Electrical -101

What you need to know

Federal Pacific Panels

Do you have one of these electric panels in your home? 

Please read the below article to find out about why these panels are dangerous to keep in your home. Almost every home inspection we come across when trying to sell your home has this as a must to upgrade prior to selling. Don’t wait and give us a call today to schedule a free estimate and inspection of your electrical panel.  
Article Provided by Angieslist  

Are Federal Pacific Circuit Breaker
Panels Safe? 

If your home was built between 1950 and 1990 and is equipped with a Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) circuit breaker panel with Stab-Lok circuit breakers, you run a significant risk of breaker malfunction and fire.

The breakers inside the panel are designed to guard your home against serious electrical problems by preventing circuit overload, short circuits and outside power surges coming into the panel. When an overload occurs, a breaker protects you by tripping, thus shutting down the power to the circuit. However, if a breaker is defective or not operating properly, the risk of fire to the panel and consequently to your home becomes imminent.

WHY ARE FEDERAL PACIFIC BREAKER BOXES DANGEROUS?

Multiple tests done on the breakers since the 1980s have proven that one in four Stab-Lok breakers are defective and will not properly trip off. Unfortunately, when the testing began in the early 1980s, a New Jersey court later ruled that FPE committed testing fraud and a cover-up, labeling the breakers as meeting the standards set by the UL when in reality, they were defective.

In 1983, the Consumer Product Safety Commission closed its two-year investigation and felt it impossible to create a product recall at the time because of budget issues, even as Federal Pacific panels and breakers continued to be installed in millions of homes that to this day still run the risk of an electrical fire. An estimated 2,800 fires each year directly result from Federal Pacific panel breaker malfunction. Federal Pacific Electric has been out of business for many years, but the danger and damage caused by their negligence continues.

Do you have a Federal Pacific panel?

If you own a home between 25 and 65 years old, check your breaker box. A Federal Pacific panel will usually have its name or logo on the front cover. Inside, you will find the name Stab- Lok printed near the center or side of the panel. The intact breakers will have the signature red strip that runs across the front.