When a breaker fails to trip, an extreme amount of power from the outside electrical supply surges into a home’s panel and circuits. Once that happens, it cannot be stopped or shut off manually. Electricity will burn until it runs out of fuel or the wires melt. The panel could overheat and catch fire, causing serious harm to a home and its occupants. Many Federal Pacific Electric panels and breakers can operate properly for years. But if and when they do malfunction, a disaster could occur.

A Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) circuit breaker panel can appear to be working properly for years. 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.

According to a report, some Federal Pacific Electric panels failed to operate properly nearly 60% of the time in the event of a power surge. To the right is one example of a Federal Pacific Electric panel. The homeowner reportedly heard a loud pop, followed by a sizzling noise and a burning smell. She called an electrician; this is what he found.

The homeowner had no way of knowing that too many electrical devices were plugged into one room. The devices required more electricity than the circuit could provide. “The wiring got hot enough to fry an egg,” the electrician reported. Normally, the circuit breakers should trip to cut off the electricity and prevent a fire. The Federal Pacific Electric breakers did not operate properly, resulting in two circuit breakers and a bus bar being burned.

FPE (Federal Pacific Electric)

*Information obtained from Consumer Product Safety Commission.  www.cpsc.gov

Problems with certain Zinsco panels cannot be seen by the naked eye. Even after the cover of Zinsco panels has been removed, everything can seem to be in fine working order. Upon exploring its components, electricians find that breakers cannot be removed from the bus bar. They’ve welded together, which indicates that the breakers have melted. In that condition, a breaker would be unable to trip and may be allowing an unsafe amount of electricity into the home! This could lead to a potential fire.

Experts report that Zinsco circuit breaker panels may have two major faults that could pose a danger:

1. Zinsco panels may not meet today's updated safety codes.
Production of Zinsco panels halted in mid-1970s. Experts say that Zinsco panels produced during this time would not receive today’s UL listing. They would not be allowed to be sold to the general public because they no longer pass current safety codes. Safety standards that were once acceptable years ago are no longer considered safe.

2. Zinsco panels may have significant design flaws.
Experts report that the identified design flaws in Zinsco panels are not shared with other panels of similar age. Some of the problems include:
Certain components of the panel contain aluminum.
The connection between the breakers and the bus bar is often not solid.
The bus bar appears to corrrode easily.
Breakers may appear to be off, yet internally the panel is still conducting power.

Homes built before 1965 are unlikely to have aluminum branch circuit wiring. Electrical cables installed between 1965 and the mid 1970s in new homes, in additions, and as part of rewired/new circuits may contain  aluminum wiring. On April 28, 1974, two people died in a home in Hampton Bays, N.Y. Fire  officials determined that the fire was caused by an overheating aluminum wire connection at a wall receptacle.

TROUBLE SIGNS

Unfortunately, failing aluminum-wired connections seldom provide easily detected warning signs. Aluminum-wired connections and splices have been reported to fail and overheat without any prior indications or problems. If you notice any signs of a problem, have a  qualified electrician determine the cause. DO NOT TRY TO DO IT YOURSELF. You could be electrocuted, or you could make the problem worse. Signs of electrical system problems include hot-to-the touch face plates on receptacles or switches; flickering lights; circuits that don’t work; or the smell of burning plastic at outlets or switches.

FIXING THE PROBLEM

Aluminum wiring can be replaced or repaired to effectively and permanently reduce the possibility of fire and injury due to failing (overheating) wire connections and splices. It is highly recommended that you hire a qualified electrician to perform this remediation. Other than complete replacement of aluminum wire with copper wire, there may be numerous potential solutions for the permanent repair of hazardous aluminum wire connections and splices. However, CPSC can recommend repair methods or products only where there is satisfactory, documented evidence that the methods or products meet the following criteria:

•  Safe. The method or product must be safe and not increase the risk of fire or other hazards.

 •  Effective. The method or product must be  effective and successfully eliminate or substantially mitigate the fire hazard.

•  Permanent. The method or product must affect a permanent repair. Methods or products designed to address temporary or emergency repair situations, but which may fail over time, are not considered permanent.

 Based on these standards, as of the date of this publication, CPSC approves of only three methods for a permanent repair.

1)Complete Replacement of Copper Cable
2)COPALUM Method of Repair
3)Acceptable Alternative Repair Method/ AlumiConn Connector

Read the complete article here.        

Insurance companies will no longer cover you if you have this wiring!  Give us a call today for a free estimate of options!

*Information obtained from www.ismypanelsafe.com

ALUMINUM WIRING

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff and other government  officials have investigated numerous hazardous incidents and fires throughout the nation involving aluminum branch circuit wiring. A national survey conducted by  Franklin  Research Institute for CPSC showed that homes built before 1972, and wired with  aluminum, are 55 times more likely to have one or more wire connections at outlets reach “Fire Hazard Conditions” than homes wired with copper.

The fire hazard investigated by CPSC occurs at connections with aluminum wire,  including receptacles or switches and junction boxes; or the hazards occur with major appliances, including dishwashers or furnaces, for example. There are several deterioration processes in aluminum wire connections that cause increased resistance to the flow of electric current, resulting in damage that is cumulative in effect. That increased resistance causes overheating, sometimes at hazardous levels, when current is flowing in the circuit.

A shortage of copper in the mid 1960s caused builders to increase the use of aluminum wire in residential electrical distribution systems from the few large-power circuits (i.e., for electric clothes dryers and ranges), to general purpose 15- and 20-ampere-rated circuits.

Most Zinsco panels are obsolete today. However, at one time, they were extremely popular and installed in many regions throughout North America. As time has passed, electricians and home inspectors have discovered that certain Zinsco panels often can fail to operate properly and may leave homes and homeowners at risk to both fire and electrical shock. These panels can work fine for years, but as homes have increased energy demands, these panels may overheat and portions of it melt.

In this situation, if a breaker melts to the bus bar of the panel and can no longer adequately trip in case of an overcurrent or short circuit, an extreme amount of power from the outside electrical supply surges into a home’s panel and circuits. Once that happens, it cannot be stopped or shut off manually. Electricity will burn until it runs out of fuel or the wires melt. The panel could overheat and catch fire, causing serious harm to a home and its occupants.

Zinsco panels may seem to work properly for years. But experts warn that these panels may present numerous problems and even hazards if and when they fail. In fact, one expert warns that as many as 25% of all Zinsco circuit breakers could fail to trip in response to an overcurrent or short circuit and create a possible hazardous situation.

Zinsco

*Information obtained from www.ismypanelsafe.com

Federal Pacific Electric Company (FPE) was one of the most common manufacturers of circuit breaker panels in North America from the 1950s to the 1980s. Millions of their panels were installed in homes across the country. Yet, as the years passed, electricians and home inspectors often found Federal Pacific Electric panels failed to provide proper protection to homeowners and their families. Experts now say that FPE panels can appear to work fine for years, but after one overcurrent or short circuit, they can overheat and become fire hazards.

In a class action lawsuit, a New Jersey State Court ruled that the Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Company “violated the Consumer Fraud Act because FPE knowingly and purposefully distributed circuit breakers which were not tested to meet UL standards…” An expert who investigated the potential hazards of Federal Pacific Electric panels stated under UL 489 test conditions, that FPE panels fail to trip at a much higher rate than standard panels.