Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Panels, a Summary

Information for home buyers, home owners, electricians exploring the background
of possible hazards associated with Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok circuit breakers
and service panels. The following is my opinoin. You should research and deside for yourself.

Federal Pacific Electric "Stab-Lok" service panels and breakers are a latent hazard
 and can fail, leading to electrical fires. The problem is that some double-pole
(240-Volt) FPE circuit breakers and possibly also some single-pole units simply may
not work. We also have reports that independent of the breaker problems, there have
been panel and panel-bus fires and arcing failures in some equipment. The failure rates
for these circuit breakers were significant and are documented in the CPSC study.

 The hazard is worst for double-pole breakers. Published reports of actual tests that
were performed indicate that under certain conditions it is possible for one leg of these circuits to attempt to trip the breaker, resulting in a jammed breaker which will
afterward not trip under any load condition.

    Some very common household appliances operate are powered by a two-pole
240V circuit (protected by the type of breaker  under discussion) but use two or
more independent 120V sub-circuits inside the  appliance. Two obvious cases are
electric clothes dryers and ranges. If, for example,  the low-heat (110V) heater in
a dryer were to short to the dryer case, a serious overcurrent would occur on one
"leg" of the circuit.

Another wiring practice, using a single two-pole breaker to power a split circuit
which uses a shared neutral, such as may be installed in kitchens in some areas,
is nearly certain to have each leg of the circuit loaded independently and thus
subject to single-leg overloading and subsequent breaker jamming. A breaker
which jams and then fails to trip under this condition is, in my opinion, a serious
 fire hazard.

A careful reading of the CPSC press release of March 3, 1984 suggests that the
 press release was very careful NOT to conclude that there is no hazard, but
 simply that the information at hand did not prove the hazard, and that the
 Commission did not have funds to pursue testing. In this document, the
representation that no real hazard exists is made by the manufacturer of the device
 - not exactly a neutral party, and even that wording is cautious in tone: "FPE
breakers will trip reliably at most overload levels."

Consumers should read and follow the Commission's advice regarding circuit
breakers. But this advice may be insufficient. The Commission's admonition to
 avoid overloading circuits and to turn off and have examined devices which seem
to be creating a problem is a poor substitute for reliable, automatic, overcurrent
 protection. It is precisely because dangerous conditions can and do occur without adequate recognition and action by a consumer that circuit breakers and fuses
 are installed to provide overcurrent protection in the first place.

Therefore it is hardly an adequate "fix" for FPE breakers to just tell consumers
to handle these cases manually.

It is possible that some breakers may perform with adequate reliability, possibly
 those manufactured after the companies discovered safety defects and improper
 practices in listing the product, and possibly those manufactured in Canada.

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The following has been said about Federal Pacific Electric ‘Stab-Lok" panels:

That these panels pose a latent threat and could be a hazard.
The circuit breakers may fail to trip in the case of an overload
or short-circuit. A circuit breaker that fails to trip could cause
a fire or personal injury.

The problem with these panels is that some double pole
 220volt circuit breakers and some single pole 120volt circuit breakers may not operate as intended if overloaded. A good breaker trips (turning off the power to that circuit) Federal
Pacific breakers appear not to trip every time which could
result in a fire.

Published reports of tests conducted on FPE two pole
220volt circuit breakers indicate that under certain conditions
one leg/pole may attempt to trip the breaker. The result is a
 circuit that stays live, and a circuit breaker that has been compromised and when reset will not trip again under any excessive load.

In some instances the breakers have been known to fall
 out when the cover is removed. Loose contacts can also
cause arcing which would result in a fire.

These panels appear to work perfectly during normal
 operation allowing electricity to flow without any problems
or symptoms. The real question is what will your panel
do if it has an overload?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) did
conduct product testing of these FPE breakers and found
that their failure rates were significant.

The CPSC’s advice concerning these panels is for
consumers to avoid overloading circuits as well as to turn
off and have examined any devices that are causing the
circuit breakers to trip. (This is easier said than done
 and defeats the whole point for having the breaker.)

Federal Pacific electric’s statement in response to
this problem is cautious in tone:
"FPE breakers will trip reliably at most overload levels."

It should be noted that Federal Pacific is no longer in
 business. Aftermarket breakers are available for these
panels. Most of these panels are large and had a lot of
circuits and the cost of replacing all the breakers is often
 more than the cost of installing a new panel.

A Final Note:

Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Smoke Alarms save lives. We as building inspectors, contractors and consumers have known this for years. But we must remain diligent in or training and education efforts.