Federal Pacific Panel Replacement in Cincinnati

If your home was built between the 1950s and the mid-1980s, check your electrical panel for a Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) label. FPE Stab-Lok breakers have a well-documented history of failing to trip during an overload, and a breaker that does not trip can start a fire.

Why Federal Pacific Panels Are a Hazard

Hundreds of thousands of homes across the United States were built with Federal Pacific panels from the 1950s into the 1980s. Independent testing and a New Jersey class action lawsuit found that many FPE breakers did not meet their UL listing and can fail to trip when they should. A circuit breaker’s job is to shut off power when a circuit is overloaded. When it fails to trip, the wiring can overheat and start a fire.

The photo shows a failed FPE breaker (left) next to what it should look like (right). We removed it from a customer’s home in the Cincinnati area.

A Local Example

In August 2011, a fire at a home in Wyoming, Ohio started in the attached garage and spread to the roof, causing roughly $250,000 in damage to the house, its contents and two vehicles. Investigators traced the fire to several electrical issues, and one of the principal issues was the home’s Federal Pacific breaker box. Wyoming Fire-EMS has continued to find FPE panels still in service and encourages owners of older homes to check their panels.

How to Check Your Panel

• Open the door of your breaker box and look for “Federal Pacific,” “FPE” or “Stab-Lok” on the label or breakers
• The Federal Pacific label is usually clearly visible on the inside of the panel door
• Not sure? Send us a photo of your panel and we will tell you

Our Recommendation: Replace the Panel

We recommend that Federal Pacific panels be replaced entirely, not just individual breakers. We replace FPE panels with Square D QO panels, whose breakers are warranted by the manufacturer for the life of the panel. Every replacement includes the permit, inspection and coordination with Duke Energy, and our work is backed by a 10-year labor warranty.

For more background, see InspectAPedia’s Federal Pacific panel information.