I did an inspection today on a home that had a Federal electric panel. At first glance it looked like a Federal Pacific Panel and had similar looking breakers. It did not say Federal Pacific nor did it say stab loc.
In researching it I found that Federal Electric was purchased by Federal Pacific in 1952 but this home was built in 1951. Do these panels suffer from the same problems as the Federal Pacific panels?
A picture would help. The problems are associated only with the Stab-lok systems.
I think you answered my question Jeffery. This did not look like the stab-loc and I could not find that listed on the panel. Here is a photo though.
This is one of the original Stab-lok designs. It pre-dates the breakers that wouldn’t trip, but it has the same key-holed bus bars and breaker-pins that are responsible for poor connections and loose breakers.
Thanks for your help.
Here’s another “Federal Electric” panel, also from 1950.
I’m confused as to the lineage – the breakers look quite different from the usual “Federal Pacific” or FPE panels.
Same thing. Obsolete electrical panels should always be called out. Problems include breaker function, breaker physical connection and lack of replacement parts (breakers). Electrical parts don’t get better with age and older panels often do not meet modern safety standards or required electrical capacity. Old panels can often exhibit signs of un-authorized, un-safe modification as “upgrades”. The older the panel the more likely it has been ‘screwed’ with.
Write it up and move on.
Here in NYC I was taught that any circuit panel that said Federal Pacific or Federal anything should be
called out and referred to a licensed electrician for further evaluation.
Federal anything, but most importantly the “Stab Lock” type connection. I see these all the time in my area, and by in large they are simply not going to get replaced. There’s really no point in having an electrician evaluate the panels. They are what they are, and the major flaw can’t be detected except on a test bench (they faked their UL certificate and the breakers don’t always release).
The authority on this topic is J. ARONSTEIN (ME, MSME, Ph.D., N.Y.S. P.E. LIC. NO. 39860 50 PASTURE LANE POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. 12603).
