How long does a panel upgrade take?

Most residential 100A-to-200A heavy-ups are completed in a single day, with power off for roughly 4–8 hours.

Do I need a permit for a panel upgrade?

Yes - every jurisdiction in MD, DC, and VA requires a permit and final inspection for service-equipment work. We handle both.

How do I know if I have a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel?

Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels usually say 'FPE' or 'Stab-Lok' on the cover. Zinsco panels often have colored breaker handles (red, blue, green). Send us a photo and we'll confirm.

Do you cover all Silver Spring ZIP codes?

Yes, we serve 20901, 20902, 20903, 20904, 20905, 20906, and 20910, covering Downtown Silver Spring, Woodside, Four Corners, Forest Glen, Kemp Mill, White Oak, and the areas near Takoma Park and Wheaton.

What's the most common wiring issue you find in Silver Spring homes?

In the older Woodside and Forest Glen homes, it's knob-and-tube remnants and two-prong ungrounded outlets. In the 1950s-60s ramblers around Four Corners and Kemp Mill, it's aluminum branch wiring paired with an undersized original panel. Both are fixable, but they need a real inspection first, not guesswork.

Silver Spring, MD

Panel Upgrades in Silver Spring, Maryland

200-amp upgrades, heavy-ups, sub-panels, and Federal Pacific & Zinsco replacements - done to code and inspected.

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DC Electrical Contractor #EM-40-0001168 · MD Master Electrician #7987 · VA Class A Contractor #2705198087 · EPA & OSHA Certified

Panel Upgrades & Heavy-Ups in Silver Spring, MD - Pirro Electric

Pirro Electric handles panel upgrades for homeowners, businesses, and property managers in Silver Spring, MD. Work is scoped on site, quoted in writing, permitted, and inspected before we call it done. Typical scope: 100-amp to 200-amp service upgrades ("heavy-ups"), federal pacific stab-lok panel replacement, and zinsco panel replacement.

Silver Spring is dense with mid-century single-family homes and 1960s-80s multi-unit apartment and condo buildings. Woodside and Forest Glen have early-1900s to 1940s houses with knob-and-tube remnants and two-prong ungrounded outlets still in daily use.

Before You Book

When You Actually Need a Panel Upgrade

A 'heavy-up' - moving from 100-amp to 200-amp service - is one of the most common requests we get. You typically need one if you're adding an EV charger, a heat pump or mini-split, a hot tub, an addition, or if your existing panel is full and there's no room for new circuits.

If your panel is a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or a Zinsco, the answer is simpler: replace it. Both panels have documented histories of breakers failing to trip during overcurrent - a known fire hazard and one that most insurers now flag during inspection.

Why Pirro Electric for Panel Work

Panel work is some of the highest-stakes residential electrical you can hire out - bad workmanship can quietly create fire hazards for years. We're licensed master electricians in MD, DC, and VA, fully insured, and we pull permits on every panel swap. No exceptions.

More detail on scope and pricing: our full panel upgrades & heavy-ups page or the electrical panel upgrade cost in the dmv guide.

What Affects the Price of Panel Upgrades & Heavy-Ups in Silver Spring

Every quote is written after an on-site look. These are the variables that move the number:

Service size (100A → 200A vs. 200A → 400A)
Overhead vs. underground service drop
Meter base and service entrance condition
Panel location (basement vs. exterior wall)
Permit and county inspection fees
Whether your current grounding system needs upgrades

Silver Spring Context

Local Conditions We Work Around in Silver Spring

Four Corners and Kemp Mill have a lot of 1950s-60s ramblers wired with aluminum branch circuits and running on original, undersized panels. The apartment and condo towers around Downtown Silver Spring and White Oak, many built in the 1960s through 1980s, have aging shared feeders and meter banks that need upgrading as units turn over, plus tenant fit-out work in the ground-floor retail. All of this runs through Montgomery County DPS for permitting, with Pepco as the utility.

Silver Spring Housing Stock

Pre-war brick singles inside the Beltway, postwar ramblers further out, and a heavy concentration of 1960s-70s aluminum-era garden condos along Georgia Avenue, Colesville Road, and Piney Branch.

Permits & Utility Coordination in Silver Spring

All Silver Spring addresses are unincorporated Montgomery County, so permitting runs through DPS in Rockville. Downtown buildings usually require coordination with building engineers for shutdowns and freight-elevator access.

Local Angle

Common Panel Upgrades & Heavy-Ups Projects in Silver Spring

Panel upgrades

Neighborhoods servedDowntown Silver Spring · Woodside · Four Corners · Takoma Park (adjacent)

ZIP codes20901 · 20902 · 20903 · 20904 · 20905 · 20906 · 20910

Scope of Work

What's Included

Every job in Silver Spring comes scoped, permitted, and inspected - no shortcuts.

100-amp to 200-amp service upgrades ("heavy-ups")
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panel replacement
Zinsco panel replacement
Main breaker panel and meter base swaps
Sub-panel installation for additions and detached structures
Whole-home surge protection at the panel
Panel relabeling and circuit mapping
AFCI and GFCI breaker upgrades

FAQ

Panel Upgrades & Heavy-Ups in Silver Spring - Common Questions

Reviews

What Customers Say

Excerpts from verified Google reviews of Pirro Electric.

"We use Pirro across our portfolio of 50+ commercial retail buildings. Excellent work, responsive, priced competitively, and they get it right the first time."

Timothy M.

Google Review · Commercial Property Manager

"Pirro re-wired my whole townhouse, updated the panel, and replaced every outlet and switch. Professional, friendly, and on time. Couldn't ask for a better company."

JMW

Google Review · Verified Homeowner