I recently inspected two houses with a 60-amp main electrical service.  What does that mean?  Electrical panels are rated by amps.  The more amps you have, the more electrical capacity the house can handle.

The problem is that the demand of electrical services has increased dramatically since the 1940's.  The Kitchen is one place where this is quite often noticed.  Older houses many times only have one electrical receptacle to plug in appliances.  But nowadays, we have many Kitchen appliances: toasters, toaster ovens, electric can openers, microwaves, blenders, mixers, radios, garbage disposals, dishwashers, etc.  Since there are not enough electrical receptacles, some people may use extension cords and "octopus" receptacles that allows 4-8 items to be plugged into a receptacle instead of just two items.  Or they will install breakers or fuses that are too large for the service.  This in turn can overload breakers or fuses and is also a fire hazard.

As I stated, the houses I recently inspected were built in the 1940's.  In my area, most houses that had a 60-amp main electrical service have been upgraded to at least a 100-amp service.  If you have a 60-amp electrical service you need to consult an electrician if you have one or more of the following appliances: central air conditioning, heat pump, heat recovery ventilator/ air exchanger, electrical dryer, whirlpool/ hot tub or dishwasher.  Also, the addition of numerous small appliances such as microwave ovens, computers, stereo equipment and the like will contribute to a significant draw on the system.

Many times these 60-amp electrical services do not have a label that identifies the system as such.  A professional home inspector or electrician will be able to determine the service size by evaluating the service entrance cable, panel and meter.  I hope this gives you a little more information about your home and how a home inspection can be a great investment.