This Harmless Looking Panel is a Fire Hazard

This blog focuses on an electrical problem that can look perfectly normal, even to some electricians.  In the electrical service panel pictured above all breakers work properly, none of them are loose, there’s no sign or scorching, and conductors are wired just as they should be, so what’s the problem?

This specific service panel was made by Federal Pacific Electric under the Stab-Lok brand name.  They made and sold millions of them starting in the 1950s and into the 1980s.  All electrical panels are tested for standards established by the safety company UL, and Federal Pacific Electric falsified their tests.  Frequent breaker failure lead to testing by the Consumer Product Safety Commission which has determined all Stab-Lok panels to be a safety hazard.

About one third of all breakers are defective, so in the panel pictured above you would expect five breakers not to trip when they should.  Wires in the home that should be protected are not, and fires can start as a result of the faulty breakers.

Even though this panel has been discontinued for about 30 years, I still see them in the Grand Rapids area.  This is just one example of faulty products that have been used in homes throughout the years, and when you get an inspection from Grand Home Inspection LLC I will be on the lookout for this and other safety hazards that appear to be harmless to the untrained eye.