Clean Finish Electrical · Panels and service upgrades
Electrical panel upgrades and sub-panels in Orange County
Your panel is out of room, out of amps, or just old, and you want it brought up to what the house actually needs.
Texting is fastest. Brian usually answers within the hour during the day.
What it usually involves
A lot of this work is a sub-panel: one for a room addition, one for a detached garage, one for an ADU that needs its own circuits without overloading the main panel that already runs the house. A sub-panel is often the simplest fix for a house that keeps tripping breakers once you add load, and it is far less disruptive than pulling the whole service.
The other common job is a full 200-amp main service upgrade. A lot of Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, and Irvine homes were built with 100-amp service, which was plenty when the house was built and is tight now once you add central air, an EV charger, and a kitchen full of modern appliances. Brian sizes the new service to what your house actually runs, present and near-future, not to whatever number sounds impressive.
A main service upgrade means coordinating the disconnect and reconnect with Southern California Edison. Edison has to pull the meter, the new panel and grounding go in while the power is off, and then Edison reconnects. Brian schedules that coordination as part of the job, so you are not the one on hold with the utility trying to figure out who does what.
Some of these jobs start as something else: a panel that has been recalled, or one from a brand with a known failure pattern, or a panel where a previous owner's wiring has gone past what is safe to keep patching. When that is the actual problem, replacing the panel is the honest answer, and Brian will show you why before he tells you that is what it needs.
Any panel work is also a chance to bring grounding and bonding up to current code: a proper grounding electrode system, bonded water and gas lines, and a neutral-ground bond that is where it should be and nowhere else. Skipping this is one of the more common shortcuts in older panels, and it is cheap to fix while the panel is already open.
Permits and inspection
Panel work in Lake Forest, Irvine, Mission Viejo, and the rest of Orange County requires a permit and an inspection. Brian pulls the permit, schedules the inspection, and is there for it. Do not hire anyone who suggests skipping it; your insurer and your buyer's inspector will find it.
What it usually costs
Call or text for a quote. Every house is different.
Every house is different. Text a photo and Brian will give you a real number before he shows up.
Questions people ask about panel upgrades
Do I need a 200-amp panel for an EV charger?
Not always. A charger adds real load, but plenty of 100-amp and 125-amp panels have enough room once Brian runs a load calculation. He checks the math before he recommends a bigger panel, instead of upselling one by default.
How long is the power off?
A full main service upgrade is typically most of a day, because it includes Edison's disconnect and reconnect on their schedule as well as the panel swap itself. A sub-panel that does not touch the main service is usually a few hours, often without a full outage.
Someone told me my panel is a death trap.
Some panel brands really do have documented failure patterns, and some sales pitches use that fact to scare people into work they do not need. Tell Brian the brand on the label, or send a photo, and he will tell you plainly whether it is a real problem or a normal, working panel.
What does a panel upgrade cost?
Every house is different, so Brian does not publish prices. Text a photo of what you have and he will give you a real number before he shows up.
Can you add circuits without a new panel?
Often yes. If there is open space in your existing panel and it can handle the added load, a new circuit is a much smaller job than a full upgrade. Brian will tell you honestly which situation you are in before any work starts.
Request a quote
Tell Brian what is going on.
Fastest: text a photo to (949) 357-6448. The form below works too, but allow 24 to 48 hours for a reply.
Texting is fastest. Brian usually answers within the hour during the day.