FPE Panels

Federal Pacific Electric Company was a major manufacturer of electrical breaker panels throughout the 1950s to the 1980s. They were best known for their “stab-lock” panel that was used in millions of installations throughout the US. It was later determined that these “stablock” breakers had an extremely high rate of failure. These breakers would often not trip when an overload of short circuit occurred, causing electrical fires. Federal Pacific Electric Company lost their UL listing and is no longer in business. If you should have a Federal Pacific it is recommended you change them out for the following reasons:

1. They are a major fire risk- Some studies suggest they are responsible for 2%-3% of all electrical fires in the US.
2. Most FPE panels are at least 50 years old and many experts feel an electrical panel’s useful life span is approximately 50 years. It is good to have your electrical equipment serviced and checked regularly.
3. In many instances insurance companies will charge a higher premium or refuse to insure a location with these panels.
4. Finding replacement breakers for these panels are extremely expensive- as much as 10 times as comparable breakers.
5. Stab-lock panels do not easily support the addition of GFCI OR AFCI breakers, nor the installation of surge protectors. National Electrical Code (NEC) requires most new installations to employ these items, achieving this with fuse panels can prove to be very challenging.

Please see below for additional articles and YouTube videos that contain additional information on Stab-Lock panels.

• Did You Know? Potential Fire Risk with Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Circuit Breaker Panels — LL CRE
• https://bramlettresidential.com/blog/should-i-replace-a-federal-pacific-electrical-panel/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1foQFsTK0M