Here you see 5 pictures from a service call due to the furnace not operating properly. Electric furnace fed from a 40 Amp 2 pole breaker. With the breakers in place, you cannot see the damage taking place to the buss bar. The initial issue was remedied by an electrician who installed a breaker, not properly designed for a secure fit in this panel…2 different manufacturers.
Due to the improper fitting of the breaker, there were repeated arcing events between the bus bar mounts on the panel board and the bus bar cleats of the breaker. This created a thermal event which damaged the panel, the breaker, and the wiring that fed the furnace.
Many electricians perform a visual inspection, which the process for this is simply to remove the panel cover, examine that ech breaker is from the same manufacturer, that the wires are not discolored, that all the insulation on the wiring is intact and not brittle, that the neutral bus bar screws are properly secured and torqued to hold the neutral wires in place, that all conduits entering the panel are properly secured and that if wire sized 8 awg and above have a plastic bushing to help protect the wiring, that any aluminum wiring is identified and scheduled for replacement, that the panel schedule is current and properly identifies each circuit, and finally that all dirt, debris, and other matter not part of the electrical system is removed from the panel enclosure.
Typically, an electrician follows those steps and feels they have done a good job and provided you with a great service. They believe that you hired them to inspect the panel and that is what they have done, if at a later date the breaker fails, well that is just a mechanical failure and is a separate matter, worthy of a new bill.
Terrell Electric, LLC thinks differently! Your safety is what matters to us, not a device failure or successful operation of the device. We utilize special equipment to determine proper operation and functionality of the device so we can advise you if a change is warranted. Is the breaker operating within the proper temperature range, is it passing proper voltage, is it carrying adequate amperage under load?
When we leave, you know if a breaker is soon to fail and needs to be replaced, you know if there is other issues not noticeable from the naked eye or basic instrumentation.
We also know that Columbia is the biggest small town in America and loyalties run deep in this community. Most of our competitors are excellent electrical contractors and go through a painful process of hiring and firing to create a crew that they can send to a clients home and know that client will be taken care of. However, most of my competitors stick with the traditional and fundamental aspect of electrical service and it works for them, but my service, you can give them the report and they can perform the corrective measures needed, they don’t perform the testing service that we perform nor can they do so are the price we offer.
The infrared inspection of the electrical system is a $360.00 service. The visual inspection of the home’s electrical system is a $299.00 service. Both of them combined is $659.00 and takes about 2 hours to complete. However, this is Columbia the biggest small town in America and community safety is very important to Terrell Electric, LLC, therefore, we have lowered the price from $659.00 to $240.00 a savings of $419.00. Then we took it a step further and have provided you with instant credit approval, you can pay 1 of 5 payment plans:
1. All at once $240.00
2. Once every 6 months, automatic billing $120.00
3. Once every 4 months, automatic billing $80.00
4. Once every 3 months, automatic billing $60.00
5. Once every month, automatic billing $20.00