Even with photos, occasionally we open a panel and find something we couldn’t see in the picture. Here’s how we handle it.
What we sometimes find
- Federal Pacific / Stab-Lok breakers — we won’t add load to these. The panel needs replacing. See why.
- Aluminum branch wiring — safe with proper terminations but needs the right connectors and labour.
- Knob-and-tube live circuits — we can’t tie new work into them.
- Inadequate grounding — sometimes the existing ground rod or bond is wrong. Small additional cost.
- Asbestos panel surrounds — rare, but we stop work and call in a remediation specialist.
- Hidden damage — rodent-chewed wire, water-damaged drywall behind a junction box.
What we do when we find one
- Stop and photograph the issue.
- Pause the install. No power-on until we have a plan.
- Talk to you in person. The electrician explains what was found, what it means for safety, and what the options are.
- Write a change order. If extra work is needed, it’s a written line-item with a price — you sign before we proceed.
- Or stop entirely — if you don’t want to proceed, we wrap the existing work safely, you pay only for time spent, and we leave.
How often does this happen?
About 5% of residential installs hit some kind of surprise. The most common (~3%) is a Federal Pacific panel discovered behind a label that didn’t make it clear. The remaining 2% spread across the other items above.
How we prevent surprises in advance
- Multiple panel photos (door open, label close-up).
- The questionnaire asks about your home’s age — pre-1970 homes get extra scrutiny.
- If photos are unclear, we’ll ask a follow-up question by text before quoting.
The point: surprises happen, but they never become surprise bills. You always see and approve any change before we proceed.