Heavy-Ups — Panel Upgrades — Heavy Up Solutions

What is a Heavy Up?

A heavy-up is a panel and electrical service upgrade, typically increased to 200 amps:

The Washington DC and Baltimore area is known for its great neighborhoods, full of houses with charm and character. But many of these houses were built with sub-standard wiring, and many are still equipped with undersized electrical systems from a generation ago – cloth wrapped service cables fray and become brittle (see frayed service cable in picture below), and split-buss panels such as the one below become unstable, and can become a fiery meltdown in minutes:

this split buss panel actually burned down the house

These 100 amp systems weren’t built to handle the electrical needs of today’s homeowners. The panel shown here had some additional circuits added by a remodeler, but had not been upgraded… A house fire resulted after a few years of overload…. Central Air, modern appliances, and always-on computers can overload a weak  system at its critical node, the circuit panel. Most older panels do not have a main breaker, so a short circuit here doesn’t just turn off the electricity, it can result in a major electrical fire.

A Heavy Up is the job of replacing your old panel and service cable with a larger, safer one. It requires a permit; and a licensed, highly experienced electrician must perform this task. A visit from the county inspector is scheduled after the job, followed by Pepco or other utility connection at the line side of the meter. The end result is more stable power, better grounding,  plenty of space for additional circuits, a 200 amp main breaker and no more hazardous, rusty parts to worry about.

frayed service cable

Solutions Electric is the best in and around the Baltimore/Washington DC Area. We are known for using the best quality panel and breakers (Square D QO), and having the most experienced electricians (we put an electrician with over 20 years experience on every heavy up job-site – don’t settle for a less experienced worker with your electrical panel). Solutions electric strongly recommends having your panel inspected… If you’re not sure, we will come check it out at no cost. We are committed to the safety of all our clients homes’.

Call 301-879-8788 for a free estimate from the areas best electricians.

In the winter, ice, snow and cold weather weigh down exterior electrical cables and often cause power outages, arcing and can lead to water inside your breaker box. Typically this is when we start getting calls from homes where these antiquated panels finally gave out. Don’t wait until you’re without power to have the heart of your house’s electrical system checked out.

We can inspect your circuit box for signs of wear, water damage, and frayed or damaged wiring, and give you our recommendation and an estimate, all at no charge. Call us at 301-879-8788, or write office@solutionselectric.com to request your free system evaluation and estimate.

Old fuse box needs replacing

We also evaluate commercial building electrical equipment and have expert electricians for your building or facility.

Find out about the tell-tale signs that your circuit panel may be on the brink. Read John Mobley’s whitepaperby clicking here. If you’d like an expert evaluation of your panel, just call us, we give a complete panel evaluation and estimate… 301-879-8788 MD DC VA Balt…

or email office@solutionselectric.com