All Thingz Electric repairs electrical panels across Orange County. Our C-10 licensed electricians diagnose bus bar damage and repair loose and melted connections, breakers that will not seat, and corrosion inside the box. We find the cause, fix the panel, and test every circuit before the cover goes back on.
A panel rarely fails all at once. Heat builds at a loose lug or a pitted bus stab for months before anything trips. The first warning signs show up at the panel itself, by smell, sound or touch.
Call an electrician if you notice any of these:
Panel faults are a fire risk. If you see smoke or flame, leave the area and call 911. If you smell burning, keep people away from the panel and shut off the main breaker only if you reach it without touching anything hot or wet. Do not remove the panel cover yourself. The service lugs and the line side of the main breaker stay live even with the main switched off.
One breaker that trips or fails inside an otherwise clean panel is a breaker job, not a panel repair. Our circuit breaker repair page covers that work.
Cost follows the part that failed. Angi’s 2026 national cost data puts a quick panel fix as low as $100 and a single breaker replacement at $100 to $200. The same data notes that once repair costs pass $1,000, replacing the panel usually makes more sense. These are national estimates, not All Thingz Electric prices. When your panel sits close to that line, we price both options before work starts.
Our licensed electricians remove the panel cover and check every lug, bus stab and neutral connection for heat damage, corrosion and breakers that do not match the panel label. You hear what we found and what the repair costs before any work starts.
When the repair needs a permit, we pull the permit before the permitted work begins. We shut off power at the main, or arrange a utility disconnect when the work reaches the service lugs. Damaged lugs, neutral bars and breakers come out. Parts listed for your panel go in, torqued to the manufacturer's spec.
We restore power one circuit at a time and confirm each breaker holds under load. On permitted jobs, we coordinate the city inspection after the work is complete.
Panel repair covers the panel itself: the bus bars, the connections, the breaker slots and the enclosure.
Arcing at a loose breaker pits the bus stab under it. The fix depends on your exact panel, its listing and the manufacturer's instructions. Our electrician inspects the bus and checks those instructions before recommending anything. Many manufacturers sell no replacement bus bars. Schneider Electric states bus bars are not available for QO and Homeline load centers and the complete interior must be replaced, matched to the existing catalog number and series. Where no listed interior exists, the panel is replaced.
A loose wire at a breaker, the main lugs or the neutral bar heats up under load. We cut back damaged conductor, replace burnt lugs and neutral bars, and torque every termination to spec.
A breaker that sits loose has lost grip on the bus. We check the stab, the breaker and the panel label. A worn breaker, or one not listed for your panel, gets replaced with one that is.
Water from a failed roof flashing, an unsealed conduit or sprinklers hitting an exterior panel corrodes the bus and breakers. We find the leak path, seal it, and clean or replace the damaged parts. Rust through the enclosure or the bus means replacement.
Some panels are not worth repairing. If the damage runs across the bus, the panel has no listed parts left, or a load calculation shows the house has outgrown its service, a repair only buys time. In those cases we tell you before we touch anything and quote the replacement instead.
Zinsco and Federal Pacific panels fall in that group. Original breakers for both brands are no longer made, so any repair depends on salvage or aftermarket parts. Our Zinsco panel replacement page covers what replacement involves.
A full panel, a 100-amp service, or a new EV charger, heat pump or induction range does not by itself call for an upgrade. We run a load calculation and check the panel’s condition, open circuit spaces and the equipment you plan to add. The result points to one of three paths: repair the existing panel, replace the panel or its interior at the same service size, or increase the service capacity. Our electrical panel upgrades in Aliso Viejo page walks through sizing, permits and the work itself.
For a panel that works today, routine checks catch loose lugs and early corrosion before they turn into a repair. See our electrical panel maintenance page.
We are a family-owned, licensed and insured electrical contractor serving homes across Orange County. Our C-10 licensed electricians repair panels with listed parts, explain what we found before the work starts, and handle the permit when the job needs one.
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Do not wait for a hot or buzzing panel to become a fire. Call (949) 799-2034 or request service online to schedule a panel inspection.
Panel repairs often involve several parts. Your cost depends on the damage. We inspect the panel and give you a price before work starts.
No. Buzzing, heat and a burning smell point to arcing or an overheated connection. Keep people away from the panel, shut off the affected breaker only if you reach it safely, and call an electrician. If you see smoke or flame, leave the house and call 911.
The answer depends on your exact panel and the manufacturer’s instructions. Most manufacturers do not sell bus bars as a separate part. Schneider Electric, for example, states the complete interior must be replaced on QO and Homeline load centers. Our electrician inspects the damage, checks the panel’s listing, then recommends an interior replacement or a full panel replacement.
Repair when the damage is local, the panel is dry and sound, and listed parts exist for it. Replace when damage spreads across the bus, the panel is a Zinsco or Federal Pacific, or the repair cost comes close to a new panel. Angi’s cost data notes that once repairs pass $1,000, replacement usually makes more sense.
Replacing or upgrading a panel needs a permit. Smaller repairs depend on the scope and the city, and rules differ across Orange County. We check with the local building department and pull the permit when the job needs one.
No. The panel label lists the breakers tested for that panel. The National Electrical Code, section 110.3(B), requires listed equipment to be installed according to its listing and labeling. A breaker that fits the slot but is not listed for the panel can sit loose on the bus and overheat.
Time depends on the fault. Work inside the panel with parts on hand is a short job. Work at the service lugs needs a utility disconnect, and special-order parts or a city inspection add time. You get the timeline before work starts.
Providing Residential and Commercial Electrical Services to Orange County
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