Most Portland houses built before 1985 are running a service that was sized for a stove, a furnace, and not much else. Add a heat pump, an induction range, and a car charger, and the panel becomes the bottleneck for the whole property.
When an upgrade is actually needed
Not every old panel has to go. A 100 amp service in good condition, with spare ways and no signs of heat, will happily run a modest household for another decade. We recommend replacement when one of the following is true.
- The panel is a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or a Zinsco, both of which have documented failure-to-trip records
- There are no spare ways left and tandem breakers have already been used to buy space
- Breakers feel warm, smell hot, or trip without an obvious load behind them
- A load calculation shows the planned additions exceed the existing service capacity
What the day looks like
A standard single-family upgrade is a one-day job. Power is off for six to eight hours, and the utility disconnect and reconnect is scheduled in advance so nobody is waiting on a truck.
Morning
Utility disconnect, old panel out, new enclosure set and bonded. Service entrance conductors and the grounding electrode system are replaced or upgraded at the same time, because doing it later means paying for the disconnect twice.
Afternoon
Circuits landed one at a time and identified as they go, AFCI and GFCI protection added where current code requires it, panel energised, every circuit tested under load.
After the inspection
The city inspector visits within two working days of completion. We meet them on site, walk the work, and hand you the signed certificate along with the warranty paperwork. Nothing is left for you to chase.
Job specifics
Not sure what you have?
Send a photo of the inside of your panel door and we will tell you the make, the age, and whether it needs replacing.