Depends who you listen to.
The internet is loaded with “Opinion pieces” from home inspectors and electricians. Key word here being “opinions”! Read those articles closely, and you will see the ‘opinion’ staring you in the face!
The CPSC many years ago declined to issue a Recall due to their test results.
The case was updated many years later with the same ruling. No Recall issued.
As an inspector, I refer any suspicious panels to a qualified, licensed electrical contractor for their determination and correction as necessary based upon their owneducatin and testing results.
I am not qualified to make that determination unless there are obvious, glaring defects with the panel or its components.I will not take the liability ‘hit’ on that!
Edit, from 1st link above:
Inspect Your Sylvania Electrical Panel
If you are in the market to buy a home in the greater Portland area, conducting a thorough inspection of the electrical panel and electrical system to ensure there is not a Zinsco and Sylvania electric panel is crucial in making a sound property investment. Zinsco panels are also known as Magnetrip panels as well. If you are unsure of the type of electrical panel your prospective home has, give us a call and we would be happy to conduct a pre-purchase electrical inspection to give you peace of mind.
Also:
If you see “GTE-Sylvania” or simply “Sylvania” on your panel, you may have a re-branded Zinsco panel, which should also be replaced. However, not all Sylvania and GTE-Sylvania panels present a hazard, so you’ll need to have an electrician inspect the panel to determine if it requires replacement.Sep 7, 2020
Recalled? No
Deemed a fire hazard? Yes, some of them. See Larry’s post above.
Is there a website that has all recalled or dangerous panels?
Hell no! Can you imagine the liability involved? Who would take such a broad risk of providing false or misleading information?
Yes, kinda, almost all of them are from attorneys looking to troll for “victims” or electricians (some are selling new panels, others are pointing out what the public has likely already heard).
I call them out as it can be more difficult to obtain homeowners insurance when a home has a Stab-Lok panel.
I’ve always found this to be a good source for reference.
Identify GTE Sylvania (Zinsco) Electrical Panel & Circuit Breaker (inspectapedia.com)
And of course there’s always Google.
sylvania electrical panel fire hazard - Google Search
No official recall but most inspectors will call out Zinsco panels as being past their typical service life and having an elevated risk of fire or other problems. If you are ever unfortunate enough to find yourself in the company of an attorney coming after you in regards to a past inspection, a term you will likely hear is, “standard of care.” That basically means what others (inspectors) in your industry are calling out and reporting on. Things get murky as there is no requirement in SOPs to call these out but most of us do and you’ll be fighting an uphill battle if you don’t too.
Morning, David.
Think of this, life expectancy and vintage or/and obsolete - outdated.
Breakers: The average lifespan of a circuit breaker is about 30 to 40 years.
Sylvania Electrical Panels & Breakers
Electrical panels that do not use the Zinsco™ breaker design.
Observation: Recommend a licensed electrical contractor evaluate the Sylvania panel, breakers OCPD’s and conductor terminations for posable updating and related anomalies associated with this brand of electrical equipment prior purchase.
Act upon any recommendations therein.
Not your job to require replacement (outside SOP).
Identify and advise getting it evaluated by someone qualified.
Yes, on the insurance problem. But in my experience, the big push is condo and apartments with common area. Must have periodic inspection (IR etc) or replace the panel option. Your area may differ.
The disclosure that I use regarding FPE, old Sylvania, Zinsco, Bulldog
There are documented problems with these panels that repair or part replacement cannot adequately correct. The best recommendation is replace these panels with modern compliant panels.
I’ve written up over a thousand of these and so far, minimal push-back. A couple of electricians have said “Don’t fix what ain’t broke,” and a few sellers have said that their panels are working just fine.
See Kevin’s post here for a good reference source: Sylvania panel recalled? - #10 by kleonard
If the breakers are the color of the rainbow I list it as dated and suggest further evaluation by a licensed electrician.