Federal Pacific Circuit Panels and Breakers

[tomsalwasser]

Greetings fellow sawdust makers. It's been called to my attention by a neighbor having a private home inspection prior to selling his house that our neighborhood and millions of other homes across the country have electric panels and circuit breakers manufactured by Federal Pacific, a company no longer in business. These panels and breakers have been proclaimed to be a fire hazard by some. Others say the danger is over stated. As usual I'm going to this talented and experienced group for a broad range of opinions on all sorts of important things. Do any of you folks have personal experience with this particular panel and breakers? Thanks for your thoughts! Here's a news segment on the subject from a few years ago:


[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EADqIrxa5yU[/youtube]

Tom

[kablerj]

I had one of their boxes in a house I purchased in 1996. In 2011 I sold that house to my son. When he attempted to get insurance with the company I use, State Farm, he was told they no longer issue new policies on homes with FP boxes and breakers. He was also told that in the near future, they were going to refuse to renew current policies on homes with FP boxes and breakers. My son had a difficult time finding a company to insure the house. At the time, he didn't have the money to change it. I offered to take care of it, but he refused. He hade it changed to square D six months later.

In converting this former doctor's office into my shop last fall, I discovered a FP breaker box. Not wanting State Farm to refuse to renew my policy in the near future, I got a Square D box as well. It isn't in yet, but when the electrician comes to wire the new house in two weeks, he's going to do the box in the shop too.

I never had a breaker fail to act. But those stab type breakers tend to loosen up. You have to hold them in place any time you wan to turn them off or reset them.

BTW. Our home that was destroyed by fire in Dec 2013 was equipped with Square D box and breakers which were NOT the cause of the fire.

[JPG]

I wonder which 'surviving' brands are stirring this.

I installed FP totally over 30 years ago, and have never observed any cause for concern.


But then all the branch circuits are less than 50% loaded except for the dedicated branches. i.e. Marginal overloads do not happen.

Also the panel is never warm.

I consider the stuff hidden in the walls a more serious thing to fret over.

[tomsalwasser]

Thanks very much kablerj and JPG. I'll bet there are dozens more in the this forum with FP panels and breakers. I've been in my house 25 years and have never had a problem. Never blown a breaker either that I recall. Maybe that's the problem with these panels. An electrician friend is coming out with an Infra red sensing device. He deals with these panels and breakers and does not have a high opinion of them. I'll keep you posted.

[beeg]

Never blown a breaker either that I recall. Maybe that's the problem with these panels.

That IS the PROBLEM.

[JPG]

Never blown a breaker either that I recall. Maybe that's the problem with these panels.

That IS the PROBLEM.

MAYBE. Question is, should any have tripped.


I consider the 'problem' to be those things which cause breakers to trip.

When the condenser fan has stopped rotating on my WH AC, my FP breaker does trip due to higher compressor current.

Could there be a FP no good bias out there?(similar to SS no good bias)

For now I be keeping my head above the sand and below the sky.

[jsburger]

Never blown a breaker either that I recall. Maybe that's the problem with these panels.

That IS the PROBLEM.

MAYBE. Question is, should any have tripped.


I consider the 'problem' to be those things which cause breakers to trip.

When the condenser fan has stopped rotating on my WH AC, my FP breaker does trip due to higher compressor current.

Could there be a FP no good bias out there?(similar to SS no good bias)


Follow the money!!!

For now I be keeping my head above the sand and below the sky.

[jsburger]

Never blown a breaker either that I recall. Maybe that's the problem with these panels.

That IS the PROBLEM.

MAYBE. Question is, should any have tripped.


I consider the 'problem' to be those things which cause breakers to trip.

When the condenser fan has stopped rotating on my WH AC, my FP breaker does trip due to higher compressor current.

Could there be a FP no good bias out there?(similar to SS no good bias)

For now I be keeping my head above the sand and below the sky.

Follow the money!!!

Why did my other post come out the way it did? And I can't delete it.

[tomsalwasser]

MAYBE. Question is, should any have tripped.

Yes, of course that is the question. I don't recall ever having a breaker trip but memory does play tricks on you. I'm glad to see you have had a situation where the breaker should trip and it did. I'm hoping more people will come forward with their experience. I hope folks will look at their circuit boxes. Do you have one of these? Until a few days ago I paid no attention to mine unless I was rewiring a switch or outlet and needed to break the circuit for a minute or 2. I'm looking forward to a visit from an electrician friend so I can pick his brain. Wife says we have to clean the basement first.

Say, I see you're from Lexington. KY. I just started watching a TV series called "Justified" that takes place there. Pretty good show, worth checking out.

Tom

[rcplaneguy]

My folks had one in their house which I grew up in and inherited after they passed. Think it was put in in the 1960s to replace the old screw in type fuse panel. No problems, ever. House inspection cleared the panel when I sold in 2013. That is 53 years of success. Yes the breakers worked when overloaded or shorted. No class action suit has ever won, no proof these cause fires, from my research anyway.