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Price. Speed. Quality. Safety.
Federal Pacific
During the 1950’s through the 1980’s Federal Pacific panels and breakers, Zinsco panels and breakers, GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco panels and breakers, and Federal Noark panels and breakers, all of the Stab-Lok® type, were widely used. Millions of these electrical panels were installed in homes and businesses. It wasn’t long before problems surfaced with these brands. Stab-Lok® circuit breakers have a high defective rate according to studies. Some of these breakers are up to 80% likely to fail during fault conditions allowing circuit components to heat up to temperatures that exceed manufacturer ratings. This is a major cause for thousands of electrical fires every year researchers say. An engineer, Jesse Aronstein, has been studying the FPE breakers for decades. He has testified in lawsuits against the company and published reports about the failures. According to his research, Federal Pacific Electric breakers may be associated with as many as 2,800 electrical fires each year in the U.S.
So what is the problem with Zinsco breaker panels?
Zinsco or Zinsco-Sylvania Electric Panels are another brand with known issues. Issues with arcing and/or overheating inside the panel causing damage to circuit breakers rendering them unlikely to perform properly on occasions. Circuit breakers may “blow out” the side casing of the device in an electrical “arc explosion”. The aluminum electrical panel components and moisture appear to be a factor in failures in this equipment. It has been reported, although remains to be verified, that the breakers for this panel may appear to be switched to the “off” position but still conduct power to the circuit. The apparent central issue with the Zinsco electrical panel and circuit breakers is burn ups at the clip to bus connections where the breaker connects to the bus bar. There are reports that nearly 32% of Zinsco circuit breakers, and a portion of the UBI replacement breakers for this brand, tested to date failed to trip as required by the UL testing standard. Based on field reports of arcing, contact-point burn and circuit breaker blow out as well as preliminary testing it is recommended by engineers, electricians, and inspectors for homeowners to consider replacing Zinsco and Zinsco-Sylvania electrical panels if you want to reduce the risk of fire and shock hazards in your home.
But I have had this panel for years and have had no problems....
In most cases a Federal Pacific breaker will appear to work just fine. In some cases the FPE breakers may even work as intended and trip when the breaker is subjected to overload, fault currents, short circuits or similar conditions. The problem is no one will know they aren’t working. Well, no one will know they aren’t working until it is too late, that is.
Extensive testing over the past few decades have consistently revealed a very high rate of failure for these breakers and breakers of this type.
Is it worth the risk?
Missing or non-working smoke and carbon dioxide detectors, outdated electrical wiring, outdated breaker panels, breaker panels in clothes closets, signs of electrical arcing at receptacles and inside outlets and breaker panels, all of which have been poorly maintained. The idea is to minimize your risks. Don’t wait until its too late. You can protect yourself, your family and your home now. The cost of a breaker panel replacement and maintaining your electrical system is nothing compared to the cost of rebuilding a home or the loss of life.