Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breaker panels were installed in homes typically in the 1970′s to the mid 1980′s
History in Brief
Back in 1979, the bankrupt Federal Pacific Electric Company was acquired by Reliance Electric Company, a subsidiary of Exxon Corporation, from UV Industries. In June 1980, UV Industries was sued by Reliance Electric Company for damages claiming deceptive practices to obtaining UL listings for FPE products. In July 1980, FPE products being shipped were stopped by Reliance Electric. Though there was never a recall, the FPE products that were already on the shelves nationwide continued to be installed in homes years down the road.
Fire Hazards
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breaker panels are a fire hazard. The double-pole breakers fail to trip a high percentage of the time when overloaded or in a short circuit situation. The breakers also come loose on the buss bar. In these instances, the breakers fail to protect the wires, they can overheat, arc, and lead to a fire. From 1980 to 1983, The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) conducted laboratory tests on the double-pole FPE breakers and stated the double-pole breakers would fail 25% of the time under modest load. The failed breaker would then never trip again after that under any overload condition. Federal Pacific never refuted CPSC’s findings and acknowledged the problem with the double-pole breakers failing to trip. Back in the 1980′s, there were tests conducted by 4 companies and 1 Federal Agency: FPE, Southwest Research Inc., UL, CPSC, and Wright-Malta Corp. Only 2 of these studies were made public due to proprietary and liability issues. 25 years later, J.Aronstein, P.E. has continued independently testing. In J.Aronstein’s testing which was the largest sampling nearing 500 circuit breakers, the failure rate was as high as 60%.
The Panel’s Identity
Look for 2 key items: First, “Federal Pacific Stab-Lok” will be on a sticker either inside or outside of the front cover panel door. Second, most of the Stab-Lok breakers are bright orange.
What to Look For
Whenever I run across the FPE Stab-Lok panels, I always recommend that they be replaced for the above state reasons. When inspecting these panels, I also look for blackened lugs, melted breakers, melted sheathing, and burnt wiring. Over the last 8 years, I can’t tell you how many burn wires I’ve found on this type of panel. In the last six months, I’ve found 2 panels where the service entrance cables were becoming too hot and almost ready to burn the house down. The sheathing on both was blackened and bubbled. When the licensed Electrician showed up at the one house, he told the homeowner that if I hadn’t found it, there was a real possibility that the home would have burnt down. The second issue I look for is for loose breakers. It’s common for me to find 2-3 breakers loose on the FPE Stab-Lok panels. I’ve found some panels where almost all of the breakers were loose. Every one of these situations is a fire hazard.
Do They Make Replacement Breakers
Manufacturers do make replacement breakers that slide into the FPE Stab-Lot slots. They cost around $30-$40 each. It’s best to upgrade the entire panel instead of changing out a few breakers due to the unpredictable nature of these breakers. You never know when they will fail. Replacing the entire panel is the smart move for you and your family.
What I Recommend
If your home has a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok main panel or sub-box installed, then please contact a licensed Electrician to have it replaced. The panel may have been there for 30 years and seem to work fine, however, the underlying problems are there and it’s simply not worth the risk.
For More Technical Information
To read more detailed and technical information regarding Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels, please click on the pdf file from CPSC’s March 18, 2008 Meeting where the subject was: “Federal Pacific Stab-Lok circuit breakers and associated safety hazards.” Daniel Friedman’s InspectAPedia website also has a slew of useful information and can be found at www.InspectAPedia.com/fpe/fpepanel.htm.
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