done this kind of upgrade before will have straightforward answers to all three, without needing to check.
Cobb Electric started in 1946 wiring houses that ran a stove, some lights and maybe a radio off the whole service. Nobody's house looks like that anymore, and the panels that were plenty then rarely are now. State-licensed electricians only, general liability and worker's compensation covered, and a free estimate before anything is decided.
Tell us what the panel looks like and what keeps tripping.
State-licensed electricians only, covered by general liability and worker's compensation. Estimates are free, and there's a one year workmanship guarantee on the work.