The copper shortage of the 1960's was primarily caused by the US . Proceed to complete the identification your panel by having its main bus design examined by your electrician. MLB20(12-24)C (Indoor) Mod. That's probably what you've got. If I were estimating an electrical panel age I would The amps rating of the panel box is often on a label on the inside of the cover or on occasion on the sidewall inside of the electrical box - something your electrician can find if it's still there. Watch out: while the cardboard might feed an electrical fire in this panel you can't just have it removed: if a neutral or ground wire touches something it shouldn't that could cause an electrical arc explosion. The bottom breaker on the top group of circuits will shut off powet to the bottom group of circuits. Above and below, courtesy of Richard Sims, we include photographs of a 400A 240V Zinsco Electrical Panel that was property of the Georgia (USA) Power Company, including identifying Zinsco labeling. Does the home you are buying have a Zinsco panel? Federal Pacific Electrical Panels, often known as FPE Stab Lok panels, are a type of electrical panel manufactured by Federal Pacific. Completely by coincidence I happen to have gotten my hands on a Mr. Electric electrician today. He's doing a great job. 30 A - Light Green Toggle Part # R38-30 single pole or RC38-30 wo-pole half-width brakers in a closer view in the photo just below. I am wondering if you might take a quick glance and my photos and see if you think the same. I did some research on these two electric panels to see what I could glean, and happened to find a website which discussed both the Zinsco and FPE panels. Home inspectors often call out the dangers of a Zinsco style panel during a home inspection. Also is there a place where I can research to find out if my panels were officially recalled? Zinsco Replacement Breakers Are Also Unsafe. Below is an enlargement of the the bus-connection section of a classic Zinsco circuit breaker - showing the difference between these devices. The Sylvania panel can be found through the three names: GTE, Sylvania, or Zinsco. That would argue for an occurrence of the bus-connector defects and hazards we've described. Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service. Even if you replace the circuit breakers, the risk from the panel itself will still be present. It appears that the present Unicorn Industries has nothing to do with the old meter base in your photo; the current Unicorn describes themselves: Victor [by private email] 10 September 2015. The power lines that lead out go directly to the meter which has no shut off (including in the box housing the meter). "Electrical System Inspection Basics," Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston 1985. Guess I had bettertalk to our electrical contractor :(. mobile home doors that open properly - all buildings need safe functional fire exit passages, Turning off any strange-behaving circuits (flickering lights) with the caveat than in an FP/FPE case "turning off" may actually leave the circuit on as the breaker may not switch off internally), Red and blue breaker switches with visible colored base, Oblong opening at wire connection terminal, Flat electrical panel bus bars in parallel fitting into two slots on each breaker, Oblong opening in plastic receiver of bus bar ends, Vertical arrows point to the flat electrical panel bus bars of a Zinsco electrical panel. Despite the known dangers, a Federal Pacific electrical panel recall did not occur until 2002, and an estimated 28 million of these panels are still being used in homes today.. Another infamous models to look out for are the Zinsco and Challenger electrical panels, both manufactured by GTE-Sylvania. Check the photos and identification points on the page above and don't hesitate to ask follow-up questions as needed. Alpha & Omega Home Inspections, 1. I would GREATLY VALUE your opinion. - Anonymous (pending author wish to be identified) to A.C. to D.F. Never insert any tool nor your fingers into the interior of an electrical panel. Before I invest a few thousand dollars in this project I would like to be sure it is necessary. Infra-red scanning on a loaded breaker would be the best way to spot it. Pushmatic. www.ncwhomeinspections.com 509-670-9572. Well I am in the middle of Working From Home in this crazy time! Contact us if you have photos of a Frank Adams electrical panel or other details. Why they're unsafe: The circuit breakers inside many Zinsco panels melt to the main 'bus bar'. It is also the panel which had several 100 ampere main breaker fails which led to fires. Look for evidence that the panel is original, having been installed when the home was built and take that as the panel age Kosup, Russell R. MULTIPLE CAPACITY CIRCUIT BREAKER [PDF] U.S. Patent 4,187,482, issued February 5, 1980. Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca, Click to Show or Hide Citations & References, Magnatrip & Other Zinsco Electrical Panels & Circuit Breakers, ARTICLE INDEX to ELECTRICAL INSPECTION & TESTING, HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION COURSES (Canada), HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION: HOME STUDY COURSES. The manufacturer is KO Instruments. Photo courtesy Tim Hemm cited at references at the end of these articles. For a minute I thought we weregood! Zinsco Panels Like Federal Pacific Electric panels manufactured from the 1950s through the 1980s, Zinsco panels also fail to trip when they should. Bottom lien: [DF NOTE: I do NOT recommend this obsolete publication, though it was cited in the original. Between the 1980's to the 1990's Challenger panels were installed in hundreds of thousands of homes. 1. They were once a popular product to have installed in homes. Photographs of Zinsco Sylvania and GTE Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel labels courtesy of J. P. Simmons. Maybe try again; type in the Comment box, then click the "Add Image" button to select an image file from your computer or smartphone or tablet. Photographs contributed to this website by Jim P. Simmons, Mr. Electric, Licensed Master Electrician, where we discuss, among other topics, In the third photo above I mark with red arrows the distinctive deep notches into the side of a Zinsco-design circuit breaker and the vertical or on-edge aluminum bus bars to which the breaker clips. Personal communication, J. Aronstein to D. Friedman, 3/6/2006, James P. Simmons: Personal communication and photographs used in this article series, J. Simmons to Daniel Friedman, 3/4/2006, 2/19/2008. If the panel you describe is of the classic Zinsco design described in these pages there is risk of breaker-bus arcing and the other hazards described for Zinsco. Below are links to pictures of my electrical panel. (Obsolete, not recommended), Personal communication, J. Aronstein to D. Friedman, 3/6/2006, James P. Simmons: Personal communication and photographs used in this article series, J. Simmons to Daniel Friedman, 3/4/2006, 2/19/2008. The upper and lower "Do not Remove this K.O." Federal Pacific Electric panels may not meet today's updated safety codes. Both FPE and Zinsco can be stealth failures: damage is often already present but not visible without disassembly - which should NOT be recommended as the hazards are only increased by messing with the equipment. Aluminum Enters the Picture. Most of the Zinsco electrical panels and circuit breakers were installed in the 1960s and 1970s. Featuring two 1-pole circuit breakers with separate operating handles, the Leviton Surge Protective Device provides effective surge protection for the entire home without sacrificing space inside the panel. But Watch out: opening an electrical panel, if you touch what you shouldn't means dead Larry (or Dead Daniel if I do it). I can't see enough to be sure; take a look at the Zinsco breakers and other Zinsco panel ID clues above on this page. Ok got pix of the stickers -- will add the images. Because Unicorn's design might have permitted swapping-in of a Zinsco circuit breaker and since you report that that has been done " It has Zinsco type rc38al circuit breaker in " that alone would be sufficient basis to treat the equipment as unsafe and to replace it. Use Z I N S C O QFP24 Circuit breaker LK-15, LK-15 or LK-22 for MAINS as indicated. Electrical panel interior access should be by a licensed and trained electrician. Some of these design flaws include: Easy corrosion of the bus bar Back at our computer and seeing a larger image of your photo, yes, that sure looks like a Zinsco breaker design - notice those "on-edge" bus bars onto which the breaker clips? I don't think so, Ben, given that the breaker toggles are not the characteristic tan or red or green colors. Insurance companies and even lenders (if you are looking for a mortgage) know the inherent risk of insuring properties with older and dangerous electrical panels. Ways to Remove a Zinsco Breaker Prepare the Following Tools 1. Here we provide text, labels, and equipment photographs used to help identify Zinsco and GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco electrical panels and circuit breakers, and we include photographs of a Zinsco look alike marketed by Kearney. We include photos of Zinsco breaker labels and other markings that identify Zinsco and Kearney electrical equipment. It was also sold under the Kearney brand name. Insurance companies have become increasingly cautious when signing insurance for older properties with FPE or Zinsco installed. Why GFCI Outlets have a Blinking Red Light? Zinsco electrical panels were distributed in the United States, primarily in the Western states. @Robert shaner, Estimating Electrical Panel Age The Challenger panel was installed in thousands of homes between 1980s to 1990s. Plated aluminum bus bars that get gouged-through when a breaker is inserted (mounting a breaker cuts through the plating and we see corrosion, overheats, failures). Watch out: removing and replacing circuit breakers or "exercising" them by turning them on and off can in some cases actually increase the risk of a future failure because of scoring of a plated panel bus bar or because some breaker brands such as FPE show an increased failure to trip after being switched on and off. It showed that the central ZINSCO panel and circuit breaker failure problems stem from burn-ups at those clip-to-bus connections. IDENTIFY GTE SYLVANIA-ZINSCO PANELS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice. panel or performs further disassembly (DANGEROUS STEP) can further identify the characteristic circuit breaker details but the circuit breaker On 2021-08-30 We have an affiliate partnership with Networx. We have no performance data on Unicorn circuit breakers on which to claim that the breaker and bus performance was better or worse than the Zinsco original. Zinsco panels may not meet today's updated safety codes. It would have top be purchased used only. Identify Zinsco-like Sylvania Electrical Panels and Circuit Breakers. Don't be fooled by its lookalike counterparts; this panel is easily distinguishable with its pastel-colored breakers lined up in a single row. circuit breakers are characteristic of Zinsco-design breakers. For example, the deep slot that cuts up into the side of Zinsco breakers and the "on-edge" bus bars are key details that will reliably identify Zinsco breakers and panels and can be easily seen in an electrical panel. These are also called cheater breakers. SKU:I37023078. This was because the threads on the bus bar were poorly manufactured and the electricians installing them would tighten it down, but not realize that the bolt was carrying the main current due to the gap. "Evaluating Wiring in Older Minnesota Homes," Agricultural Extension Service, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108. Tools 1 ampere main breaker fails which led to fires in homes courtesy of P.! Buying have a Zinsco style panel during a home Inspection of an electrical panel labels of. 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