Today we’re starting where every good home inspection begins: your electrical panel. This is the heart of your home’s power system, and Thanksgiving will test it like no other day.
What I Inspect in Electrical Panels:
During a standard home inspection, I’m looking for overcrowded panels, double-tapped breakers (two wires under one breaker—a safety hazard), corrosion, improper labeling, and signs of overheating like discoloration or melted insulation and rust. During Thanksgiving, these issues become critical.
The Thanksgiving Load Test:
Consider what you might be running simultaneously: a 20-25 pound turkey in the oven (3,500 watts), an electric roaster (1,400 watts), a slow cooker (200 watts), multiple burners on your electric range (2,000+ watts each), the dishwasher (1,800 watts), plus your normal household load. That’s easily 15,000+ watts, and we haven’t even talked about guest room space heaters or extra lighting.
Your DIY Inspection Steps:
Open your electrical panel (turn off the main breaker first if you’re uncomfortable). Look for any breakers that aren’t fully engaged, smell for burning odors, check for any rust or corrosion, using the back of your hand toward the breakers feel for warm spots on the panel cover (do this with power on but don’t touch internal components).
Red Flags That Need a Professional:
If you see any double-tapped breakers, Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels (known fire hazards), aluminum wiring connections, missing breaker spaces filled with pennies or other objects, or buzzing/humming sounds, call a licensed electrician before Thanksgiving.
Your electrical panel doesn’t care that it’s a holiday. Make sure it’s ready for the demand.
