Panel changeout & service upgrades
The panel is the one piece of electrical equipment in the house that everything else depends on. There are three usual reasons to change one out: it's full, it's undersized for how the house is used now, or it's a brand that insurance companies and inspectors have stopped accepting. Ken does all three, permitted and inspected, and coordinates the power shutoff with FPL so you're not without power any longer than necessary.
Panels that need to go regardless of condition
Some panels get replaced because of what they are, not because they've failed yet. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok, Zinsco, and certain Challenger panels have well-documented histories of breakers that don't reliably trip on a fault — which defeats the entire purpose of a breaker. They're common in Florida homes built from the 1950s through the early 1980s. Many insurers now decline to write or renew a policy on a house that still has one, and it's a routine finding on a Florida 4-point inspection. If a 4-point flagged your panel, that's the report to send with your quote request.
100 amp to 200 amp service upgrades
A 100-amp service was sized for a much less electrified house. Add central air, electric water heating, a pool pump and heater, a shop, and an EV charger, and it runs out. A service upgrade replaces the panel, usually the meter can and service conductors, and brings the grounding electrode system up to current code — which in older homes is frequently the part that was never right to begin with.
What a changeout day looks like
Permit first, then the FPL disconnect is scheduled. The old panel comes out, the new one goes in, every circuit is landed and — this is the part people notice — actually labeled, legibly and correctly. Whole-house surge protection goes on at the same time; it's inexpensive while the panel is open and this is one of the most lightning-prone regions in the country. Power is back on the same day in a normal changeout, with the inspection following.
Why this is never a DIY job
The service conductors coming into your meter are not protected by any breaker you can switch off. They stay live until the utility disconnects them, and they will kill someone who treats them like branch circuit wiring.
- The utility disconnect and reconnect has to be coordinated by a licensed contractor — FPL won't schedule it otherwise
- Permit and inspection are mandatory, and an unpermitted panel is a serious problem at resale
- Insurers frequently require documentation from a licensed electrical contractor to remove a panel exclusion
- Grounding and bonding get corrected to current code, not just carried over from the old panel
- Every circuit is tested and labeled, so the next person to open it knows what's what
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Panel Changeout in your town
Open the panel door and send a photo of the inside label and the breakers — Ken can usually identify the panel and give you a real number from that.
24/7 Emergency Service — if it's urgent, don't fill in a form. Call (772) 678-9583.
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