You May Want To Install A Second Circuit Panel During Your Remodel
Posted on: 15 November 2022
If you're remodeling your office building, take a look at the wiring. As more electronic items become necessary for everyday life, the number of circuits in the current breaker box may become inadequate sometime in the future. A step you might consider now is adding a second circuit breaker panel that you can have ready should you one day need to add more circuits than the first panel will allow.
Circuit Breaker Panels Are Rated for a Maximum Load
Just as outlets and circuits have a maximum power supply, such as 15 or 20 amps, so do circuit breaker boxes. There are only so many amps you can draw on that box, and they don't always correlate with the number of slots available for circuits. One reason you would want a second circuit breaker panel waiting in the wings is if you found the first panel was at its max even though it still had blank slots available. It can be a surprise to find that you're not able to add a circuit to the first box, but if you have an additional panel set up, you can still go ahead and create that new circuit.
You Don't Have to Fill the Second Panel Now
You don't have to fill up a circuit breaker panel in order to install a second one, and you don't have to fill up the second panel. The reason you want the panel there is that, eventually, you might fill up the first one, and you don't want to have to deal with rewiring part of the building later on. You're remodeling now, so you may as well add that panel even if you're not planning to use it yet.
You Could Have Two Separate Breaker Panels for Different Areas
If your building has separate wings, you may want to have a circuit breaker panel for each wing, if you don't already. This simply makes it easier for people in that wing to access the circuits on which their equipment runs if they need to reset a breaker. It also allows for more customization of the power supply for that wing, such as providing more for the wing that holds a server room.
Distributing Circuits Between Panels Balances the Load
Even if your building's electrical demand isn't making you fill up panel after panel with circuits, having a couple of panels, or even a main and subpanel, allows you to balance the load so that one panel isn't right at the edge while the other is almost empty. As long as you don't overfill a panel, it should be alright, but if you have a large complex, you may as well have a couple of panels handling different parts of the complex anyway.
A commercial electrician can help you determine where to put circuit breaker panels and how many to add to your building. If you're remodeling, it's best to think ahead to a time when you might need to provide more power as the company grows and adds staff, all of whom will have electronic and electrical equipment.
For more information, contact a company such as Fowler and Sons Inc.
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