Take a look at your circuit breaker. If your home was built in the mid 1900s, there’s a chance it’s equipped with a hazardous electric panel that runs the risk of malfunction and failure. Between the 1950s and 1980s, Federal Pacific Electric became the most common electric panel brands in homes. If the name Stab-Loc is on the inside of your panel door, you might have a faulty electric panel manufactured by Federal Pacific Electric.

If you’ve ever had too many things plugged in at once and lost electricity, it means your circuit breaker is doing its job. Your home is equipped with a breaker to prevent the overflow of electricity when too much power is being drawn. When a circuit breaker trips, electricity is cut off, and the appliances in your home are saved from being damaged or catching fire.

Years after FPE circuit panels were installed in millions of homes across North America, home inspectors found their panels weren’t tripping like they were intended. They concluded Stab-Lok panels were unsafe for homes because of their failure to trip at high electric rates. This has led to and can cause your panel to overheat, malfunction and catch fire without warning.

Although these panels work efficiently during normal operations, the risk of hazard is enough to conclude they are unsafe. If you have an FPE panel with a Stab-Lok circuit breaker in your home, or you are purchasing a home with one already installed, you should consider replacement immediately. Many insurance companies refuse to insure homes that have FPE panels due to their faulty nature.

Don’t wait for a failed circuit trip to prove you need to replace your Federal Pacific Electric panel. For a professional opinion on your home’s circuit breaker or if have any questions about electrical home safety, contact us at Champion Electric. Keep your family safe and begin your upgraded electric panel installation today.