Federal Pacific Panel

[sidney alstad]

came across a federal pacific electrical panel. how can you identify if this has the "stab-lok" breakers that may not function as intended?

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• Old (not Stab-Lok) Federal breakers

[wayne soper]

They will say stab lok on them.
then type something to this affect

You have a Federal Pacific panel which is legal, but there is a possibility that the circuit breakers may not trip when shorted, possibly causing an electrical hazard. Opinions by licensed electricians on this panel varies between safe and unsafe. I recommend you consult a licensed electrician for an opinion and correct if necessary.

[Dom D'Agostino]

It sure looks like a Stab lok from your photos.

Did you see the front of the door or inside the dead front?

[Gunnar Alquist]

came across a federal pacific electrical panel. how can you identify if this has the "stab-lok" breakers that may not function as intended?

Sidney,

I don't know if FPE made any other type of circuit breaker panels. As a general rule, I defer whenever I see any FPE circuit breaker panels.

[Jerry Peck]

came across a federal pacific electrical panel. how can you identify if this has the "stab-lok" breakers that may not function as intended?

1) It says FPE or Federal Pacific Electric on it, and
2) It says Stab-Lok on it, but it may also not say Stab-Lok on it, and
3) Usually, (refer to your photo showing the cover, at the left of the photo where the breaker numbers are) at the top of that center piece where the breaker numbers are located, at the very top of it, you will see Stab-Lok, and
4) The breakers look like those breakers, and
5) If you were to look closely at the bus bar between the lower right breaker in your photo and the breaker above it - the open slot - you will see the bus bar and how it is open for the breakers to "stab" into it, and you will be able to see the "stab" projection on the breakers which "stab" into that opening, and
6) With the cover still on, when you see those breakers in their tiny slots with the red handles and the handles kind of move back and forth along the curved breaker instead of just being like a toggle switch where the handle just kind a flips back and forth like a toggle switch (sort of), and
7) I am sure others can add to this list.

Also notice that most of the breakers in your photo are double pole breakers and that each breaker has a white conductor on it (while this has nothing to do with identifying it as FPE, I have found this to be common with electricians who installed FPE), the white conductors need to be re-identified to red or black with phase tape spirally wrapped around the conductors. Also common for those electricians to twist two ground conductors together into one terminal, those conductors should not be twisted together, and, as I recall, FPE ground terminals were only rated for one conductor in each terminal.

Oh, also I believe most FPE panels were rated at maximum 40 amps per breaker stab, do you have a photo of the top part of the label?