Panel upgrade in Northbrook

The situation

This is a panel we upgraded in Northbrook. The house had outgrown the service. Lights flickered, breakers tripped when the dryer and the range ran, and there was no room for a dedicated circuit the homeowner already knew they would want — a charger, a generator, or both.

A lot of 60062 stock was wired for a quieter house: one oven, window AC, no charger in the garage. Ranches from the 1950s–70s often still have the original 60- or 100-amp service. That is the gap we get called for.

We are a licensed electrician based here. A panel is not handyman work. Federal Pacific and Zinsco equipment comes out — we will not leave it. The new panel is labeled so the next person in the house can find the kitchen, the charger, and the dryer. Northbrook is home base. The village inspector is someone we already meet on charger and generator jobs.

Northbrook is home base. The village inspector is someone we already meet on charger and generator jobs. A panel is not handyman work. Federal Pacific and Zinsco equipment comes out — we will not leave it. The new panel is labeled so the next person in the house can find the kitchen, the charger, and the dryer.

Scope and approach

A service upgrade is the meter, the mast or lateral, the grounding, and the new panel. The house loses power for a planned window. We tell you how the day looks. We look at the panel and meter in person before anyone orders equipment.

Sometimes a subpanel in the garage is enough for a charger. Sometimes the utility has to set a larger service. We do not sell the larger job if the smaller one is safe and legal. That is the look in person.

• Look at the existing panel, meter, and grounding
• Say whether a subpanel or a full service upgrade is the right work
• Pull the Village of Northbrook permit
• Coordinate the utility outage window
• Install, label, inspect — house back on the same day when the plan allows

Materials and brands

A listed panel, breakers, grounding, and the run from the meter. We do not leave Federal Pacific or Zinsco. If the next step is an EV charger, we are ICC Certified EV Charging Installers and ChargePoint Certified — the charger can be the same job or a later visit. We do not invent an amperage on this page that we did not put on this house.

Labeling is part of the job. The next person in the house should be able to find the kitchen, the dryer, and the charger without guessing which breaker is which.

Permits and code

Northbrook wants panel and service work inspected. We pull the permit and meet the inspector. Community Development / Building Department is the office. Grounding, bonding, and the run from the meter are part of doing it once. You should not be opening a panel. If a charger is next, that circuit can be in the same permit conversation.

Timeline and result

A service upgrade means a planned outage while we swap the equipment. We tell you how the day looks before we start. Weekday hours, 8:00 to 4:30. Inspection follows. If the next call is a charger or a generator, that can be the same job or a later visit — ICC, ChargePoint, and Generac certified either way. Call (847) 778-8053 if your Northbrook panel is the bottleneck.

If the next call is a charger or a generator, that can be the same job or a later visit — ICC, ChargePoint, and Generac certified either way. You should not be opening a panel. Grounding, bonding, and the run from the meter are part of doing it once. Call (847) 778-8053 if your Northbrook service is the bottleneck.