Replace 2 Fuse Boxes with Breaker Panels
Our rental property had two very old fuse-box panels (one for reach rental unit).
We were having some trouble with the baseboard heaters in the basement apartment and asked AC Electrical to come out to quote on fixing them, as well as possibly replacing the panels.
We had noticed the way the panels were wired did not look right, and were also concerned that previous owners/renters of the property might have swapped out 15Amp fuses for 20 or 30Amp fuses (which could potentially burn out a wire in the wall and cause a fire). AC Electrical confirmed that both these things were unfortunately true and also pointed out some other problems with the boxes.
AC provided a quote which was not the highest or lowest quote we received. One electrician quoted around the same price as AC, but then offered to charge $800 less if we would forego getting a permit and having the work inspected. $800 is a lot of money but hardly seemed worth risking someone's life over, or having our insurance company refuse to pay a claim because of faulty and un-inspected electrical work.
Everything went off without a hitch and the new breaker boxes came with a *ten* year warranty against any future problems with them.
My thanks go out to our electrician-for-the-day: Quinn. He was friendly, efficient and went the extra mile, taking the time to do a little carpentry, cutting the shelf we had below the old fuse boxes, to fit around the new breaker boxes. And Erin in the back-office took care of getting the permits, coordinating the power shut off/on with Toronto Hydro, and patiently answering an unreasonable number of questions from me. :-)
We would be very comfortable with calling AC Electrical for any future work.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $2,000.00
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Don't cut corners. Always hire certified electricians and pay for an electrical inspection.