3 Recalled Electrical Panels That Could Put Your Home at Risk

The electrical panel is an essential component for every home. Yet, it is rarely an element that homeowners pay attention to. It is sufficient to know that there is one in the house and that it powers all the electrical circuits and keeps the appliances functioning. Still, a crucial feature of one is safety, which means it should prevent the entire system from overheating or catching fire.

However, several well-known brands have recalled electrical panels because they posed safety hazards, compromised the integrity of the electrical circuits, and also threatened the well-being of the inhabitants. These are mostly the old panels, used before 1990.

All panels have precise specifications that prevent overheating and even fires resulting from excessive energy flowing to one area of the electrical circuit. However, old panels, installed before 1990, could no longer meet the needs of modern life, and some also had design flaws, so they were recalled, as they had become a potential threat to the household.

People usually don’t even know what type of electrical panel they have in their homes. Still, it is advisable to always check these features, especially when moving to a new house. If a house was built before 1990 and it still has its original panel, it is most likely that you’re dealing with an outdated one. To avoid any risks, inspect the electrical panel and replace it if necessary.

3 Recalled Electrical Panels That Could Put Your Home at Risk

Several brands of electrical panels have been withdrawn from the market due to reported accidents and even fatalities. Any of the following brands should be replaced at once and only by a qualified electrician.

1. Zinsco Panels

One of the recalled electrical panels was sold by the archaic brand of Zinsco, which had a faulty design that led to fire hazards and electrical shocks. Official reports dating as early as 1994 showed that an electrician suffered from second and third-degree burns because of an electrical flaw in a Zinsco panel he was working on.

Zinsco electrical panels are easy to identify, as they feature thinner, brightly colored breakers – yellow, pink, red, green, and blue. Additionally, they typically have the logo inscribed, and you should look for either Zinsco or Sylvania/GTE-Sylvania, as a significant number of Zinsco panels were rebranded. If you have any of these, you ought to replace them as soon as possible.

2. Federal Pacific Electric Panels

One of the most dangerous recalled electrical panels, Federal Pacific, was the go-to model for the panel boards installed between 1950 and 1990. However, inquiries opened after several electrical fires were reported in the 80s concluded that 25% of the Stab-Lok breakers used in Federal Pacific panels couldn’t trip. That means that 1 out of 4 breakers did not prevent overheating or other electrical errors. A 2012 publication revealed that FP Stab-Lok electric breakers may be responsible for 2,800 fires and 13 deaths.

Federal Pacific electrical panels have certain identification marks, such as red strips across the breakers or FPE and Stab-Lok labels.

3. Challenger Electrical Panels

Challenger panels were mounted in households between the 1980s and 1990s, but they were recalled because they posed safety threats. When identifying a Challenger breaker, it is essential to note that some may be labeled as GTE-Sylvania, similar to the Zinsco panels.

Recalled Electrical Panels Issues

As stated earlier, electrical panels are designed with a high regard for safety to prevent overheating and fires. They achieve this by not allowing too much power to concentrate in one area of the electrical circuit. Still, the recalled panels mentioned earlier had various issues that prevented them from functioning correctly.

1. Breakers wouldn’t trip – with Zinsco panels, for example, the electrical breakers were melting to the bus bar, which stopped the circuit from tripping. As a result, a shortage or an overpressure of the current could easily burn and melt the wires. This causes electrical fires, a phenomenon frequently associated with the Zinsco brand over the last 20 years.
2. Breakers wouldn’t reset – this means that the breakers trip but don’t move to the neutral position; they stay on. When this happens, the network is at risk for short circuits – a charged cable comes in contact with a neutral one. They can cause overheating, appliances to break down, and can even be the source of fires.
3. Cheap materials – most of these panels were manufactured with cheap metal that arcs when it gets hot. Electrical arcing is the process that occurs when current flows through the air between two conductors, and it is hazardous, as it can cause fires, release poisonous gas, and even small blasts. In many of these panels, cheap materials were also used for busing; therefore, their integrity was compromised.

Dangers of Having an Unsafe Electrical Panel

These recalled electrical panels pose several hazards, the most common being the risk of electrical fire. But you can also be at risk for electrocution or severe damage to your appliances and devices. Here are 3 main dangers of not replacing an outdated electrical panel immediately:

1. Electrical fire: for both Federal Pacific and Zinsco electrical panels, the greatest danger is fire. Their circuit breakers do not trip as they are supposed to in the event of short circuits or overloading, which has resulted in thousands of fires across the country.
2. Electrocution: Several records indicate that Federal Pacific Electric circuits do not shut down when turned off, continuing to send power to the network. Working on a circuit that is supposed to be off but is not can lead to electrocution.
3. Loss of insurance: Most insurance companies deny policies on households with some types or models of electrical breakers, like Federal Pacific and Zinsco. They had high costs because of complaints involving these two brands, so they no longer insure them.