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336.774.1223
301 Thurston St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27103
Service Upgrades
Serving The Winston-Salem Area Since 1990
Fast And Reliable Service / Satisfaction Always Guaranteed / NO CALL IS TOO SMALL
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BRETCO ELECTRIC CO. Inc. 301 Thurston Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27103 / Serving Winston-Salem and Surrounding area for over 19years
RESIDENTIAL / COMMERCIAL
MEMBER SINCE 2004
Do you have an electrical question you’d like to ask us? NEED A QUOTE. Then ask it, and we’ll give you your answer through your private e-mail. For all things electric, we’re your electrician. bretco1@bellsouth.net
STOP BY: HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday - Friday 8:00 - 5:00pm
Main Electrical Service Upgrades
There are many reasons to upgrade your electrical service
There are many reasons to upgrade your electrical service
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Adding Central Air Conditioning
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Addition or Extension
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Adding a Pool or Spa
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Updating old Fuse panel
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Adding room air conditioners
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Replace old worn service
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If you have circuits that you are overloaded, that is not a reason to upgrade your service. Installing a new service to eliminate this problem will most likely end in disappointment. Overloaded circuits that blow fuses or trip circuit breakers is typically an indication that there is a problem with the branch circuit and not the service.
In most cases the service should be upgraded to 200 amps. The cost difference between a 150 amp and 200 amp service is minimal and in this day in age when we have so many demanding electrical appliances it makes good sense. There are cases where a larger service is required as well.
In most cases the service should be upgraded to 200 amps. The cost difference between a 150 amp and 200 amp service is minimal and in this day in age when we have so many demanding electrical appliances it makes good sense. There are cases where a larger service is required as well.
When Bretco performs this upgrade we run a new ground wire to the water main and another to a new ground rod installed outside.
What to expect when the service is changed
Expect your power to be out for about 6 hours on the day the job is done, more if it is more involved. You probably won't see any noticeable differences after a service change although we have had customers say the electric bill was lower. I suspect this was due to loose connections, and/or water damage causing overheating at terminations which lead to all sorts of problems. One other possibility you may experience is circuit breakers tripping. The reason for this is on some old services, especially fuses, the circuits were over protected by previous owner to eliminate blowing circuits. When we do the service we install the proper circuit breakers according to the wire size. If this occurs you may need to have some new circuits installed to alleviate this problem.
NOTE: Once we upgrade your main service, you could experience one or more circuits tripping a breaker because of loverload. This could be due to several reasons, fuses could have been oversized and in the past additional load had been added to original circuit.
What to expect when the service is changed
Expect your power to be out for about 6 hours on the day the job is done, more if it is more involved. You probably won't see any noticeable differences after a service change although we have had customers say the electric bill was lower. I suspect this was due to loose connections, and/or water damage causing overheating at terminations which lead to all sorts of problems. One other possibility you may experience is circuit breakers tripping. The reason for this is on some old services, especially fuses, the circuits were over protected by previous owner to eliminate blowing circuits. When we do the service we install the proper circuit breakers according to the wire size. If this occurs you may need to have some new circuits installed to alleviate this problem.
NOTE: Once we upgrade your main service, you could experience one or more circuits tripping a breaker because of loverload. This could be due to several reasons, fuses could have been oversized and in the past additional load had been added to original circuit.
Bretco has completed 100's of service upgrades in the Winston-Salem area. A mixture of Residential and Commercial. A service upgrade can be expensive but necessary to bring your addition up to code. Overloading a small panel with add-on circuit boxes can be dangerous. If this applies to your service panel make sure your smoke detector is in working order and give Bretco a call soon.
