The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC) has not issued a recall on many faulty brands due to budget issues and the significant investment required to implement such recalls, and their claim of a lack of supporting evidence. Watch out: you've got the electrical panel cover off completely. REally appreciate your feedback(wow, and quick too!). Note the panel style and construction details and then see But the preliminary work supports the observation that based on field reports and some preliminary testing as well as on the history (of no-recalls) it would be both naive and risky to presume that if a product is in the market place it's safe. Photographs contributed to this website by Jim P. Simmons, Mr. Electric, Licensed Master Electrician, Not sure what amp panel I have either - looks like maybe 150 amp. 4-77 1977 [Lots of sketches of older-type service panels.]. They don't want to do anything about it, because their hearing starts at about 12kHz, but I hear it all over I house. Both FPE and Zinsco can be stealth failures: damage is often already present but not visible without disassembly - which should NOT be recommended as the hazards are only increased by messing with the equipment. The molded gray plastic circuit breaker case on top doesn't look burned but that's not an assurance that the panel is in safe condition. For example we often find burned breaker-to-bus connections that are not visible until the breakers have been removed. It's easy and unmistakable. It is best to avoid buying used Zinsco breakers. What Is A Zinsco Panel And Why Should I Care? An easily corroded bus bar. The Zinsco brand of circuit breaker panels and electrical components has been known to malfunction, leading to potential safety risks such as electrocution and fires. So don't assume that all-black breakers can be excluded from this unsafe Zinsco circuit breaker group. 2. Schedule online today and get an additional 10% off of your trip charge! Completely by coincidence I happen to have gotten my hands on a Mr. Electric electrician today. The following remarks from a licensed electrician were provided to us courtesy of Al Carson, Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection and home inspection education firm. ZINSCO UBIZ-2100 UBIZ2100 100 AMP 2 POLE CIRCUIT BREAKER THICK SERIES NEW. Production was halted when design flaws were discovered. I have searched the web and cannot find any of the identifying marks of a Zinsco panel on the panel I have. Use GTE Sylvania Circuit Breakers Type Q, QC, R38, RC38,and HRGF. Challenger panels made by Challenger Electrical Equipment Corp or Eaton/Cutler Hammer. This is accomplished, in brief, by providing a breaker having a switch unit by which shunt current paths of different resistance can be selectively connected in parallel across the current path in which the current is sensed for activating the trip mechanism at a predetermined current level. Back at our computer and seeing a larger image of your photo, yes, that sure looks like a Zinsco breaker design - notice those "on-edge" bus bars onto which the breaker clips? A good place to start reading about proper generator hookup is this is the dryer outlet, and our dryer is a 24-amp appliance, so no problem there. - and then look for remodeling and renovation dates on the panel and in the home's documentation. and I am watching carefully Challenger as well as the others you name. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. Infra-red scanning on a loaded breaker would be the best way to spot it. "How to plan and install electric wiring for homes, farms, garages, shops," Montgomery Ward Co., 83-850. the circuit breaker colors and other external details permit the inspector to identify the problem Zinsco-design electrical panel bus and circuit breaker materials. [DF NOTE: I do NOT recommend this obsolete publication, though it was cited in the original. Zinsco electrical panels were distributed in the United States, primarily in the Western states. Pushmatic. Unfortunately, yes, that's a Zinsco-Sylvania panel design. Another Zinsco variation . I have personally experienced it over 20 times for overcurrent situations and about 5 times in fault current situations. GTE Sylvania Zinsco breaker & panel identification: How to Identify Zinsco-Sylvania & GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco Electrical Panels and Circuit Breakers. It would have top be purchased used only. To know with confidence what the breakers are in the panel an electrician will remove the cover, pull a breaker and compare it with the breaker designs illustrated as characteristic of Zinsco. 3. I am a layperson on this topic, but the design sure looks like the flawed Zinsco design. The Zinsco Style may be labeled as Zinsco, Challenger or Sylvaina. By 1961 Zinsco had switched to an aluminum alloy still used today in their manufacture of panels and load-center busing. "Electrical System Inspection Basics," Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston 1985. (Photos below), Shown above in a very crowded collection of circuit breakers we see two-pole Zinsco RC half-sized breakers in three different amperages. I'll attach Bottom lien: He didn't test enough breakers to reach statistical significance nor did he report his results publicly. MOB20(20-40)C (Indoor) Mod.2, 225 AMPS Max. Once I found your website we started to take a different path. In your panel there are two red stickers with arrows: one pointing "up" indicates that the upper portion of the panel contains multiple (Two in this case) main disconnect breakers and the lower portion of this split bus panel contains individual circuit breakers. Thank you so much for your help. Zinsco or GTE-Sylvania panels were popular electrical panels installed in homes throughout the 1970s. Connecticut Electric offers Zinsco breaker replacements. It is a 3 Pole 225A breaker and we would like to run 250MCM. However, if your home was built during these decades, you may well have a Zinsco electrical panel and circuit breakers in your system. The idea is good but why use a garbage design? Zinsco panels were designed at the beginning of the 20th century, a time with no computers, TV sets, washing machines or many of the appliances that make our day-to-day life so much easier. Despite the known dangers, a Federal Pacific electrical panel recall did not occur until 2002, and an estimated 28 million of these panels are still being used in homes today.. Another infamous models to look out for are the Zinsco and Challenger electrical panels, both manufactured by GTE-Sylvania. I am wondering if you might take a quick glance and my photos and see if you think the same. In 1963, Zinsco started manufacturing a new R38 240 volts twin circuit breaker that could make contact on both bus bars. It is also the panel which had several 100 ampere main breaker fails which led to fires. When I told them I have an old Zinsco panel they asked me to snap a picture of all of the breakers and they offered to send me all new replacement breakers so I could test out their equipment. HISTORY of ZINSCO ELECTRICAL PANELS at https://inspectapedia.com/electric/Zinsco_Electrical_Panels.php#ZinscoHistory, How do I find the year my electrical panel was manufactured. Some Zinsco / Zinsco-Sylvania GFCIs follow the color conventions we show above, But others do not. The Connecticut Electric 125 Amp Type RBK Replacement Buss Bar Kit for Zinsco Load Centers features 2 copper-plated buss bars. I cannot see anything of the main breaker in your Zinsco panel so it's ampacity could differ, but the panel label describes a 400Amp panel single phase, 120/240VAC unit. The amps rating of the panel box is often on a label on the inside of the cover or on occasion on the sidewall inside of the electrical box - something your electrician can find if it's still there. "Electrical Systems," A Training Manual for Home Inspectors, Alfred L. Alk, American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), 1987, available from ASHI. Photographs of Zinsco Sylvania and GTE Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel labels below were provided courtesy of J. P. Simmons. Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like. Watch out: replacement circuit breakers that have been tested for these problem brands have generally performed no better than the originals. 3057. single pole, yellow handle. "Had to" is a technical opinion with which I agree. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Zinsco 100 or 125 amp residential Dead Front cover Sylvania GTE. 1. Below right: a badly faded Sylvania electrical panel sticker. No, Mary all of your photos were quite tiny, but nevertheless we reach the same conclusion: . "Electrical System Inspection Basics," Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston 1985. But it is by no means an exhaustive listing. Insurance companies have become increasingly cautious when signing insurance for older properties with FPE or Zinsco installed. An expert who opens the electrical Plated aluminum bus bars that get gouged-through when a breaker is inserted (mounting a breaker cuts through the plating and we see corrosion, overheats, failures). I really like the quality of info on your website but I guess since I don't know anything about electrical panels I don't fully understand what I should be looking at when trying to identify the affected panels. Each handle works independently to save room in your panel. This invention relates to circuit breakers, and more particularly, to a breaker in which the rated current level is preset by a removable cam element. Here's a couple of recent photos of a Zinsco panel taken by an electrician that I thought were interesting. Photo courtesy Tim Hemm cited at references at the end of these articles. Below are links to pictures of my electrical panel. I expect your electrician to be able to confirm the design by removing the panel cover and noting the classic Zinsco bus details. MLB20(12-24)C (Indoor) Mod. This Zinsco-Sylvania-GTE electrical panel label specifies. Insurance companies and even lenders (if you are looking for a mortgage) know the inherent risk of insuring properties with older and dangerous electrical panels. Below is an enlargement of the the bus-connection section of a classic Zinsco circuit breaker - showing the difference between these devices. Thanks so much, this is a great service you are providing! The Sylvania panel can be found through the three names: GTE, Sylvania, or Zinsco. Above and below, courtesy of Richard Sims, we include photographs of a 400A 240V Zinsco Electrical Panel that was property of the Georgia (USA) Power Company, including identifying Zinsco labeling. Due to the deficiencies found in these panels and the adverse effects the panels can cause, Zinsco electrical panels should be replaced. by (mod) The unique deep slotted circuit breaker connector openings that press over the bus bars (inside the panel accessed by a licensed electrician). Excerpts: Watch out: you will also find some 30A - Black toggle Zinsco breakers and 20A black-toggled GFCI breakers that, as you'll see illustrated below on this page. US $19.5 Free shipping for many products Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1 Zinsco Rc38-15 RC3815 15 Amp 2 Pole Tandem Twin Circuit Breaker 120/240 VAC at the best online prices at . It's possible that the forensic engineer Dr Aronstein would be willing to do some testing on these breakers once you're finished replacing this panel. Get Free estimates from licensed electricians in your area today. Watch out: the panel looks corroded, rusty, unreliable as a brand-independent hazard, and of course Zinsco breakers and panels are unsafe in any event. Guess I had bettertalk to our electrical contractor :(. However, they can still be found in older homes and properties built before 1990. Zinsco or Zinsco-Sylvania is the name given to a brand of electrical panel that was commonly installed up to the mid-1970's. It was a very popular product and installed throughout North America. Notice those two vertical strips that connect to two deep slots in the circuit breaker? They have been receiving more claims related to such homes, so they are listed as a possible liability. 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