Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok panels have long been known to be problematic, and I’ve always called them out as a potential safety hazard. While performing a home inspection, I recommend having these panels evaluated by an electrician and replaced if necessary.

Here are a few key points:

  • Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) sold millions of panels between the 1950’s and 1980’s.
  • Testing by the Consumer Product Safety Commision has shown these breakers to have an unacceptably high rate of failure, which creates a safety hazard.
  • Testing has proven that virtually every panel installed in the United States contains defective breakers.
  • FPE falsified their UL testing, making their UL listing void.
  • Approximately 1 out of 3 breakers are defective.
Here’s another article on FPE Panels by CodeCheck authors Douglas Hansen & Redwood Kardon, updated 12/22/12 .