Federal Pacific & Zinsco panel replacement
Replacing Federal Pacific Stab-Lok, Zinsco and older Bryant panels, permitted and inspected.
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Electrical panel upgrades · Palm Beach, Martin & St. LucieElectrical panel upgrades and changeouts in South Florida
An electrical panel upgrade gives a home or business the capacity and sound equipment it needs for what it runs today. We upgrade and change out 100, 150, 200 and 400 amp panels, replace meter cans and handle three-phase panels across Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
- State Certified Electrical Contractor EC13002031
- 100, 150, 200 and 400 amp, plus three-phase
- Permit pulled under our license, job inspected
- Family-owned, wiring South Florida since 1986
Office Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm · you reach our West Palm Beach team
Electrical EC13002031Gas contractor #24513
Family-owned since 1986Palm Beach · Martin · St. Lucie
Signs to look for
When an electrical panel upgrade makes sense
The usual reasons a panel gets replaced or upsized.
Age
Many homes built in the 1970s and 1980s still run on their original panel. Age alone does not condemn one, but worn connections, hard-to-find breakers and older brands often do.
Not enough capacity
Central AC, a pool or spa, a kitchen remodel or a standby generator can take a house past what its panel and service were built for. A load calculation shows whether there is room for what you plan to add.
Breakers that keep tripping
One breaker tripping now and then usually points to that circuit. Trips across the panel, or a main breaker that trips under normal use, can point to capacity or to the condition of the panel itself.
Heat, buzzing or scorch marks
A cover that feels warm, a buzz or crackle, a burning smell or dark marks around the breakers are reasons to have a licensed electrician look at the panel promptly. Leave the cover on.
Rust and corrosion
Salt air and humidity can be hard on exterior equipment. Water inside the enclosure, corroded connections or rust on an outdoor panel or meter enclosure can each be a reason to replace it, especially closer to the coast.
An insurer or 4-point flag
Many older Florida homes need a 4-point inspection for insurance, and its electrical section records the panel type and condition. A flagged panel, or a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel, often starts the conversation.
Upgrade, changeout or meter can
Panel upgrade, panel changeout and meter can replacement
A panel changeout is an electrical panel replacement at the same service size: a new panel and new breakers at the same amperage. It suits an old, corroded or hazardous panel when the house already has the capacity it needs.
A panel upgrade, also called a service upgrade, raises the amperage the building can draw, for example from 100 to 200 amp. The meter can and the service conductors may need to change as well.
Meter can replacement covers the enclosure on the outside wall that holds the utility's meter. The meter belongs to the utility; the can is generally part of the building's electrical equipment, and a rusted one is often replaced with the panel.
Any service work at the meter needs the electric utility's involvement, which for most homes here means FPL. Your written estimate sets out exactly what the job includes.
Sizing
100, 150, 200 or 400 amp: what each service size generally suits
| Service size | Generally suits | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| 100 amp | Smaller or older homes with gas cooking and modest loads | Often tight once central AC, a pool pump or an electric kitchen is added |
| 150 amp | Mid-size homes with central AC and some electric appliances | Less headroom for a pool, a second AC or a remodel |
| 200 amp | Many single-family homes with central AC, electric appliances and a pool | The usual step up for a home that has outgrown 100 or 150 amp |
| 400 amp | Large homes with several AC systems, a pool and spa or a guest house | Often arranged as two panels fed from one meter can |
| Three-phase | Shops, offices and commercial buildings running motors and heavy equipment | Sized from the building's equipment and the supply available |
A general guide only. The right size for your property comes from a load calculation, not from square footage.
Plan it once
Panel work that goes with a generator or surge protector
A new panel is the moment to plan for what the building will need next.
Adding a standby generator
A standby generator is wired in through an automatic transfer switch, so the panel's condition and capacity matter. See standby generator installation and our guide, panel upgrades for a standby generator.
Whole-house surge protection
Replacing a home's service equipment generally means adding a Type 1 or Type 2 surge protector, under section 230.67 of the 2020 NEC as adopted in Florida. Ask us how it applies to your job. Whole-house surge protection.
Replacing a hazardous panel
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels have long-reported breaker problems, and many insurers decline or surcharge homes that have them. We replace those, along with older Bryant panels. Federal Pacific and Zinsco panel replacement.
How the job runs
From first call to final inspection
01
Tell us the reason for the work
An insurer's letter, a 4-point report, a new AC or pool, a generator plan, or a panel that worries you. Photos of the panel label and the meter help too.
02
Get the scope in writing
The written estimate sets out the work: the new panel's size, any meter can or service changes, the permit and the inspection. Ask about anything that is not clear before you agree.
03
Permit, then the work
The permit is pulled under our electrical license, EC13002031. Power to the building is off while the panel is changed, and any work at the meter involves the utility.
04
Inspection
The local building department inspects the work before the job is closed out. Keep the permit record with your home records; an insurer or a future buyer may ask for it.
Scope
Panel-level work for homes and businesses
We do panel-level work for homes and businesses: upgrades and changeouts at 100, 150, 200 and 400 amp, meter can replacement, repairs to the panel itself, and three-phase and commercial panels. We are not the right call for a small job such as replacing a single circuit breaker; a service electrician will serve you better there.
Your part is simple: make sure we can get to the panel and the meter.
Alternate Power Solutions is a division of Static Electric Company, a family-owned contractor founded in 1986 and based in West Palm Beach. We serve Palm Beach County and, on the Treasure Coast, Martin and St. Lucie counties; check the towns we serve. Ask about an estimate when you are ready.
Fair questions
What people ask before they call.
How do I know if I need an electrical panel upgrade?
The usual triggers are a plan to add something large, such as central AC, a pool, a kitchen remodel or a standby generator; a panel that is old, rusted, warm or buzzing; breakers that trip across the panel; or an insurer or 4-point inspection that flags the panel. A load calculation shows whether the existing service can carry what you plan to add.
What is the difference between a panel upgrade and a panel replacement?
A replacement, or changeout, swaps the panel for a new one at the same amperage. An upgrade raises the amperage, which often also means a new meter can and service conductors, and brings in the utility for the work at the meter. Both are permitted jobs, and both end with an inspection.
How much does an electrical panel upgrade cost?
We don't publish prices, because the cost depends on the job: the amperage, whether the meter can and service conductors change, where the panel is and what condition it is in, how many circuits move over, and what the permit and inspection may require, such as a surge protector when service equipment is replaced. The written estimate sets out the scope and the price.
Is a 200 amp panel upgrade enough for my home?
For many single-family homes, including ones with central AC, electric appliances and a pool, 200 amp is enough. Large homes with several AC systems, a pool and spa or a guest house may need 400 amp. The answer comes from a load calculation for your property, not from the square footage.
Do I need a permit to replace an electrical panel?
Yes. A panel changeout or service upgrade is permitted electrical work. We pull the permit under our State Certified Electrical Contractor license, EC13002031, and the local building department inspects the finished job. Where the work involves the meter, the utility is involved as well.
Do you replace a single circuit breaker?
No. Our work is panel-level: upgrades, changeouts, meter cans, repairs to the panel itself and three-phase panels. For a single breaker, a service electrician is the better call. If a breaker problem turns out to point to the panel itself, ask us about an estimate.
Where we work
Three counties, 78 towns, one West Palm Beach office.
Electrical panel upgrades across Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties, from 2771 Vista Parkway — the same footprint as our generator work. We do not cover Broward County.
Check the full service area →West Palm BeachPalm Beach GardensJupiterWellingtonRoyal Palm BeachLake Worth BeachBoynton BeachDelray BeachBoca RatonStuartPalm CityHobe SoundPort St. LucieFort Pierce+ 64 more
Keep going
Related work from the same licensed team.
Plan your panel upgrade with us
Tell us what is prompting the work, and the written estimate will set out the scope.