Interesting article on electrical service panel's- an often overlooked area of our homes- until the Home is inspected

Electrical Panel Concerns

By Steve Vacha

Home Standards Inspection Services

@HouseInspecting /HomeStandards  

Most of us have an innate respect (or fear) of

electricity. Be it our parents warning us about it

from an early age or maybe having the outlet spark

on us as we tried to plug in a damaged tool or appliance.

Our homes today have many safety features

to allow us the benefit of electricity.

One of the most important safety features is

the electrical circuit breaker or fuse panel. These

panels are the main distribution point for electricity

as it goes to various branch circuits throughout the

home. The electrical panel is so important because

it is the main overcurrent protection for the electrical

system. For instance, if there is a short in a

circuit (an outlet) then the breaker or fuse will turn

the power off to that circuit. If there was not this

protection, then a short in the line could easily start

an electrical fire.

It is not unusual to find safety concerns in many

of the panels we inspect. The most common concerns

found in panels are double tapped breakers/

fuses or undersized breakers/fuses. Normally these

problems are caused by homeowners adding circuits

to the panel or replacing breakers/fuses with

larger ones to prevent them from tripping off. Not

a good idea!

Fused panels have threaded sockets into which

the fuses are screwed in. These threaded sockets

look like light bulb sockets and are call Edison

sockets (named after Thomas Edison who invented

them).

Some of the homes we inspect still have 60

amp fuse panels. When they were installed – not

long after Mr. Edison’s time – there was limited

need for electricity in a home. With today’s usage

of electricity, these undersized panels should be upgraded

for safety reasons.

There are some larger fused panels (100 and

150 amps) that are still very functional. Some electricians

will say fuses are just as safe as breakers.

Buyers need to be aware that there are some insurance

companies who will not insure homes with

fused panels. (It is one way they can tell the house

has not been upgraded electrically.)

Another issue that comes up are homes with

Federal Pacific Stab loc panels. Many of these panels

were installed in homes in the Omaha area, from

the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Some electricians will recommend

these panels be changed out. Federal Pacific

continued to manufacture these panels even after

they lost their URL rating. The concern for these

panels are the breakers have been known not to trip

when needed, thus causing electrical fires. I call the

chief electrical inspector for Omaha periodically

concerning these panels. I again was recently told

,these panels were in compliance when they were

installed, and if the panels have not been compromised,

the panels are still in compliance as far as the

City goes. But there is concerning information out

there, about these 30+ year old breaker panels. Testing

by the Consumer Product Safety Commission

has shown these breakers to have an unacceptable

high rate of failure. There is speculation that 1 out

of 3 breakers are defective. Again, if a breaker fails

to trip when it should, the wires in the home can

start on fire.

Unlike the concern for Federal Pacific, which

has some grey areas, most electrical concerns are

clear black and white. If it is wired incorrectly it is

a safety reason. There are too

many house fires caused by

electrical issues not to take the

concerns seriously.