Bottom Line: Why you should replace your Federal Pacific Panel

--ABR Electric in McKinney TX
214-690-1941
abrelectric.com
The Federal Pacific Panel was a brand of electrical equipment that became commonplace in the 1970s. The company went out of business in 1990, but many homeowners still have these panels installed in their homes. In fact, there are more than 1 million homes with this type of panel.
If you have one, please watch this video to find out why replacing it is important and how you can make sure your home is safe from power surges and other problems.
Your home's safety should always be a top priority - especially when it comes to electricity! James Adams, Master Electrician in McKinney TX will highlight some reasons why homeowners who still have Federal Pacific Panels installed may want to replace them as soon as possible for the sake of safety and peace-of-mind. In addition James will talk of alternatives to replacing it with. The recommended brands that ABR Electric frequently installs.
Electrical Panel Replacement Near Me
abrelectric.com
• Labeling Your Breaker ...

[@claytonmiller63]

Square D XO breaker panel was the 1st circuit breaker made with XO Breakers and copied by Cutler Hammer breaker panels. Square D invented the FIRST CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL!!! I broke in the trade wiring Knob and Tube wiring and on XO breaker panel, and I have been a Square D electrician since 1960.

[@abrelectric]

My hat is off to you! I remember the first time seeing Square D XO breaker - surprised by the cardboard side!

[@ScottSmith7]

Haha, James was out to our house today to give us a quote on replacing our Federal Pacific Panels, and I just went to the website to look, and the video on the main page is about those FP panels 😂

[@vince6829]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@davehaggerty3405]

We bought a place with a FPE breaker box. My wife was anxious. But I insisted nobody sleeps in there until that box is changed out! That was forty years ago!

[@Riqrob]

Lost a house with stab-lock due to electrical fire. Just got through replacing stab lock in this house..............

[@abrelectric]

@Riqrob wow! There's got to be a Story there..

[@susieafton7539]

Thank you for the explanation why we need to replace a FP Panel. We are in the process of buying a home and the inspector red flagged this right away.

[@kyleginder1322]

We are in a process also of buying a home and the inspector said the panel needs replaced. Did you pay for the new panel or did the sellers if you don’t mind me asking

[@dennisdethloff7467]

Replaced our federal pacific when we sold our house, the inspector saw it right away , hes said this has got to go

[@JoanHBryan]

Thanks so much for such great info extraordinaire 😮

[@abrelectric]

You sir are very kind

[@krazyj1957]

We purhased our home and had it inspected in 1994. No problems with the Federl Pacific Panal, no issues. We have remodeled much of the house with licienced electricians rewiring remodeled Federal Pacific Panel, no problems or mentian of having to replace panal. This house was built in 1961 and I don't know what was originally put in. We did replace all the breakers with new Connecticut Electric breakers.

[@Steezyy]

Yikes

[@monteclark1115]

I prefer the square D QO with plug on neutral.

[@doninmichigan]

I've seen it all in my career around the Metro Detroit area, some historic wiring and equipment in century old buildings and houses, but those FPE panels bring back bad memories. 🤓

[@abrelectric]

Right? I've pulled burned breakers off and had the breaker clips stick on the bus, welded on. Don't miss them at all

[@doninmichigan]

@@abrelectric exactly, that's the memories I'm talking about. Removing a breaker, having it come apart in your hand, with the guts dangling from the Stab Loks that are still stuck to the bus bar, you know it. 😨😀

[@HeftyJ]

Thanks for this. I was actually able to renegotiate a lower price on our home based on this and a few other things.

[@lloydnolan8218]

I am selling a house in Canada with one of these panels. What I am puzzeled about after doing research is: 1--They are not ilegal. Anywhere. 2--No recall has ever been issued. Anywhere. 3--You can still buy the breakers everyday. This panel is holding up my sale as well.

[@abrelectric]

@@lloydnolan8218 I am just now seeing this comment.thank you. How did this turn out for you?

[@lloydnolan8218]

@@abrelectric 1st buyer walked away because of the inspestors report on the panel. I called three differnt eletrical companys and told them the story. the all laughed. They offer an inspection and sign off for about $200 if all is good. I armed my adgent with this info before the next inspection for 2nd offer, which she attended, and no problems. Sale went threw. Reseach pay's off the pro's advice. The panel you swowed had paint and stuco over spray on it which would compramize any brand. Hope this helps the next ones dealing with this invented issue.

[@couchpotatoe3204]

@@lloydnolan8218 The Canadian 'Federal Pioneer' panels do not have the problems the American 'Federal Pacific' panels do. Both are called 'FPE', which is confusing to many folks.

[@lloydnolan8218]

@@couchpotatoe3204 Mine is a Federal Pacific. Stamped on it. Thanks. I have a FED pioneer panel in my main home.

[@inspectr1949]

The problem is with suspect FPE Stab Lok breaker panels is that there is no National or State protection agency calling them out even the National Electric Code other than it covers itself by saying that such equipments must be approved for use which UL no longer approves. As a former home inspector for 21 years I'd write them up every time but the Realtors would get in my face and call me a deal killer. Was even told you couldn't get home owners insurance with these panels but found that was not even true in many cases.

[@abrelectric]

Michael, the difference between opinions and facts. :)

[@w1swh1]

I guess it depends where you are. My son could not get insurance for a property that had Federal breakers.

[@lloydnolan8218]

I am selling a house in Canada with one of these panels. What I am puzzeled about after doing research is: 1--They are not ilegal. Anywhere. 2--No recall has ever been issued. Anywhere. 3--You can still buy the breakers everyday. This panel is holding up my sale as well. I am calling out the inspector also due to this. The house had some knob and tube wiring that I relaced. Every breaker was pulled and inspected. The bus and breakers were all free of dicolor and pitting. Condeming based on a brand name blows me away. BTW. I had no problem getting insurance.

[@Gr8thxAlot]

​@@lloydnolan8218 From what I've read, at least 1/3 of your breakers are not going to trip properly. You can't tell which ones. The design is jam-prone on top of a lot of the breakers not being calibrated properly at the factory. And in that you have old wiring along with a failure prone old panel, and there is risk there.

[@lucasboreland]

Thank you for doing what is right even when it affects your business, your career, your reputation. Its not easy to do and say the right thing. Thank you for your service in keeping people safe and educated.

[@w1swh1]

Excellent video. I have a Federal panel and its actually in very good condition. The breakers are held in pretty tight. However I know their reputation for the breakers not tripping. Can I just replace the breakers with new ones produced by, say, Connecticut Electric? I have not experienced any nuisance tripping. Thanks for your help.

[@pearlperlitavenegas2023]

Nope.

[@PowderMill]

⚠️ FPE “StabLock” aka “Buzz Breakers” NEVER TRIP ! When I was a young (& very stupid) “inventor”, at age 10 or 11, I designed and built a ridiculously deadly “arc welder” in the 3rd floor vacant apartment that used to be my grandparents home. There was essentially no where to obtain 240vac power in the apartment to power up and test my new project. There WAS a 100a 240vac FPE single-pole sub panel in the living area of the apartment which I had turned into my work and project center. 🤣 Guess how I (stupidly) obtained power? Yup,.. I unscrewed the cover panel and started exploring with my vintage Simpson analog multimeter. I powered up the welder with a butchered 15’ automotive battery jumper cable set. Bare stranded copper #6 with half of the strands removed so it could land on the screw terminals of a spare 20 amp 2-pole breaker already installed in the panel. On the opposite end, I had used the alligator clamps to first power up the welder. It failed miserably WITHOUT a breaker trip. No harm done, but I was devastated that the home built welder failed. So.. I took the alligator clamps and attached one to the metal surface of the items to weld (2 pieces of scrap angle iron). The other alligator clamp was used to hold the welding electrode stick. Surprisingly, after a little experimentation, I was able to get and maintain an arc and actually did a little amateurish work. During the entire afternoon, the breaker only tripped TWICE!! And that was after hours of work and a very warm set of conductors, warm enough that I required gloves to touch the cables. The FINAL breaker trip was NOT in that panel…. It was the 100a MAIN breaker in the basement panel. That happened to be a newly installed service which was installed a few years earlier. It was a SQUARE-D QO panel and breaker. LESSON???? I’ve installed a few hundred or so panels in the subsequent years…. I ONLY USE Square-D QO after first hand knowledge was acquired. 😉 Everything was fine, or so I thought. I disconnected everything and cleaned up the mess and opened up all of the windows to ventilate the apartment of the acrid smoke that had filled the entire area. Keep in mind… I had ZERO experience or supervision AND was only 10 or 11. I was SUPPOSED to be cleaning up, sweeping up and doing my homework after the chores were complete. AND… the building was over 100 years old and had much of the original wiring. It was a multistory wood frame commercial building with apartments on the top floor. Most branch circuits were either AC with cloth/rubber insulated conductors OR knob & tube. There was ZERO fire protection or fire alarms. I nearly made it out ok. Then I started to feel burning in my eyes, followed by the feeling like I had a cup full of sand in each eye. I could barely open them and was nearly blind when I did manage to open them. I was so terrified that I had some type of metal pieces embedded in my eyes or something similar… Fortunately, I had already buttoned up the panel and cleaned up the apartment. I somehow made it down to the first floor and tried to explain everything to my Dad. He took me to the ophthalmologist where I was educated on arc flash and how bad cornea burns could be. I was out of the 6th grade and healing up for close to 2 weeks after that disastrous day. Lessons learned? I was an idiot and could have easily burned down the family property. I always carry a fire extinguisher in all vehicles and on all job sites. I ONLY use Square-D QO (Homeline is so-so, but ok enough for small residential). I could have easily been electrocuted with no way to call for assistance. PPE is Key! (not cloth masks for Pandemic Theater 💀😉) And a million other lessons learned. I sure lucked out. As time progressed, I eventually became a volunteer Firefighter/EMT and a licensed electrical contractor with most of our work concentrated in fire detection and life-safety systems. BTW- After 30+ years in the firefighting biz… The most commonly seen types of panel board I’ve seen at fire calls with “electrical” as the cause….?. Federal Pacific, by far #1. (this is NJ, the Blue State Cesspool and most supply houses carried FPE because they were apparently manufactured here in NJ). #2 .. ZINSCO #3… BullDog “PushMatic”.

[@eaglescout9901]

We are replacing ours. Had a house fire. Electricity fire started in our attic, breaker never triped. Fireman said Federal never does All-State would not pay for upgrade only replace., per our policy. I only have 60 amp and no ground . We are getting estimates to fix that.

[@abrelectric]

Wow

[@frankprovasek5394]

Circuit breakers protect the wiring from heating up and starting a fire in a dead short or overcurrent condition. NOTHING ELSE. They don't prevent or stop fires started by defective equipment which can burn a house to the ground without ever exceeding the current limit of the breaker.

[@eaglescout9901]

@@frankprovasek5394 we were told Federal never trips. And we would need to replace the box if we were going to sell.

[@GilmerJohn]

Why replace the entire panel when you can just replace all the individual breakers?

[@eaglescout9901]

@@GilmerJohn we had a Federal Box, if we go to sell our home, that box must be replaced. Per Fire Marshall

[@charlesboyd4469]

Is it worth upgrading the breakers in those panels to the modern replacement breakers for them?

[@abrelectric]

Charles, are you talking about new OEM versions of those from Depot or Lowes? For an emergency repair, Yes. Otherwise, I believe the money is better spent on the new panel.

[@mikezalesky4099]

One of the other issues, in my mind, is the fact that turning the breaker “ON” pulls it out of the bussing due to the reverse “On-Off” positions.

[@abrelectric]

The gift that keeps giving

[@qv6486]

@@abrelectric what about replacing with homeline from square d.

[@abrelectric]

@qv6486 Homeline is solid for sure. The difference between QO and Homeline is the warranty. Homeline is 10 year, QO is lifetime.

[@qv6486]

@abrelectric thanks for clarifying about why buy the QO over Homeline. if the price difference between homeline & Qo panel and breakers are significant, being the homeowner i may decide to forgo the lifetime warranty the QO offers. I would go with home line system to let me dump an unsafe panel and put the money town for a new service upgrade 3 years later when I rewire and rennovate I'll replace with the QO. $$is kinda tight

[@abrelectric]

@@qv6486 Got it. Homeline will do just fine.

[@glennb9125]

I just recently bought a house and starting cleaning it this passed weekend. I plugged in a steam mop in the master bedroom and it tripped the breaker. I turned it on again and it did the same after 5-10 min of use of the steam mop (nothing else plugged in the room). The panel is a federal pioneer panel. Should I try to replace the breaker since it did trip? Or would I need to replace the whole panel? I’m in Canada and the house was made in 1994.

[@abrelectric]

Look at the spec plate on the steam mop? How many amps or watts does it draw?

[@frederick4367]

I have a Stab Loc and the double 50 Amp breaker to the stove continuously comes loose and the stove cuts off while cooking. I have to go to the basement to wiggle it to come back on. Will a new breaker fix this or do I need a whole new box?

[@abrelectric]

@frederick4367 A new after-market FPE may grip the bussing better. FPE also relies heavily on the deadfront to be tight to hold the breaker in place. I recommend you research the cost and replace the panel and breakers. Having to run to the basement to fiddle with a chronically loose breaker, in order to cook is unsafe and inconvenient.

[@excellularmobile3991]

What do you think about the Levinton smart panel?

[@abrelectric]

Interesting, but not generally affordable or useful for what it provides, IMHO

[@privateprivate8366]

I have an FPE panel, that’s about to be replaced, in my apartment. One day, I heard an electrical sound and one breaker went out permanently. It may have properly tripped and I left it off. Which is more likely? That it was the breaker, a wire connected to the breaker or a wire behind the wall, daisy chained between sockets? I don’t know anything about electricity.

[@abrelectric]

If the breaker is off, it may not matter because there's no power in that circuit. The breaker may have finally died, or it was overloaded. Hard to say without more context. Since it is an apartment, hopefully maintenance will take care of it

[@privateprivate8366]

@@abrelectric well, there was no longer any further power, even when it was turned back on. But, yes, they’ll be replacing the entire panel.

[@joehead1294]

@@abrelectric Did you not say don't trust the breaker even if it is off? You need to verify.

[@abrelectric]

@@joehead1294 absolutely. That's why you have Multi- meters

[@claytonmiller63]

ZINCO, FEDERAL PACIFIC, MURRAY, BRYANT, the old ITE PUSH-A-MATIC (WHICH ITE BROUGHT TRUMBULL ELECTRIC WHO MADE BULL DOG PUSH-A-MATIC) all are the worse breaker panels I HAVE EVER SERVICED IN MY CAREER!!!

[@IvetteCasanova]

How much does it cost to replace the federal pacific panel?

[@abrelectric]

Depends on where you live and applicable code requirements. Also, the upgrade involves more than just panel. Adding ground rods, exterior disconnect, surfe protector etc. Look at reviews, and wade into the bid process :)

[@mostmost1]

I have one. The electrician told me $5000 for a whole house rewire and change. Thar was 9 years ago.

[@iceinyourveins-rn7em]

That was a great deal. A panel change upgrade without the whole house rewire will run you about 6,000. A whole house rewire will run you 7-10,000.

[@Gr8thxAlot]

A replacement and related work was $5k fifteen years ago here.