Federal Pacific Electrical Panels Fire Hazard

Fpe federal pacific electric stab lok electrical panel circuit breaker hazards home page.

Federal pacific electrical panels fire hazard.

Fpe panels may not meet today s updated safety codes. Federal pacific panels also known as fpe panels were a popular residential electrical panel choice in the mid to late 20th century. Federal pacific electric stab lok service panels and breakers are dangerous and can fail leading to electrical fires. In 1983 the consumer product safety commission closed its two year investigation and felt it impossible to create a product recall at the time because of budget issues even as federal pacific panels and breakers continued to be installed in millions of homes that to this day still run the risk of an electrical fire.

And canadian homes were built with circuit breaker panels that one expert has questioned as a potential fire hazard. This document explains the latent electric shock and fire hazards associated with federal pacific electric stab lok electric panels and circuit breakers and in challenger electrical panels and circuit breakers. Federal pacific electric fpe stab lok panels shouldn t be inspected but replaced. The panel was well known in the building community as a cheaper alternative to some of the more recognizable panel companies such as general electric i t e and square d.

Federal pacific electric panels are a fire hazard from the 1950s to the 1980s one of the most popular brands of circuit breaker was stab lok manufactured by federal pacific electric fpe. Safety standards that were. Over 100 million of them were installed in the usa and canada. But experts warn that if a federal pacific electric panel experiences an overcurrent or short circuit it may not keep the electrical circuits from overheating and could possibly pose a fire hazard.

An estimated 2 800 fires. Ul standards require that breakers trip or shut off the current when overloaded to prevent electrical. A federal pacific electric fpe circuit breaker panel can appear to be working properly for years. Issues about federal pacific electric s stab lok.

Here we explain the fire and shock hazards associated with federal pacific electric stab lok circuit breakers and service panels provides a complete history of the fpe hazard and we provide and cite independent unbiased research on fpe failures and recommends replacement of the panels.