Power, Safety, and Circuit Breakers

Panel Maintenance

Regular inspection and maintenance of your home can identify issues before they become costly problems. This includes your circuit breaker panel — one of the most important parts of a home’s electrical system.

The circuit breaker panel constantly distributes and receives electricity. The panel protects homes from power surges and other possible hazards. With regular maintenance by a licensed electrician, experts say that today’s electrical panels can function properly and protect homes for 30 years or more.

But, if you suspect that you may have a Federal Pacific Electric, Zinsco , or an outdated circuit breaker panel in your home, or in any event, if you have not had your panel inspected recently, you owe it to yourself and your family to contact a licensed electrical contractor in your area for an inspection.

Federal Pacific Electric Breakers

Experts say that, with regular, qualified maintenance, today’s electrical panels can function properly and protect homes for 30 years or more.

Federal Pacific Electric Breakers

Federal Pacific Electric “Stab-Lok” service panels and breakers are a latent hazard and FPE circuit breakers can fail to trip in response to overcurrent, leading to electrical fires. The breakers may also fail to shut off internally even if the toggle is switched to “off.” Some double-pole (240-Volt) FPE circuit breakers and singlepole FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers simply do not work safely.

There are other FPE panel-defects independent of the breaker problems,panel and panel-bus fires and arcing failures in some equipment. The failure rates for these circuit breakers were and still are significant. In some cases failure to trip occurs 60% of the time – a serious fire and electrical shock hazard.

Failures are documented in the CPSC study and by independent research. Additional independent testing and research are on-going. FPE Stab-Lok electrical panels should be replaced. Do not simply swap in some replacement breakers.

Zinsco Circuit Breakers

Zinsco electrical equipment is considered obsolete, due to a design flaw in which the circuit breaker’s connection to the bus bar becomes loose, causing arcing and subsequent overheating. Long term exposure to this heat can cause the breaker to fuse to the bus bar, making it impossible to remove. Even worse, it can cause the breaker’s contacts to fuse together, thus preventing the breaker from tripping even in an overcurrent situation, thereby causing a potential fire hazard.

Aftermarket replacements for the Zinsco breakers are available; however, it may be more cost effective simply to replace the entire panel with a more modern and safer design from another manufacturer, depending on the number of breakers to be replaced. If the bus bar shows signs of corrosion, or if any of the breakers show signs of overheating, the panel should be replaced entirely. Many electricians advocate replacement of the panel in any case, due to its historically poor reliability.

Investigate to determine why a fuse blows or circuit breaker trips. Do not simply replace the fuse or reset the breaker.

Pushmatic/Bulldog Breakers

It is recommended to replace Pushmatic circuit breakers with another brand or type when you can. The Pushmatic breakers and panels have been difficult for some people to turn the main power from the on and off position. When breakers trip they seem impossible to turn back to the on position as well. If you need to test a breaker and turn it off it can seem difficult to move the switch either way. When situations like this occur with a Bulldog breaker panel it is best to bite the bullet and replace the entire panel.

Guidelines for Fuse Box and Circuit Breaker Panel Maintenance from the Consumer Product Safety Commission

The Commission advises consumers to always take safety precautions with all circuit breakers and fuses.

• Know your electrical circuit.
• Know which outlets and products are connected to each circuit.
• Never overload any electrical circuit by connecting too many products to the circuit. Be particularly careful not to connect several products that demand high current (such as heating appliances) to a low amperage circuit.
• Comply with local building codes in wiring or adding electrical circuits.
• Make sure the wiring and devices used in the circuit are connected to a circuit breaker or fuse of
  the proper size. Immediately disconnect any electrical product if problems develop. Have the product examined by a competent repair person.
• Investigate to determine why a fuse blows or circuit breaker trips. Do not simply replace the fuse or reset the breaker. If a fuse blows or breaker trips,it is often a warning that the circuit is overloaded. Check the circuit for causes of overloading (for example, too many appliances plugged in, a malfunctioning product, a short circuit).
• When in doubt, consult a licensed electrician.

State Farm Electrical Safety Tips for Fuse/Circuit Breaker Boxes

• Enclose fuses and circuit breakers in a panel box. Interior wiring should never be visible. Always keep the panel door closed and latched.
• Keep the area around the electrical panel free of combustible materials.
• If you notice burn marks, hear buzzing or cracking or smell burning plastic around or inside the electrical panel, have a qualified electrician check the panel immediately.
• Keep on hand spare fuses of the proper size for the circuit they protect. Over fusing presents a severe fire hazard as circuits can overheat when they carry more current than that for which they were designed.
• If fuses blow or circuit breakers trip frequently, it may be an indication that the circuits are overloaded. Have a qualified electrician inspect the circuit and make the appropriate repairs.