Diagram of electrical service to a detached ADU in Portland showing the main service panel, an underground feeder in conduit with minimum cover to finished grade, and the ADU subpanel with disconnect
A panel upgrade in Clark County runs on a different set of rules than the same job across the river, and the first question is not cost, it is which agency issues your permit. If your address is inside Vancouver city limits, the City of Vancouver permits and inspects...
On September 1, 2026, the Oregon exemption that has kept outdoor heat pumps and air conditioners off ground-fault protection expires. From that date, outdoor HVAC outlets at homes fall under the same GFCI requirement as the rest of your outdoor electrical, and...
If an outlet is actively smoking, stop reading and go shut off that circuit at the breaker panel. A smoking outlet is not a warning that something might go wrong later. It means a fire has already started inside the wall cavity, and the drywall and the metal box are...
Commercial electrical is a different trade than residential work, not just a bigger version of it. A commercial job runs on three-phase power, uses switchgear instead of a household panel, requires stamped load calculations and often a formal state plan review, and...
Before you pay $4,000 to upgrade your panel for a heat pump, know this: a proper NEC load calc often shows a 100-amp Portland panel already has the room. What a heat pump really draws, the device that can replace a service upgrade, the Oregon code rules that cut the cost, and which 2026 rebates survived the federal credit cuts.
Yes, an electrical panel permit is required in Portland, and everywhere else in the metro, for any panel replacement or service upgrade. In the City of Portland the permit itself is roughly $237 including Oregon's mandatory state surcharge, and a licensed contractor...
Most Portland homes land between 18kW and 22kW, but the right size comes from a load calculation, not square footage. Here is how running watts, starting surge, and load management actually decide your generator size.
Flickering lights range from a harmless loose bulb to a fire-risk loose neutral. Here is how to tell which, what you can safely check yourself, and the older-home and utility causes specific to Portland.
