Federal Pacific Breakers: What You Need to Know

If your home has a Federal Pacific breaker panel with Stab-Lok® circuit breakers, you run a significant risk of breaker malfunction and fire. While these types of circuit breakers were previously installed in houses across the country, many are defective and dangerous.

To be on the safe side, you should replace any Federal Pacific breakers in your home. Let’s take a closer look at Federal Pacific breakers and how you should handle their removal from your home.

Why Federal Pacific Circuit Breakers Can Be Dangerous

If you own a home built between 1950 and 1990, you might have a Federal Pacific circuit breaker. Produced by the Federal Pacific Electric company (FPE), these circuit breakers are now considered a safety hazard by modern standards. FPE breakers do not comply with National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements, and therefore the NEC has banned new installation of FPE breaker panels.

A 2017 test of more than 3,000 Stab-Lok® breakers showed that up to one in four Stab-Lok® breakers are defective and run the risk of malfunction or electrical fire. A New Jersey court ruled that Federal Pacific Electric fraudulently labeled these faulty breakers as meeting certain safety standards. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission did not issue a product recall. While Federal Pacific Electric has been out of business for many years, Federal Pacific panels and breakers are still in millions of homes around the country.

Here are a few other reasons why you should replace these breakers with one that meets modern safety standards.

• No ground wire to prevent power surges from overloading the breakers.

• Breakers may not trip correctly when moisture is detected near an outlet, causing the circuit to overload and potentially catch fire.

• Federal Pacific panel breaker malfunctions are the cause of an estimated 2,800 fires each year. As a result, electrical companies recommend that homeowners replace any Federal Pacific panels with new, up-to-date circuit breakers.

• Most insurance companies will not cover a home or property with a FPE breaker panel installed. Rather than repair your circuit breaker box, it’s best to hire an electrician to replace it.

How to Tell If You Have a Federal Pacific Breaker Panel

You may have a Federal Pacific breaker panel if your home is between 25 and 65 years old. To determine the type of circuit breaker, you should check your breaker box for a Federal Pacific label or logo. A Federal Pacific panel usually has its name or logo on the front cover. 

Inside the electrical panel, you should find the name “Stab-Lok®” printed near the center or side of the panel. Intact Federal Pacific breakers will have a signature red strip that runs across the front.

Why Circuit Breakers Are Critical to Your Home’s Safety

The breakers inside a circuit breaker panel guard your home against serious electrical problems and play a vital role in protecting your home against electrical fires. They do so by preventing circuit overload, short circuits, and external power surges from entering the panel.

When an overload does occur, the circuit breaker trips and shuts down the power to the circuit. The circuit breaker acts as a safety net, helping to prevent the electrical circuits from overheating and catching fire. Homeowners can then reset the circuit breaker once they figure out what caused it to trip.

If a breaker is defective or not operating properly, common in FPE breakers, it could cause a fire in your home. Even circuit breakers that have operated without issue for many years could be one power surge away from a dangerous house fire.

How to Replace Federal Pacific Breakers

If you have a Federal Pacific panel or Stab-Lok® breakers in your home, it’s important to replace them with a circuit breaker that meets modern safety standards. Even if your circuit breaker has been functioning properly for decades, it could still fail to trip in the future. 

However, replacing this type of circuit breaker is not a DIY-friendly project. Once you’ve established that your home still has a Federal Pacific breaker, contact a licensed electrician near you to discuss your replacement options. On average, breaker panel replacement costs an average of $1,300, depending on the location and breaker type. It’s well worth the investment in a new breaker panel to ensure your household’s safety.