Smoking Electrical Panel in Sandy Springs Led to a Full Panel and Feeder Replacement

The tenant had been resetting the main disconnect for months.

It would trip. He'd go back to the meter room, reset it, and the power would come back on.

Then one day, the electrical panel inside his Sandy Springs townhouse started smoking.

Fortunately, he was home when it happened. He smelled and saw the smoke and contacted the property owner, who reached out to Fuse Crew. Our first concern wasn't figuring out what had failed. It was getting the electrical system de-energized.

We told the tenant to shut off the main disconnect. He knew where it was located and was able to turn the power off.

When we arrived and inspected the electrical system, it was clear this wasn't going to be a breaker replacement.

What We Found Inside the Electrical Panel

The damage inside the panel was extensive.

The panel and components had been badly damaged by heat. But the problem didn't stop at the panel. The feeder supplying power between the meter/disconnect area and the townhouse had also been damaged.

That changed the scope immediately.

Replacing the electrical panel alone wouldn't solve the problem. The damaged feeder also had to come out and a new feeder had to be installed between the service equipment and the replacement panel.

We can't say with certainty what originally caused the failure, and we won't guess.

What we do know is that there had been a warning sign long before the panel started smoking: the main disconnect had been repeatedly tripping.

A Main Breaker That Keeps Tripping Isn't Normal

This is probably the most useful part of this project for another homeowner.

Circuit breakers and main disconnects are protective devices. When one trips, something caused it to open the circuit.

That doesn't automatically mean you have a catastrophic electrical problem. There are several possible reasons a breaker can trip, and the correct repair depends on what's actually happening.

What shouldn't become normal is this:

Trip. Reset. Trip. Reset. Trip. Reset.

If a breaker, especially a main breaker or disconnect, repeatedly trips, resetting it over and over isn't diagnosing the problem. The reason it's tripping needs to be investigated.

In this Sandy Springs townhouse, that pattern had reportedly been happening for months before the panel eventually began smoking.

At that point, there was no question that the system needed to remain off until it could be evaluated and repaired.

The Repair Required More Than a New Electrical Panel

The property owner arranged temporary accommodations for the tenant while we worked through the repair.

We pulled the required electrical permit, sourced the replacement equipment and began planning both parts of the job:

1. Replace the damaged electrical panel and breakers.

2. Replace the damaged feeder running between the meter/disconnect area and the townhouse panel.

The panel replacement itself was relatively straightforward.

Routing the new feeder wasn't.

Why We Couldn't Simply Follow the Existing Feeder Route

An underground replacement would have required considerably more invasive work around the property, including trenching and cutting through concrete.

Because this was a townhouse, the route also affected common/exterior portions of the property. The HOA had to approve what we were proposing.

We developed another option.

Instead of tearing into the property to create an underground route, we proposed running the new feeder through exterior-rated PVC conduit along the rear architectural trim of the building.

The route would take the conduit from the meter/disconnect area, around the brick corner, along the trim and then back into the structure before reaching the new electrical panel.

The PVC could later be painted to match the building's trim, making the installation much less conspicuous.

Permit, Survey and HOA Approval

This is one of those parts of electrical work that doesn't show up in the finished-panel photograph.

Before installing the exterior route, we needed approval.

We documented the proposed path, provided measurements, obtained the property information the HOA requested and submitted the plan. The electrical permit was already being handled as part of the repair.

Once the HOA approved the exterior conduit route, we could move.

And we did.

A Long Day to Get the Townhouse Powered Again

Our team arrived around 7 a.m.

The new feeder had to travel from the meter/disconnect area, around the exterior of the building, along the approved conduit route and then back through the structure to the replacement panel.

Inside, the damaged panel was removed and replaced with new equipment and breakers.

It wasn't a quick service call. We worked until roughly 8 p.m. that evening getting the electrical work completed and the system back together.

By the end of the project, the townhouse had a new electrical panel, new breakers and a new feeder replacing the wiring that had been damaged during the failure.

The Warning Came Before the Smoke

It's easy to look at photographs of a melted electrical panel and focus on the dramatic part of the story.

The more useful part happened months earlier.

The main disconnect kept tripping.

That's when this electrical system was already asking for attention.

If a breaker trips once, there may be a straightforward explanation. If the same breaker or main disconnect repeatedly trips, don't simply make resetting it part of the routine.

Have the problem diagnosed.

Sometimes the answer is a relatively small repair. Sometimes the problem goes deeper. We've encountered both.

The important part is finding out which one you're dealing with before a warning becomes an emergency.

Electrical Panel Repair and Replacement in Sandy Springs

Fuse Crew Electrical handles electrical troubleshooting, breaker problems, panel repair and replacement, feeder work and other electrical projects in Sandy Springs and throughout Metro Atlanta.

If you're dealing with a breaker that repeatedly trips, signs of overheating, a burning smell, buzzing, discoloration around electrical equipment or another panel problem, don't wait for smoke to tell you something is wrong.

Contact Fuse Crew Electrical to have the problem evaluated.