Panel Upgrades
Electrical Panel Upgrades in Wichita & South Central, Kansas
When you need service on your electrical panel in Wichita, KS, call the experts at Eck Services. Also called an electrical service panel, the electrical panel is a vital part of the electrical system in your house. The electrical panel is also often the source of various electrical problems. Thankfully, electrical panel upgrades and replacements usually fix these issues. Having an electrician upgrade or replace your panel makes your home safe because it reduces the risk of electrical fires, which can cause severe damage and injury. As a result, your home insurance costs less because of the reduced risk.
An electrical panel upgrade can let you add more circuits and outlets for your appliances and electronics. It also stabilizes the power in your home more consistently than an older panel, thus protecting your appliances and electronics from costly damages.
Best Electrical Panel Team in Wichita
Electrical panels should last several years. However, they eventually break down and need upgrading or replacing. If you notice any of the following signs, it might be to call an electrician to repair or replace your electrical panel.
- It has burn marks or smells burnt
- Your switches or outlets produce smoke or make peculiar noises that sound like humming, buzzing, or clicking
- The circuit breakers need to be flipped frequently
- Your lights flicker
- Your appliances don't work as they should
- Your home is more than 20 years old, and its electrical panel has never been upgraded or replaced
- Your adding an EV Charging Station and electrical panel is really old
Only a certified electrician can inspect an electrical panel safely to determine if it needs an upgrade or replacement. Eck Services hires skilled and well-trained electricians and equips them with the necessary tools and equipment to do the job well.
Electrical Panel Upgrades and Replacements
At Eck Services, we work hard to keep your home and electrical panel in top condition to keep your homes safe, and your appliances working safely and as intended. We've been providing the community with top-tier electrical panel upgrades and replacements for more than a decade. Our services are available 24/7 because we know electrical problems can arise at any time. Eck Services is popular among homeowners in Wichita because we offer excellent service, great prices, and quick service time. The Pratt, Wichita, and Kingman Tribune's 2019 Best Electrician Award we earned is a testament to our customers' trust in us.
Contact us online or give us a call at (620) 220-1752 for electrical panel upgrades and replacements you can be sure are right for you and your home!
Frequently Asked Questions
Core warning signs: The breakers trip repeatedly (especially the same one); the panel feels warm or you hear buzzing or crackling; or you smell burning plastic near the panel. Other signs include rust, corrosion, or water staining on the enclosure; double-tapped or mismatched-brand breakers; and running out of breaker slots. Additionally, if you're adding an EV charger, heat pump, hot tub, or electric range and the load calc shows over capacity; or the home is still on a 60A or 100A service. If the panel is a Federal Pacific (Stab-Lok), Zinsco, or Challenger, get a replacement.
For a smaller home (under ~1,500 sq ft) with gas heat, gas range, no central AC, and no EV, 100A is still adequate. For anything modern — central AC, heat pump, electric range, electric water heater, EV charger, or home office load — 200A is the practical minimum, and many new builds default to 200A. The only reliable way to decide is an NEC Article 220 load calculation by a licensed electrician, which should be done before any quote.
Legally, in most jurisdictions a homeowner can pull a permit on their own primary residence — but a panel upgrade requires coordination with the utility, code-compliant grounding and bonding, and a city inspection before the utility reconnects. The combined shock risk plus the paperwork is why nearly all panel upgrades are handled by licensed electricians.
All three were widely installed from the 1950s through the early 1980s and have well-documented defects causing breakers to fail to trip during a fault — meaning the panel stays energized when it should shut off. Independent testing shows Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breakers fail to trip at rates up to 60% under overcurrent, and Zinsco breakers develop aluminum-bus connections that weld shut over time. While none were formally recalled by the CPSC, many home insurers decline coverage until the panel is replaced, and most licensed electricians refuse to add breakers to them. If you see one of these brands on your panel label, get a replacement quote — this isn't optional maintenance.
