I believe the issues with FPE are with the breakers not tripping and not being properly attached to the bus.
I would recommend an electrician on this due to the double taps but would like to be more informed on this panel.
I ran into a city inspector the other day that suggested that home inspectors where protective goggles and a special shirt to protect from panel covers possibly arcking when being removed. Anyone ever know of anyone being injured or what the cost of these protective equipment may cost.
Originally Posted By: Thomas Ogryski This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
There are two things I can say about fuses/fuse boxes. There is no evidence that a properly sized and applied fuse has ever failed to work, the same cannot be said for a circuit breaker. Fuses, especially screw in plug fuses, are frequently not sized correctly ( fuse to big for the wire size, this can be cured with type S fuses and/or adapters).
Double taps are always a potential source of trouble.
When you remove the cover of any electrical equipment that is energized, you are exposed to a possible arc flash hazard. The closer the equipment is to the source of power (generally the utility transformer), the greater the available energy and, therefore, the greater the hazard. At the very least, you should be wearing safety glasses and flame retardent clothing. I'm not an expert about this subject, more information can be found at
http://www.mt-online.com/articles/0204arcflash.cfm
Keep in mind that, on average, 5 people a day seek medical assistance at a hospital due to arc flash/blast injuries. Though the energy levels available at the typical residential service are lower than most industrial sites, the danger is still there. The city inspector you mentioned was correct in pointing out the hazard.
Originally Posted By: Jay Moge This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
well all safty precautions are writen in blood (or seared flesh) but besides that, the panel looks to be in realy good condition and very profesionaly done. the difference between a pro and an amature is that a pro gets the job done right and done once, then spends a little more time making it look nice. a TRUE pro that is.
Originally Posted By: jpope This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The FPE fused panels don’t have the issues that the Stab-Lok load centers have. They’re actually quite reliable.
Unfortunately, the tendencies for home owners to "modify" these fused systems is all too frequent. It's easier to insert a larger fuse rather than continue to replace it with the correct size. After all, bigger is better 
Where the general public has ready access to their own electrical equipment, National standards have been implemented in an effort to protect the laymen against themselves - hence, the breaker systems.
-- Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: pdacey This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
But something must be going on in that house. Look at all of the spare fuses on the shelves next to the panel. They may have some appliances/equipment attached to undersized circuits.
