As inspectors we can recommend a licensed contractor for further evaluation for anything & everything. But our clients are hiring us to tell them, if we as inspectors, consider inspected items a defect or hazard.
If I inspect a house and see an FPE panel or I find single strand aluminum wiring, it gets reported as a potential fire hazard.
In my area, most Realtors know that the inspector will be calling out FPE or other known hazardous panels and they usually get replaced before the inspector gets there.
I know I would want my inspector to call out any well-documented, potential fire hazards he finds?
i took it just the right way and see exactly what you mean. you’re correct of course and thanx for pointing it out like that. soft is not what i strive for.
This electrical panel is obsolete. This brand and several others like it from that era have issues with fires related to their design. I recommend a thorough inspection by a licensed electrician. I would also plan and budget to replace this panel at your earliest opportunity.
Sure. I just like to keep it short and to the point. shrug.
You’ll get some folks on here that will tell you they are no more likely to burn your house down than any other panel…and they may be right. That said, they have burnt houses down, so go with the ole obsolete verbiage.
Show me the burned house data and I will jump on board.
Off the top of my head, what we do know is that insurance companies do not like them. Check.
There are many opinions supporting these CB’s have a greater potential for failure. check.
There is one study which claims the CB is unreliable. check.
The consumer safety commission has not issued a recall. check.
The CB’s were not properly evaluated per UL standards. check.
These panels and CB’s are no longer manufactured, however some substitute or replacement breakers are available. check.
Now, boil that down and render an opinion. I would be cautious.
This is what I say.
The electrical panel was manufactured by Federal Pacific. There are mixed opinions about inherent fire risk associated with this panel manufacturer due to reported incidents of breakers pulling loose from the lugs causing arcing, overheating etc. There is also concerns with the falsified UL certification. Furthermore, these panels are dated which also negatively effects reliability. For these reasons, I recommend panel replacement.
Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) circuit breaker panels were not recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) due to budget constraints. However, a New Jersey court ruled that FPE fraudulently labeled their breakers as meeting safety standards.
Why were the panels recalled in court?
A New Jersey court ruled that FPE knowingly distributed breakers that did not meet Underwriter Laboratories (UL) standards
The court found that FPE cheated on tests to get their breakers approved
The court found that FPE’s actions violated the Consumer Fraud Act
What should you do if you have an FPE panel?
Replace the panel with a circuit breaker that meets modern safety standards
Check your breaker box for the “Federal Pacific” or “FPE” logo
Check for the “Stab-Lok” name on the front of the panel or inside on the door cover
Check for red stripes across each switch
Why are FPE panels a safety hazard?
FPE panels can overheat and become fire hazards after a short circuit or over-current
When a breaker fails to trip, a large amount of power can surge into your home’s circuits and panel
This power surge can’t be manually shut off or stopped
For myself I’m going with the actual repeatable laboratory test results. That’s the scientific method: come up with an idea, test it, describe how you tested it, and your results. No need to listen to the loudest social media voice: test the damn thing.
Anyone else want to test 100’s of breakers and declare them safe, I’ll read your paper.
Until then we have Jesee’s
I hope that NFIRS will eventually start tracking breaker types, having photos of the equipment involved in electrical fires. Until then it’s Jesse’s bench for me.
Recommending they replace something that is problematic requires caution? I would say the opposite it true. Not recommending it opens you up when there is data that these panels are, in general, NFG.
I suppose a realtor could sue you for scaring off a customer. You could then cite recalls and whatnot. Don’t misunderstand me here, I am not the guy that calls everything out just to protect myself or any such thing. I think there is sufficient evidence to reach a preponderance of evidence that these panels are obsolete and some have issues. Recommending that these panels be replaced isn’t going to burn you. Adding in MUST or hard language to scare folks is a different issue.
Fortunately for me, none of the homes in my area have these. I have inspected some 70s era homes, but for me, I generally see 91 or later and the vast majority of those are 99 or later.
Yep, and I could be sued for wearing a size 10 shoe.
My concern was the “fires associated with its design” statement. That is very alarming that one could be sued for. So, I was looking for the supporting evidence.
You can recommend whatever you wish. The recommendation will cover your butt either way. Something else to consider. Do you want the family to live in the home without changing the panel? Or do you want to pass the liability down the line?
In the past, I would recommend further evaluation and may still in the future. However, if I do, it will be specific including a load test with associated thermal imaging.
