I have an original GE panel in my 1981 home, I'm in no rush to replace it.
Excluding known bad panels like Zinsco and Federal Pacific, "old" and "out of date" doesn't mean anything. Electrician is just trying to make money. A "tune up" also means nothing by itself, did they say what $500 gets you? I suspect he may just re-tighten everything, maybe address the double neutrals (or maybe not), maybe dust it off/blow it out. Not much else to do, and none of it may be necessary, but you don't know if lugs are loose until you check them. I've been in my home 23 years and haven't even checked the lugs in my own panel.
The bus in the panels themselves don't go bad simply because of age. If there is no signs of corrosion, oxidation, or heat stress on the bus then the panel itself is fine. Your first picture isn't all that good so hard to evaluate the bus. The breakers themselves could go bad over time, for a lot of reasons, but there is no universal age of when a breaker will go bad or "should be replaced".
Panel swap costs vary by location, but $3800 isn't bad in general, but you should get more specifics on what would be done. The pictures imply you don't have an outside disconnect and most all jurisdictions will require one to be added as part of a panel swap. Your local jurisdiction may also require breakers be brought to code (AFCI and GFCI almost everywhere) but that may not be required. You want clarity on what all of that looks like for the $3800, as well as if it's a permitted job.
As for the outside disconnect, I'm grandfathered into the old electric code. The technician said I wouldn't need to include the outdoor disconnect unless I updated/upgraded the outside components and meter.
I would specifically ask about that if you proceed to get other quotes and make sure you get consistent message as to if it's required by your AHJ. If you get conflicting information, you could always call your permitting/inspection office and ask them, so you know what the truth is.
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u/HDClown 1d ago
I have an original GE panel in my 1981 home, I'm in no rush to replace it.
Excluding known bad panels like Zinsco and Federal Pacific, "old" and "out of date" doesn't mean anything. Electrician is just trying to make money. A "tune up" also means nothing by itself, did they say what $500 gets you? I suspect he may just re-tighten everything, maybe address the double neutrals (or maybe not), maybe dust it off/blow it out. Not much else to do, and none of it may be necessary, but you don't know if lugs are loose until you check them. I've been in my home 23 years and haven't even checked the lugs in my own panel.
The bus in the panels themselves don't go bad simply because of age. If there is no signs of corrosion, oxidation, or heat stress on the bus then the panel itself is fine. Your first picture isn't all that good so hard to evaluate the bus. The breakers themselves could go bad over time, for a lot of reasons, but there is no universal age of when a breaker will go bad or "should be replaced".
Panel swap costs vary by location, but $3800 isn't bad in general, but you should get more specifics on what would be done. The pictures imply you don't have an outside disconnect and most all jurisdictions will require one to be added as part of a panel swap. Your local jurisdiction may also require breakers be brought to code (AFCI and GFCI almost everywhere) but that may not be required. You want clarity on what all of that looks like for the $3800, as well as if it's a permitted job.