Zinsco, Federal Pacific, Murray and Sylvania panels: what's in your garage?

Most people have never looked at their electrical panel. It sits in a garage, a utility closet or a basement corner, behind a gray metal door, doing its job until the day it doesn't. If your house was built decades ago, though, that door is worth opening, because a handful of older panel brands have a bad reputation among electricians and home inspectors.

Wattsmart Electric has been wiring and rewiring homes in the Yakima Valley and Kittitas since 2015. Panels are a big part of that work, and the same four names keep turning up: Zinsco, Federal Pacific (often shortened to FPE), Murray and Sylvania. Here's what to know about each and how to check your own.

Why 1978 is the year to remember

If your home was built before 1978, you may be at greater risk. Zinsco and Federal Pacific Electric Co. were two of the most common makers of circuit breaker panels in North America from the 1940s through the 1980s. A lot of homes from that stretch went up with one of them, and plenty of those panels are still in service today, working fine on a normal day and quietly carrying a design that electricians don't trust.

A breaker has one job that matters more than any other: when too much current flows, it has to trip and cut the circuit. A panel whose breakers can fail to do that is a fire risk, and you can't see the failure from the outside. That's the heart of the concern with these brands.

What each brand is known for

• Zinsco: these panels are prone to arcing, and electricians generally recommend replacing them rather than maintaining them.
• Federal Pacific (FPE): Stab-Lok breakers are the name to look for. Home inspectors flag these panels constantly when homes are bought and sold.
• Murray: Murray brand panels are considered unsafe by many in the trade, and they get flagged too.
• Sylvania: another brand that is considered unsafe and that inspectors routinely write up.

None of this means your panel is about to fail tomorrow. It means that an inspector who sees one of these names will almost certainly note it, a buyer's lender or insurance company may ask questions about it, and an electrician will want to talk with you about replacing it.

How to find out what you have

Start with the easy, safe look. Find the panel and open the outer door. Do not take off the inner metal cover that the breakers poke through. That cover is held on with screws, and behind it are live parts. Leave that to a licensed electrician.

With only the outer door open, look for a brand name. It's usually printed on the door itself, on a label stuck inside the door, or on the face of the breakers. Take a clear phone photo of the whole panel and a close-up of any label. If you see Zinsco, Federal Pacific, FPE, Stab-Lok, Murray or Sylvania, you've got your answer.

Sometimes the label has worn off, painted over or gone missing. An old panel with no name is still worth a look from a professional, especially if it's crowded, rusty, warm to the touch or buzzing.

Signs a panel is asking for attention

• Lights flicker or dim when you plug things in or turn on a big appliance.
• Breakers trip often, or won't reset.
• You smell something hot or see scorch marks or discoloration around the panel.
• The panel is full, with doubled-up wires or add-on circuits squeezed in.
• You're adding a hot tub, an electric vehicle charger, a workshop or a remodel and the panel is already working hard.

Any one of those is a reason to have someone look. Several together, on a pre-1978 home with one of the brands above, is a strong reason to stop waiting.

Buying or selling a home

Unsafe and outdated panels, Zinsco, Federal Pacific and Sylvania among them, are some of the most common things flagged during an inspection when a house is bought or sold. Missing GFCI outlets next to water sources are another. If you're selling, finding out first gives you time to fix it on your schedule rather than negotiating under a deadline. If you're buying, a panel finding is a good reason to get a quote before you close.

What replacement looks like

Wattsmart Electric completes a panel replacement from start to finish in one day and handles the coordination with the power company and the service inspection. The crew gives you a detailed quote first, schedules a temporary disconnect with the power company, swaps the panel, and arranges the inspection. The details are in our companion article on what a one-day panel replacement involves.

If you aren't sure what you have, an electrical inspection is a good first step. A certified electrician looks over the system and gives you a detailed report, so you know where you stand before you decide anything.

Want someone to look at your panel? Read about our panel upgrades at /residential/panel-upgrades, learn about electrical inspections at /residential/home-inspection, or call Wattsmart Electric at (509) 902-8040. You can also reach us through /contact.