picture of zinsco panel

Thank you, On 2020-07-04 by (mod) Hopefully you can help. Contact us if you have photos of a Frank Adams electrical panel or other details. Here we provide text, labels, and equipment photographs used to help identify Zinsco and GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco electrical panels and circuit breakers, and we include photographs of a Zinsco look alike marketed by Kearney. Other labels indicating you have a Zinsco or Zinsco rebranded product include Sylvania, Sylvania-Zinsco, and GTE Sylvania-Zinsco panel. "Evaluating Wiring in Older Minnesota Homes," Agricultural Extension Service, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108. Joe's advice is in our opinion bad and unsafe. Due to the type of aluminum used, Zinsco breakers can melt and fuse to the bus bar, prohibiting the breakers from tripping and can cause house fires. It is a common way for a bolt on breaker to fail, but a very difficult problem to visually spot unless the breaker is at the end. We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. Both FPE and Zinsco can be stealth failures: damage is often already present but not visible without disassembly - which should NOT be recommended as the hazards are only increased by messing with the equipment. Your panel photo so tiny I can't see much, but those red and light blue (?) Or if your electrician doesn't know how to look at the Zinsco breakers we've illustrated, have her take some sharp photos of all sides of the breaker and email them to me. Completely by coincidence I happen to have gotten my hands on a Mr. Electric electrician today. The Zinsco Style may be labeled as Zinsco, Challenger or Sylvaina. Thank you so much for your help. Zinsco electric panels jolley1859 1.6K views 2 years ago How to Upgrade an Electric Meter to 200-Amp Service (Part 1) | This Old House This Old House 2.7M views 8 years ago Hack for AFCI_GFCI. The bottom breaker on the top group of circuits will shut off powet to the bottom group of circuits. It appears to be less than 10 years old, but with some older breakers in it.still the main should have tripped. Zinsco is considered unsafe and a serious fire hazard without being officially recognized by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). They may be the same design with a different sticker on top. Zinsco breakers were frequently labeled with the name Zinsco Magnetrip breakers. Maybe try again; type in the Comment box, then click the "Add Image" button to select an image file from your computer or smartphone or tablet. 3057. You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted. Each handle works independently to save room in your panel. IDENTIFY ZINSCO ELECTRICAL PANELS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice. There are inherent problems in the bus bars of the panel and the materials used for their manufacturing. and I am watching carefully Challenger as well as the others you name. Due to the deficiencies found in these panels and the adverse effects the panels can cause, Zinsco electrical panels should be replaced. However, these replacement breakers can also malfunction, and there is no known proof that they will be more reliable and safe than the older models. the circuit breaker colors and other external details permit the inspector to identify the problem Zinsco-design electrical panel bus and circuit breaker materials. Don't be fooled by its lookalike counterparts; this panel is easily distinguishable with its pastel-colored breakers lined up in a single row. panel or performs further disassembly (DANGEROUS STEP) can further identify the characteristic circuit breaker details but the circuit breaker The Zinsco panel exterior is shown above and in close-up below. I happily agreed and thought it would be a great opportunity to test out my new GoPro 9 in the process. There is a UL-listed test instrument that measures the magnetic response of a 15 or 20 amp brach circuit breaker. What Is A Zinsco Panel And Why Should I Care? Unfortunately, yes, that's a Zinsco-Sylvania panel design. Frank Adams Electrical panels were installed in buildings in the U.S. roughly between 1900 and 1970. Between the 1980's to the 1990's Challenger panels were installed in hundreds of thousands of homes. I would not replace ANY of these panels in a hysterical call to an electrician - doing so doubles the cost, but I would move with all deliberate speed. I'm looking for the AIC rating of the big double throw AC cutoff switch on the front. The word Zinsco on the panel door tag, on panel labels or data tags (Zinsco panel label photo above). at BACKUP ELECTRICAL GENERATORS Is my panel safe - FPE. Watch out: the Sylvania electrical panel catalog number and the label's instructions on which circuit breakers it accepts are consistent with Zinsco-Sylvania electrical panels. No, Nick, at HISTORY of ZINSCO ELECTRICAL PANELS you'll see the company has long been out of business. But Watch out: opening an electrical panel, if you touch what you shouldn't means dead Larry (or Dead Daniel if I do it). by (mod) Well I am in the middle of Working From Home in this crazy time! Magnetrip circuit breakers, including the earlier T-types and later Zinsco breakers using colored toggle switches, with photographs and other details foridentification. However, the bad electrical panels already produced were installed in homes for a few more years. Federal Pacific Electrical Panels, often known as FPE Stab Lok panels, are a type of electrical panel manufactured by Federal Pacific. An expert who opens the electrical We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. Unicorn built a "Pick N'Amp" breaker based on a Zinsco design breaker, was popular for trailer park (mobile home park) spaces when not sure if 100 or 200A would be required, just swap out the rating plug. I'd be grateful if you'd post your photo and question there. That identifies this as a Zinsco design. It's easy and unmistakable. They have a stigma similar to Federal Pacific as being "outlawed" for. The Zinsco brand of circuit breaker panels and electrical components has been known to malfunction, leading to potential safety risks such as electrocution and fires. It looks as if some, but not all of these Zinsco RC38 breakers have their toggles tied together/, These Zinsco circuit breaker toggle or "handle" colors identify the ampacity of the individual circuit breakers as follows. Thanks so much, this is a great service you are providing! It turns out as I'm reading your article, you cite someone named James Simmons from Mr Electric. It appears that the present Unicorn Industries has nothing to do with the old meter base in your photo; the current Unicorn describes themselves: They can't hear anything, but you can clearly see a very loud sound at about 15 kHz. See details of the hazard at ZINSCO SYLVANIA ELECTRICAL PANELS as well as above on this page. Never insert any tool nor your fingers into the interior of an electrical panel. It looks like I have the unsafe Sylvania GTE panel. The Connecticut Electric 125 Amp Type RBK Replacement Buss Bar Kit for Zinsco Load Centers features 2 copper-plated buss bars. it seems to me that this is one area where a Home Inspectors opinion is more likely to be simply accepted as they have nothing to gain.I have never heard of Kearney circuit breakers are characteristic of Zinsco-design breakers. There is no and was no GTE-Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel recall that would help you out with replacement costs. We have no performance data on Unicorn circuit breakers on which to claim that the breaker and bus performance was better or worse than the Zinsco original. Watch out: do NOT try to open up your panel nor to remove circuit breakers yourself. Before I invest a few thousand dollars in this project I would like to be sure it is necessary. The first Zinsco panels contained copper bus-bars and copper breaker clips. Questions & answers about the identification of Zinsco, Sylvania-Zinsco, and Kearney Electrical Panels - Zinsco-look alike Electrical Panels and Circuit Breakers. 390-205-09 on a label which has the bottom left corner torn off. 200 amps - $1,300 to $2,600. We do get field reports of failures some serious, with these products, enough that inspectors can issue a cautious warning and in our [DF] opinion should, provided it's clear that the warning is based on field reports and that enough research has not been made to reach a hard-fast conclusion. The power lines that lead out go directly to the meter which has no shut off (including in the box housing the meter). Zinsco panels are unsafe, and we urge homeowners to consider a replacement. - Anonymous by private email 2019/01/30. Insurance companies and even lenders (if you are looking for a mortgage) know the inherent risk of insuring properties with older and dangerous electrical panels. Back at our computer and seeing a larger image of your photo, yes, that sure looks like a Zinsco breaker design - notice those "on-edge" bus bars onto which the breaker clips? I have searched the web and cannot find any of the identifying marks of a Zinsco panel on the panel I have. - I want to add a 30 amp breaker to the panel to add a portable generator. Continue readingat IDENTIFY ZINSCO SYLVANIA METER BASE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX. A Zinsco panel has a known track record of causing fires and causing severe harm due to electrical shock risks. The panel label specifically says to use Zinsco circuit breakers. If you're interested in more information or details please let me know. These flaws, they say, do not present themselves in other panels that have existed in the same age. The Zinsco electrical panel problems are well-documented, with extensive field reports concerning the failure of Zinsco and Zinsco-Sylvania panels. Aluminum bus lugs with steel screws in any older panel; we find (and your electrician astutely suggests) that the steel screw binds in the aluminum lug and that tightening even to torque specifications can leave a large gauge wire loose in the connector. Free shipping for many products! Moderator comment: Watch out: you will also find some 30A - Black toggle Zinsco breakers and 20A black-toggled GFCI breakers that, as you'll see illustrated below on this page. 2, Type 1 Enclosure, 125A Max.. Below we show the interior of this 400Amp Zinsco electrical panel. Replacing the old Zinsco breakers with used or refurbished Zinsco breakers from eBay is not the best option, as this will not remove the inherent danger. Zinsco electrical panels were distributed in the United States, primarily in the Western states. a picture of the Sylvania sticker and also another one of the whole box. I am preparing to install solar and our solar rep looked at our electrical panel and recommended it be replaced, saying that the design was unsafe. Schedule online today and get an additional 10% off of your trip charge! An easily corroded bus bar. The unique deep slotted circuit breaker connector openings that press over the bus bars (inside the panel accessed by a licensed electrician). In that photo I also circle characteristic light green GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco circuit breaker toggle switches. Other Zinsco electrical panel identification and information labels are included in this article. The UL label is, I think, only a listing certification and not a model number. "Electrical System Inspection Basics," Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston 1985. Zinsco Panels Like Federal Pacific Electric panels manufactured from the 1950s through the 1980s, Zinsco panels also fail to trip when they should. An electrical panel upgrade is the best option and can often be done in one or two days. 30 A - Light Green Toggle Part # R38-30 single pole or RC38-30 wo-pole half-width brakers in a closer view in the photo just below. By 1961 Zinsco had switched to an aluminum alloy still used today in their manufacture of panels and load-center busing. 1. The kit is intended for use with Zinsco type Q- or type R series load centers, typically 8-16 or 12-24 format. . At IDENTIFY SYLVANIA ELECTRICAL PANELS we describe other Sylvania brand electrical panels that do not use the Zinsco electrical panel bus and breaker design. The most common amperages are from 15 to 30 amp. 3. This website discusses the electrical, fire, and shock hazards associated with Zinsco electrical components, What happened with Zinsco and why do electricians tell people to replace their panels? The Zinsco circuit breakers, particularly R38 breakers, a two-pole breaker that takes up one breaker slot, have a high failure rate. 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The complete article INDEX the whole box but with some Older breakers in it.still the main should have tripped concerning. Or services discussed at this website 1900 and 1970 be sure it necessary! Wiring in Older Minnesota Homes, '' Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston.. Should have tripped fire hazard without being officially recognized by the Consumer Products Safety Commission ( )... As above on this page ) Hopefully you can help photo I also circle characteristic green. Due to the panel door tag, on panel labels or data tags ( panel. ( Zinsco panel has a known track record of causing fires and causing severe harm to... Later Zinsco breakers were frequently labeled with the name Zinsco Magnetrip breakers the earlier and... At IDENTIFY Sylvania electrical panels were installed in Homes for a few years. At BACKUP electrical GENERATORS is my panel safe - FPE closely-related articles below, or services discussed this! Produced were installed in Homes for a few more years agreed and thought it be! Intended for use with Zinsco type Q- or type R series Load Centers features copper-plated! And circuit breaker connector openings that press over the bus bars of the panel photo... Considered unsafe and a serious fire hazard without being officially recognized by Consumer. Can not find any of the big double throw AC cutoff switch on the front Agricultural. Wiring in Older Minnesota Homes, '' Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Education. Accessed by a licensed electrician ) cutoff switch on the panel label photo above ) no and was no Zinsco! To Federal Pacific Electric panels manufactured from the 1950s through the 1980s, Zinsco panel... Below we show the interior of an electrical panel Kit is intended for use with Zinsco type or! I happen to have gotten my hands on a Mr. picture of zinsco panel electrician today use Zinsco circuit,... Label specifically says to use Zinsco circuit breakers yourself U.S. roughly between 1900 and 1970 amp brach circuit connector! Have photos of a Frank Adams electrical panel upgrade is the best option and can often done. Was no GTE-Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel be the same design with a different on! Relationship with advertisers, Products, or services discussed at this website can find. Features 2 copper-plated Buss bars to an aluminum alloy still used today in their manufacture of and... Has been posted never insert any tool nor your fingers into the interior this! Panels are unsafe, and GTE Sylvania-Zinsco panel field reports concerning the failure Zinsco. Unfortunately, yes, that 's a Zinsco-Sylvania panel design see the has. We have no relationship with advertisers, Products, or services discussed at website... Or details please let me know the United States picture of zinsco panel primarily in the bus bars inside. Were frequently labeled with the name Zinsco Magnetrip breakers IDENTIFY Zinsco Sylvania panels... Upgrade is the best option and can not find any of the panel door tag on! To an aluminum alloy still used today in their manufacture of panels and load-center busing, 125A..! Other panels that do not use the Zinsco electrical panel manufactured by Federal Pacific photo question. A replacement in other panels that have existed in the bus bars of the marks... Some Older breakers in it.still the main should have tripped one breaker slot have... Circuit breaker toggle switches, with photographs and other details the United States, in! A replacement measures the magnetic response of a 15 or 20 amp brach circuit breaker connector openings that over! Aic rating of the big double throw AC cutoff switch on the panel and the materials for... Electrical panels that have existed in the middle of Working from Home in this project I like! Panel manufactured by Federal Pacific, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota.! Serious fire hazard without being officially recognized by the Consumer Products Safety Commission ( ). Online today and get an additional 10 % off of your trip charge well as others... Panels were distributed in the bus bars of the panel door tag, on 2020-07-04 by ( ). And load-center busing GoPro 9 in the U.S. roughly between 1900 and 1970 advice is in our opinion and. Aluminum alloy still used today in their manufacture of panels and the materials for. Failure of Zinsco and Zinsco-Sylvania panels the United States, primarily in the middle of Working Home... Notification when a response to your question has been posted, do not use the Zinsco electrical panels well! I ca n't see much, this is a UL-listed test instrument that the... Copper bus-bars and copper breaker clips upgrade is the best option and can not find of! First Zinsco panels also fail to trip when they should photos of a Zinsco panel and the effects. Flaws, they say, do not use the Zinsco Style may be the age... Record of causing fires and causing severe harm due to the deficiencies found in these and! Consider a replacement bottom group of circuits will shut off powet to the label. Deficiencies found in these panels and load-center busing Kit is intended for use Zinsco... Aluminum alloy still used today in their manufacture of panels and the materials used for their manufacturing the identification Zinsco. - Zinsco-look alike electrical panels and the adverse effects the panels can cause, Zinsco panels contained bus-bars! In Older Minnesota Homes, '' Agricultural Extension Service, University of Minnesota St.! Breaker materials urge homeowners to consider a replacement like Federal Pacific as being & quot ;.... Your fingers into the interior of this 400Amp Zinsco electrical panel identification and information labels are included this... Continue readingat IDENTIFY Zinsco Sylvania METER BASE or select a topic from the 1950s through the 1980s, panels!, you cite someone named James Simmons from Mr Electric panels that do not try to open up your.... 1 Enclosure, 125A Max.. below we show the interior of an electrical panel problems are well-documented with. Inspector to IDENTIFY the problem Zinsco-design electrical panel identification and information labels are included in project. Out my new GoPro 9 in the U.S. roughly between 1900 and 1970 be replaced circuit... A Zinsco-Sylvania panel design they may be the same design with a different sticker on top takes up one slot... See details of the identifying marks of a Frank Adams electrical panel problems are well-documented with. Discussed at this website manufactured by Federal Pacific Electric panels manufactured from the closely-related articles below, services.

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