Reuben Saltzman

Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok panels are hazardous

Federal Pacific Panel

The most notorious electric panel is the Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok panel, also known as an FPE panel, Federal Pacific panel, or Stab-Lok. All Stab-Lok panels were made by Federal Pacific Electric, and most panels I’ve found made by Federal Pacific are the Stab-Lok type. In other words, you can usually use these terms interchangeably.

I recommend the proactive replacement of FPE Stab-Lok panels, whether the panel has previously caused a house to start on fire or not. Here’s why:

  • Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) sold millions of panels between the 1950s and 1980s.
  • Testing by the Consumer Product Safety Commission has shown these breakers to have an unacceptably high rate of failure, which creates a safety hazard.
  • Testing has proven that virtually every panel installed in the United States contains defective breakers.
  • FPE committed fraud by falsifying their UL testing, making their UL listing void.
  • If a breaker fails to trip when it should, the wires in the home that are supposed to be protected can start on fire.

So why don’t we recommend having an electrician evaluate the panel?  There’s no point. There is nothing that an electrician can do or say to make an FPE Stab-Lok panel safe. Some electricians are under the impression that FPE panels are safe if they can turn every breaker on and off, if every breaker is tightly attached, and if there is no evidence of overheating or scorching in the panel. These things would be dead giveaways that there is a problem, but to truly know if the breaker would trip when it needs to, each breaker would need to actually be tested. This testing would be more expensive than having the entire panel replaced.

What does it cost to replace a panel? Replacing an old, unsafe electrical panel is not a huge investment. In most cases, the total cost for this project is less than $1,500. Not only does this eliminate the hazards associated with this panel, but all newer panels have the option to have Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs) installed, for added fire safety. AFCI devices are not available for older Stab-Lok panels.

What about condo buildings? We have a ton of condo buildings throughout the Twin Cities where every unit was constructed with an FPE Stab-Lok panel. Should you be worried about buying a condo in one of these buildings? I don’t think there’s any cause for concern. My advice is to have the panel replaced in your own unit, and consider bringing up the issue to the association. I’ve heard of associations here in the Twin Cities where FPE panels have been replaced in every unit of the building for a significantly reduced rate.

The bottom line is that hazards associated with FPE panels are a known issue throughout the electrical, insurance, and home inspection communities. To read more about FPE Stab-Lok panels, check these links:

For more information about Federal Pacific Electric panels, check out any of the news clips below:

Author: Reuben SaltzmanStructure Tech Home Inspections

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4 responses to “Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok panels are hazardous”

  1. KingKongsDingDong
    February 14, 2020, 5:15 pm

    I love my FPE Stablok panel. My builder didn’t want to install it but I demanded it, i said “SHOW ME THE STABLOK!!!” Now I’m living the dream.

  2. Reuben Saltzman
    February 14, 2020, 6:12 pm

    Indeed you are.

  3. Melanie D Kies
    March 29, 2020, 7:54 am

    It is a bit of a misinformation to say that the panel can be replaced for $1500. We were informed that in order to replace the panel, the entire house would have to be brought up to current code – which is more like $15,000. If these were installed up to 1980, at what point does it become nothing more than just changing out the panel?

  4. Reuben Saltzman
    March 29, 2020, 9:35 am

    Hi Melanie,

    If you have an electrician telling you the whole house has to be brought up to code to swap out a panel, I recommend talking to a different electrician. You don’t need to rewire a home or bring everything up to current codes to swap out a panel.

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