Our home is about 40 years old and equipped with original two Federal Pacific breaker boxes. Until now we have never had any problems. A 30 AMP breaker went bad and is now replaced, working fine since replacement 3 weeks ago. The electrician told us that Federal Pacific has had problems with their breakers. I went on the internet and validated this:
"Federal Pacific breakers are popular electrical devices used in residential and commercial circuit breaker panels. They were manufactured by the company Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) from the 1950s to the 1980s. However, Federal Pacific breakers have been widely criticized for their safety hazards and reliability issues. It has been reported that these breakers have a higher tendency to fail when faced with overcurrent or short-circuit conditions. This can pose a serious fire hazard in homes and buildings. Additionally, Federal Pacific breakers have been known to not trip when demanded, even if there is an overload or a short circuit occurring. This can lead to the wire overheating and potentially causing a fire. As a result of these safety concerns, many electrical experts recommend replacing Federal Pacific breakers with newer, more reliable breakers from trusted manufacturers."
What is recommended as to keeping or replacing in our case, with no prior problems for 40 years until recently.
If replacement is recommended, does the entire breaker box need to be replaced or are the individual breakers replaceable (say with Square D)?
If we are talking about 2 breaker boxes to totally to be replaced, what approximate cost is expected? Both breaker boxes are standard 200 AMP. are inside and easily accessible. We live in orange County, NC.
Thanking you in advance
[email protected]
"Federal Pacific breakers are popular electrical devices used in residential and commercial circuit breaker panels. They were manufactured by the company Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) from the 1950s to the 1980s. However, Federal Pacific breakers have been widely criticized for their safety hazards and reliability issues. It has been reported that these breakers have a higher tendency to fail when faced with overcurrent or short-circuit conditions. This can pose a serious fire hazard in homes and buildings. Additionally, Federal Pacific breakers have been known to not trip when demanded, even if there is an overload or a short circuit occurring. This can lead to the wire overheating and potentially causing a fire. As a result of these safety concerns, many electrical experts recommend replacing Federal Pacific breakers with newer, more reliable breakers from trusted manufacturers."
What is recommended as to keeping or replacing in our case, with no prior problems for 40 years until recently.
If replacement is recommended, does the entire breaker box need to be replaced or are the individual breakers replaceable (say with Square D)?
If we are talking about 2 breaker boxes to totally to be replaced, what approximate cost is expected? Both breaker boxes are standard 200 AMP. are inside and easily accessible. We live in orange County, NC.
Thanking you in advance
[email protected]
