We get a fair amount of phone calls asking about Federal Pacific Electrical Panels. Worried customers call and ask, "Are they dangerous? Do I have to replace it? How much would it cost to replace it?"
We could bore you with the technical reasons as to why you should replace your FPE circuit box, but what if we asked you this...Would you drive a Pinto down the freeway with brakes that failed 3 out of every 10 times you needed to use them? Probably not. If you have a Federal Pacific Electrical Panel, you should have it replaced. Your home will be safer.
Similar to the brakes in a car, circuit breakers are supposed to stop electricity in the circuit when it needs to be stopped. Granted, this shouldn't happen very often, but when it does, the electricity has to be stopped or the consequences can be life changing.
Since the 1970's, Federal Pacific Electrical Panels have had a chorus of testing laboratories, engineers, electricians, home inspectors and devastated homeowners saying Federal Pacific circuit breakers fail and are latent fire hazards. In addition to unreliable circuit breakers, the FPE "Stab-Lok"design is poor and they cheated the test results on the safety tests where the circuit breakers were manufactured.
If you have an FPE in your home, here is our advice: do your homework, assess the risks and then hire somebody you trust to replace your electrical panel. Here's the bottom line - Having a Federal Pacific Electrical Panel in your home is a risk you do not have to take. If you have an FPE in your home or you have questions, give us a call (612-385-7864) or visit our electrical panel replacement page on our website to watch a sobering video about Federal Pacific electrical panels.