1. If you are resetting circuit breakers or changing fuses too often.
2. If you turn on your air conditioner the lights in the room become dim.
3. When your lights go on or off or flicker. When you smell electricity burning.
4. If you have six electronic devices going into one outlet behind the electronics center.
5. When receptacle outlets are overburdened by multi-plug strips.
6. If a three-prong plug needs a two-prong adapter.
7. When you have to run extension cords to plug in electrical devices.

Most states require 100 amps minimum. With all the new electronic devices, air conditioning, and electric heat, we suggest 200 amps, especially in new homes. This also allows for future additions.

In most instances, it involves replacing everything from the service loop (the wire that extends from the top of your meter to the utility tie-in) up to and including the main panel.

A bathroom or garage outlet within 6 feet of a sink must be GFCI-protected. This also requires all kitchen outlets for countertop use to be GFCI-protected. GFCI outlets need to be installed in any area where electricity and water may come into contact. This includes basements, pools, spas, utility rooms, attached garages, and outdoors. You should have at least one GFCI outlet in an unfinished basement and for most outdoor outlets.

There are two types of GFCIs available in homes - GFCI outlet and the GFCI circuit breaker. Both do the same thing, but each has different applications and limitations.

The GFCI outlet is a replacement for a standard electrical outlet. A GFCI is not dependent on a ground to function and does not measure shorts to the ground. It measures the current difference between the hot and neutral wires. With a sudden difference of 5 ma. or more indicates there is another path for the electricity to flow through. This will trip this device. The downside to this is there may be some nuisance tripping in highly inductive loads such as large motors, fluorescent lamps, or fixtures on the same circuit.  Newer models seem to have corrected this.

The GFCI outlet protects any appliance plugged into it and can also be wired to protect other outlets that are connected to it.

GFCI circuit breakers control an entire circuit and are installed as a replacement for a circuit breaker on your home's main circuit board. Instead of installing multiple GFCI outlets, one GFCI circuit breaker can protect the entire circuit. A test button and a reset button are on these units. If you press the test button, the reset should pop out. To reset it, push the reset button in.

Do not put lights on GFCI-protected circuits so you aren't left in the dark if the circuit trips. Equipment including refrigerators, freezers, and sump pumps that cannot go without electrical power for an extended period without causing costly losses or property damage should not be placed on a GFCI-protected circuit. GFCIs are sensitive and subject to nuisance tripping. GFCI receptacles do not last outdoors even under the best conditions. Make sure to test the device using the "test" button before you use it.

Most states allow you to do whatever you want in your own home. Doing electrical work yourself is a risk. How much are you willing to risk saving money?

It takes a lot of training to become an electrician. Do not take electricity lightly. Even the smallest job could be a safety hazard. Don’t take a chance. Get an electrician to do the work.

In some states, the homeowner can get an electrical permit to work in his single-family home. What he does not know is that in the case of damage or fire caused by his work, his homeowner's insurance will not reimburse him. Insurance will pay if the work is done by a licensed electrician. Check with your homeowner's insurance company. They should sign a document or something to acknowledge this when they pull a permit.

Don’t say, “This is easy. I can do it myself. Why should I get an electrician?” When you don't remember where all those wires went, or your hair is standing straight up, you say to yourself, “We better call someone to straighten up this mess.” It will cost you double what you thought you were going to save in the beginning.

In kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, or bedrooms, receptacle outlets should be installed so that no point along the floor line in any wall space is more than six feet from an outlet. This prevents the use of extension cords.

Outlets are normally placed about 18 inches above floor level. Switches normally go about 48 inches from floor level. For convenience outlets, each single receptacle in a single branch circuit is normally figured for 1.5 amps. Duplex outlets are rated for 3 amps in estimating the total amperage for the circuit. Air conditioners should always be on a single dedicated circuit.

All 15-amp and 20-amp receptacles installed within 6 feet of a kitchen sink or wet bar should have GFCI protection. Receptacles in kitchen countertops should be supplied with at least two 20-amp branch circuits for small appliances. Each fixed appliance (refrigerator, stove, dishwasher) should have its dedicated circuit.

On countertops 12 inches or wider, a receptacle should be installed to ensure there are no more than 24 inches between outlets. Receptacle outlets installed for island countertops should be installed above or within 12 inches below the countertop. There shouldn’t be any more than 24 inches from the centerline of the countertop. No receptacle should be installed face-up on a sink countertop.

Starting January 1, 2002, The National Electrical Code, Section 210-12, required that branch circuits supplying 125V, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere outlets installed in dwelling unit bedrooms need to be protected by an arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI). The NEC selected to require them on bedroom circuits first because a CPSC study revealed many home fire deaths were related to bedroom circuits.

If arcing happens, the AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter) breaker will shut off a circuit in a fraction of a second. The current inside of an arc is not high enough to trip a regular breaker. You should have noticed a cut or worn piece of a cord, or even a loose connection in a junction box or receptacle arcing and burnt without tripping the regular breaker. This is a major cause of fires in a dwelling.

AFCIs are intended to reduce the likelihood of fire caused by electrical arcing faults. GFCIs are personnel protection intended to reduce the possibility of electric shock hazards. GFCIs are still necessary and save a lot of lives.

Combination devices that include AFCI and GFCI protection in one unit will become available in the near future. AFCIs can be installed in any 15- or 20-ampere branch circuit in homes and are available as circuit breakers with built-in AFCI features. Shortly, other types of devices with AFCI protection will be available.

If a GFCI receptacle is installed on the load side of an AFCI, both the AFCI and the GFCI can trip on a fault if the current exceeds the limit for both devices. It’s also possible for the AFCI to trip and the GFCI to not trip since the two devices could race each other. In no case is safety ever compromised.