Federal Pacific Electrical Boxes
These panels may still send power to the circuits even in the off setting causing the potential of electrocution or fires.
Federal pacific electrical boxes. Federal pacific electric will likely be written on the door of the breaker box. Federal pacific is a separate entity from federal pacific electric company a now defunct entity that sold circuit breakers and panel boxes that today must often be replaced for a variety of reasons. A federal pacific electric fpe circuit breaker panel can appear to be working properly for years. Federal pacific electric has been out of business for many years but the danger and damage caused by their negligence continues.
As one of the most popular electrical panels in the united states millions of homes may be effected. Millions of federal pacific electrical panels were manufactured and sold up until the 1980 s. Federal pacific does not manufacture sell or distribute panel boxes distribution boxes circuit breakers or related products. How to identify a federal pacific electrical service panel.
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. Issues about federal pacific electric s stab lok circuit breakers were first raised with the consumer product safety commission decades ago. Reliance electric the parent company for federal pacific electric company or fpe was producing some of the most widely used circuit breakers in north america in the period between 1950 to 1980 and they can be found in properties built up until the year 2000. The most popular breaker panel installed was the federal pacific stab lok breaker.
Upgrading a circuit breaker panel federal pacific circuit breaker boxes include a red strip across the stab lok breakers making them easy to identify. Federal pacific electric panels are most common in homes built between 1950 and 1980. Federal pacific panel recall. 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.
Federal pacific panels also known as fpe panels were a popular residential electrical panel choice in the mid to late 20th century. What is a federal pacific electric breaker panel.