The Electrical Circuit Breaker Panel

The Heart of a Home's Electric System

The home’s electrical system operates like a human being's body. Circuits and wires carry electricity throughout the home like veins and arteries carry blood to organs and limbs. Just as blood keeps the body alive, electricity keeps televisions on, computers powered, and refrigerators running.

Blood cannot travel throughout a body unless its heart is pumping, and electricity cannot travel throughout a home unless the electrical panel is operating properly. The panel is the heart of an entire home’s electrical system. Without a properly functioning panel, nothing electrical in a home will work.

People’s hearts can develop problems due to age, diet, and genetic reasons. Panels also can develop problems. Today, there are two brands of panels that may have major manufacturing and/or design flaws that potentially put homeowners at risk—Federal Pacific Electric panels and certain Zinsco panels. There are also millions of people today who have panels that are more than 40 years old and may no longer protect their homes from overcurrents and short circuits.

This site will provide you vital information on each of these panels and explain how you can protect your home and loved ones from any possible shock or fire hazard.

Outdated Electrical Panels

May Leave Homes Open to Troubles

Today’s society depends more than ever on electricity. Everything seems to be electronic. It’s extremely prevalent in homes now. Most people have at least one computer, several televisions, a stereo system, cell phones, clock radios, and the list continues. All of these devices require electricity to function.

More than half of the homes today were constructed before the 1970s, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That means more than half were built decades before many of these modern, electronic conveniences even were invented. Most of these older homes possessed no more than 60-amp electrical service. Today, homes should have at least 150 - 200 amps.

These facts point to a problem—older homes, unless their electrical system has been upgraded, are being overburdened. These outdated electric systems and panels cannot safely handle the demands of today’s society.

Problems Outdated Electrical Panels Present

Older Panels Can't Handle Current Society's Elecrical Demands

Older homes with outdated electrical panels can’t handle the electrical needs of today’s current society. In the past, 60-amp service was considered more than enough. Today, people’s power requirements are much greater.

Among a variety of older panels, there are two distinct types that electricians will recommend upgrading the most. They offer unique problems for homes. These two types of panels are fuse boxes and split-bus panels.

1. Fuse boxes were the precursor to the panel box. If an overcurrent or short circuit occurred, a fuse would pop and have to be replaced. This is where problems regularly occur. When replacing the blown fuse, especially if it routinely happened, people would:

• For example, replace a 15-amp fuse with a 20- or 30-amp fuse. That creates a massive fire hazard; the wires are not able to handle that much electricity and heat!
• Insert a coin, usually a penny, where the blown fuse once was. That possibly presents an even larger fire hazard! That fuse can never pop, no matter how much electricity surges through it. It leaves the home open to the potential for a fire risk.

2. Split-bus panels present unique challenges as well. Namely, these panels do not have a main breaker; instead, they have a smaller breaker feeding the bottom half of the panel. These smaller breakers have been known to melt or burn due to the excessive demand placed on them. Today, split-buss panels probably would not be UL listed and would not be considered a safe option.