If your panel feels warm, you smell burning near the breaker box, or a breaker arcs when you reset it — stop and call now. Do not attempt to reset a hot breaker.
Breakers tripping constantly or panel feels warm to the touch? An undersized panel is a fire risk.
This is not a DIY repair. Contact a licensed electrician before touching any affected wiring or breakers.
Licensed electrician available in Falls Church — call now for urgent electrical issues.
Call NowRequest an EstimateAn overloaded or deteriorating panel is one of the leading causes of residential electrical fires.
A breaker that trips once in a while is doing its job. A breaker that trips every week — especially on a circuit you haven't added anything to — means the panel can't handle the load. Older 100A panels weren't designed for today's homes: EV chargers, heat pumps, home offices, and modern appliances all draw more than the original load calculations assumed. When the total demand exceeds panel capacity, breakers start wearing out early and the bus bar runs hot. The fix isn't resetting the breaker again. It's sizing the right panel for how your home actually lives.
Electrical panels should be cool to the touch. If yours is warm — or if you feel heat radiating from the breaker rows — there's likely a loose connection, an overloaded bus, or a failing breaker generating resistance heat. That heat is the beginning of an arc fault. Arc faults are invisible and can ignite building materials inside your walls before a breaker trips. This is not something to monitor. A licensed electrician needs to open the panel, identify the heat source, and tell you whether it can be corrected or whether the panel needs to come out.
Don't wait on this.
Ebenezer Electric Solutions LLC — licensed, insured, permitted.
A Level 2 EV charger draws 40–50 amps continuously. A home addition with a mini-split can add another 20–30 amps. If your current panel is already near capacity, adding either one means overloading circuits that weren't designed for it — even if the new breaker technically fits in the panel. The right answer starts with a load calculation: your electrician measures existing draw, adds the new load, and sizes the new panel accordingly. In Falls Church, a 200A main panel is standard for most modern homes. Larger homes or multi-EV households sometimes need 400A service.
Panel replacement begins with a permit application to the City of Falls Church or Fairfax County — your electrician handles this. On installation day, the utility company disconnects power to the meter, the old panel comes out, and the new panel goes in with properly sized breakers on each circuit. Every breaker is labeled, every circuit tested. The inspector signs off, the permit closes, and your documentation is on file. The job typically takes one day. You don't need to be an electrician to manage it — you just need one you trust to do it right.
We size and install the right panel for your home — up to code, permitted, and tested before we leave.
Every job meets Virginia code requirements and is backed by full licensing and insurance.
We handle all required permits for this type of work so your project is inspected and documented.
You get a clear scope and price before work begins — no surprise charges.
Serving Falls Church and surrounding Northern Virginia neighborhoods with prompt scheduling.
Repeated tripping on a specific circuit, heat around the panel door, a faint burning smell, or a panel over 30 years old are all indicators we look for during a diagnostic visit. Some panels need one breaker replaced; others need full replacement. We assess and give you a clear recommendation with a written quote before any work begins.
Yes. Panel replacements in Falls Church and Fairfax County require a permit and a post-installation inspection by the local authority. We handle the permit application and coordinate the inspection — you don't need to manage that process.
Most residential panel replacements take one day. The utility disconnects power to the meter in the morning, we remove the old panel and install the new one, and power is restored by end of day. We notify you of the schedule in advance so you can plan around it.
Most modern homes in Falls Church run comfortably on a 200A main panel. If you have or plan to add an EV charger, whole-home generator, or a large addition with a heat pump, we do a load calculation before specifying panel size. Some larger homes need 400A service.
A breaker that trips and resets without issue is doing its job. A breaker that trips frequently on the same circuit, trips immediately after reset, or feels hot when you reset it is a different situation — call us before resetting it again. Heat at a breaker indicates a fault condition that can lead to arcing.
“They did a great job replacing the lights under and on top of my kitchen cabinets. Nice clean work. Also very friendly.”
“Amazing service!”
“Ebenezer did an excellent job replacing a breaker and an outdated dryer outlet. His work looks great, and he is professional. He came the day after I called and worked for a reasonable rate. I highly recommend.”
Ebenezer Electric Solutions LLC
Ebenezer Electric Solutions LLC — licensed electrician, available for urgent calls.