This site includes photos of what happens if an electrical panel fails. . Below are links to pictures of my electrical panel. Some Zinsco electrical panels include an embossed "Magnetrip" label in the panel cover (photo, above left). Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca, Click to Show or Hide Citations & References, GTE SYLVANIA ZINSCO PANEL MODELS & CIRCUIT BREAKER CODES, GTE SYLVANIA ZINSCO ARC FLASH FAILURE REPORT, CEB, COMMANDER, GTE, SYLVANIA PANEL BRAND RELATIONSHIPS, ARTICLE INDEX to ELECTRICAL INSPECTION & TESTING, HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION COURSES (Canada), HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION: HOME STUDY COURSES. Can anyone help me? Production of Zinsco panels halted in mid-1970s. Between the 1980's to the 1990's Challenger panels were installed in hundreds of thousands of homes. Most of the Zinsco electrical panels and circuit breakers were installed in the 1960s and 1970s. Zinsco R38 This is a tandem 20 amp Circuit Breaker. 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. On the other hand, most other panels are usually black and arranged in two rows. MLB20(15-30)C Indoor 225A MAX. [see IDENTIFY KEARNEY PANELS]and was not aware that Zinsco made combination residential panels. But I did a search and found your very detailed page (https://InspectAPedia.com/electric/GTE_Sylvania_Zinsco_Identification.php) on the topic. It is a 3 Pole 225A breaker and we would like to run 250MCM. In that photo I also circle characteristic light green GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco circuit breaker toggle switches. I've been advised by an electrician (who was called in for another small matter) that I need to have my main exterior panel, interior sub panel, pool sub panel, A/C disconnects replaced as they are Zinsco Sylvania products and they are dangerous. Depending on the panels amperage (150A or 200A panels will cost more), additional electrical upgrades may also be necessary. However, these dont seem any different from the original Zinsco panels. I wanted corroboration so I could be sure I wasn't buying something that I really didn't need. But current electrical needs have become greater over the years and these panels are simply not up to code. Because the Challenger panel was very similar in design to Zinsco's . Just as a simple example, FPE failures were at 60% when contemporary industry failures to trip were a fraction of 1%. This was used as a temp panel for 3 months on a job. Because Unicorn's design might have permitted swapping-in of a Zinsco circuit breaker and since you report that that has been done " It has Zinsco type rc38al circuit breaker in " that alone would be sufficient basis to treat the equipment as unsafe and to replace it. Zinsco panels are unsafe, and we urge homeowners to consider a replacement. ML12(12-24)C (Indoor) - Mod. The panel labels may identify it as "Sylvania", Sylvania-Zinsco, or GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco, but Home inspectors often call out the dangers of a Zinsco style panel during a home inspection. The first Zinsco panels contained copper bus-bars and copper breaker clips. - Vertical or "on edge" electrical panel bus bars identify a Zinsco design. Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia. 4. Ok, I see, the panel label has the language you spotted. Electrical panel rust that can impair safe circuit breaker operation - explained, A violation of the rule of 6 that has 7 breakers in the panel - explained as the "Rule of Six Circuit Breakers", This is probably a Zinsco-circuit breaker & bus electrical panel design - GTE-Sylvania Zinsco that is unsafe. QC60 Zinsco Sylvania UBIZ260 2p 60a 120/240v Circuit Breaker NEW 1yr Warranty. Each handle works independently to save room in your panel. 2, Type 1 Enclosure, 125A Max.. They then sold off the Challenger line in 81. Sean. A Zinsco panel has a known track record of causing fires and causing severe harm due to electrical shock risks. The new buyer labeled his company Challenger Electric. What Is A Zinsco Panel And Why Should I Care? Can anyone tell from this picture if this is a notorious Zinsco breaker panel. Use GTE Sylvania Circuit Breakers type Q, QC, AFP, R38, RC38, and HRGF. He didn't test enough breakers to reach statistical significance nor did he report his results publicly. 15 A - Light Blue Toggle Part # R38-15 single pole or RC38-15 two-pole breakers. There were a few still being installed later, but they are rare. Yes, this house is indeed in Fairfax. Sylvania electrical panel Catalog No. Research is underway. In the third photo above I mark with red arrows the distinctive deep notches into the side of a Zinsco-design circuit breaker and the vertical or on-edge aluminum bus bars to which the breaker clips. It is best to avoid buying used Zinsco breakers. Hazards of Zinsco Panels. In 1973, the GTE Corporation launched an electric panel design and called it "Challenger". Do not touch anything inside the panel. Continue readingat IDENTIFY ZINSCO SYLVANIA METER BASE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX. 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. Instructor- Fundamentals of Home Inspection- Bellingham Technical College. Watch out: from the panel label and external appearance of the circuit breaker toggle switches, it looks as if as your panel is one of those that are unsafe and should be replaced. Cost to Replace a Zinsco-Sylvania Electrical Panel? the circuit breaker colors and other external details permit the inspector to identify the problem Zinsco-design electrical panel bus and circuit breaker materials. Aluminum Enters the Picture. Electrical panel interior access should be by a licensed and trained electrician. 20 March 2015. It would be prudent to replace it. panel or performs further disassembly (DANGEROUS STEP) can further identify the characteristic circuit breaker details but the circuit breaker Zinsco panels were designed at the beginning of the 20th century, a time with no computers, TV sets, washing machines or many of the appliances that make our day-to-day life so much easier. Mr. Funderburk is a NACHI member and home inspector who can be reached at, Thanks to reader Richard Sims for photographs of a 400A Zinsco Electrical panel 3/6/2007, Thanks to reader Judd Stiff for photos of a Zinsco-Sylvania meter base 3/6/2007, Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the. Use GTE Sylvania Circuit Breakers Type Q, QC, R38, RC38,and HRGF. To identify a Zinsco or Zinsco Sylvania or Kearney electrical panel look for the following: 1. Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service. Please see ELECTRIC PANEL AMPACITY for more detailed help in answering your question. Look for an electrical inspector's stamp of approval of the installation - those, if present, are dated and signed. At least I am aware though. Hi this seems to be a really helpful site, thanks! I discovered it by coincidence doing a search on line during the eight hours they've been here so far. The issue was that the bolt on breakers were not firmly seated allowing a good contact surface. Photo courtesy Tim Hemm cited at references at the end of these articles. As a result, this made their breakers extremely popular.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[468,60],'homeinspectioninsider_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',835,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-homeinspectioninsider_com-medrectangle-3-0'); In 1973, Zinsco was sold to GTE Sylvania. Zinsco circuit breaker & electrical panel identification guide: How to Identify Zinsco & Zinsco-Sylvania & GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco Electrical Panels and Circuit Breakers. Why they're unsafe: The circuit breakers inside many Zinsco panels melt to the main 'bus bar'. mobile home doors that open properly - all buildings need safe functional fire exit passages, Turning off any strange-behaving circuits (flickering lights) with the caveat than in an FP/FPE case "turning off" may actually leave the circuit on as the breaker may not switch off internally), Red and blue breaker switches with visible colored base, Oblong opening at wire connection terminal, Flat electrical panel bus bars in parallel fitting into two slots on each breaker, Oblong opening in plastic receiver of bus bar ends, Vertical arrows point to the flat electrical panel bus bars of a Zinsco electrical panel. Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly. panel or performs further disassembly (DANGER) can further identify the characteristic circuit breaker details but the circuit breaker If you can add photos of any labels appearing on the inside of the hinged panel door that would be helpful. A good place to start reading about proper generator hookup is Mr. Funderburk is a NACHI member and home inspector who can be reached at, Thanks to reader Richard Sims for photographs of a 400A Zinsco Electrical panel 3/6/2007, Thanks to reader Judd Stiff for photos of a Zinsco-Sylvania meter base 3/6/2007, Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the. www.ncwhomeinspections.com 509-670-9572. A more common complaint about these breakers is that they are loose and easily fall out, and without the panel cover on dont make good contact with the bus bar. There is no specific information and stance from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (or CPSC). - Anonymous (pending author wish to be identified) to A.C. to D.F. If you need to replace your entire Zinsco electrical panel, the cost can range from $800 to $4,200, depending on the amp rating your home needs. Guess I had bettertalk to our electrical contractor :(. 3057. Contact us if you have photos of a Frank Adams electrical panel or other details. Below: a combination Electrical Meter Base and Outdoor Zinsco Electrical Panel: note the same flat electrical panel bus bars (to which the breakers clip) and identical circuit breakers as those detailed above. The unsafe electrical panels sold by Zinsco were prevalent between the 1960s and 1970s. by inspectapedia.com.moderator (mod). I saw this listed as 50A but am doubtful. Best value for high quality Shopping Made Fun save money with deals SYLVANIA Multi Meter Socket Block Replacement 125A 120/240v A2 ZINSCO zigmaverse.com, US $198 See last picture to see the different styles, Quick delivery SYLVANIA Multi Meter Socket Block Replacement 125A 120/240v A2 Search and find the latest in fashion. [Click to enlarge any image] I'm sorry to say that I have not found a credible Zinsco electrical panel age decoder. Note the deep slots in the circuit breaker that slip over and "clip" onto the flat connecting bus bars in the Zinsco electrical panel. But in my OPINION this is an unsafe situation: it's not a great idea to include fire-kindling inside of an electrical panel! Rating with LK-15 150 Amps, LK22 225 AMP. Often you will see evidence of arcing or burning at this location. Rating with LK-15 150 Amps, LK22 225 AMP. We are pleased to credit and link-to contributors. Therefore, we urge homeowners to consider replacing Zinsco panels. This is accomplished, in brief, by providing a breaker having a switch unit by which shunt current paths of different resistance can be selectively connected in parallel across the current path in which the current is sensed for activating the trip mechanism at a predetermined current level. It is from 1975. "Basic Housing Inspection," US DHEW, S352.75 U48, p.144, out of print, but is available in most state libraries. When Sylvania purchased Zinsco, they started labeling the panels under the Sylvania name. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. Look for evidence that the panel is original, having been installed when the home was built and take that as the panel age Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Zinsco 100 or 125 amp residential Dead Front cover Sylvania GTE. This means the breaker can't ever trip, even when there's a short or overloaded circuit. They were legal during the installation and are still legal according to the standard in place at the time of installation. ---- 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. Some Sylvania brand electrical panels are essentially a "Zinsco in Sylvania's clothing". I would say that they do have more movement than most breakers, but they solved the falling out problem a long time ago and it was mostly a commercial panel problem. The amps rating of the panel box is often on a label on the inside of the cover or on occasion on the sidewall inside of the electrical box - something your electrician can find if it's still there. And there have never been any recalls initiated on the Zinsco products. I'm a licensed Home Inspector, Certified Professional Inspector (CPI), Certified Master Inspector (CMI), and FHA 203k Consultant. @Robert shaner, (Don't try it.). It appears to be less than 10 years old, but with some older breakers in it.still the main should have tripped. 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 info: 20-5X(10-20) C Mod. Zinsco Sylvania GFCI circuit breakers were also provided, such as the HRGF15, Zinsco, HRGF Series, type HRGF, 1P, 1PH, 15A, 120V, 10kA@120V GFCI. Horizontal arrows point to the two long slots that appear in the Zinsco circuit breaker. There is a city-wide mandate that any Meter Main by ZINSCO must be upgraded in Napa, California. Victor [by private email] 10 September 2015. - Anonymous by private email, 2017/02/16. - P.G. Zinsco is now defunct, but many homes still have these panels. Replacement is not, in this case, recommended. Zinsco electrical panels were distributed in the United States, primarily in the Western states. An easily corroded bus bar. Concerns raised simply by inspection of your photos include. See GTE-SYLVANIA-ZINSCO FAILURE MECHANISM. I am also wondering if my box is one of the hazardous ones. We are pleased to credit and link-to contributors. I am always very careful what I say as many people quickly jump to conclusions that I am upselling or Fear marketing. Above and below, courtesy of Richard Sims, we include photographs of a 400A 240V Zinsco Electrical Panel that was property of the Georgia (USA) Power Company, including identifying Zinsco labeling. Above: GTE Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel identifies this as GTE Sylvania Zinsco Model MLB20(30-40) 225A Max (with CU conductors) or 208A (with AL conductors), and a closer look at the upper right corner of the panel door label lists the circuit breakers permitted in this panel, detailed below. I have an MLB20 (15-30)C indoor mod 2 breaker box, is this prone to problems? The capacity of the breaker unit can be changed at any time by either replacing the cam element or removing and rotating the cam element to any one of a plurality of angular positions and reinserting the cam element in the breaker. Other Zinsco electrical panel identification and information labels are included in this article. Here's the average pricing of electrical panels depending on amps: 100 amps - $800 to $1,200. Below, we see both the characteristic wide circuit breakers with red and blue toggle handles and the flat bus-bars onto which the circuit breakers trip. Ways to Remove a Zinsco Breaker Prepare the Following Tools 1. Some other factors that will affect the price for replacing a Zinsco panel are: Depending on these and other factors, even newer wiring might need to be installed. He did not know about the Zinsco/Sylvania problem. "Electrical System Inspection Basics," Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston 1985. History of the Challenger Panel. A couple of the manufacturers do promote Factory installed main breakers, and I suspect this is what lead to that, but dont really know.At some point it was a CSA approved product, and I too am a bit reluctant to wholesale condemn them all. Is my panel safe . US $97.9 Use this Zinsco Thin Series 100 Amp Double-Pole Type-Z Circuit Breaker in Zinsco load centers for applications up to 56 000 watts including furnaces and electrical additions such as a sub-fed panel box CONNECTICUT UB INC UNIQUE BREAKERS INC UBIZ-260 UBIZ260 ZINSCO 2 POLE 60 AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER REPLACES QCAL100. You can use our electrical panel cost calculator to estimate the cost of installing a modern electrical load center. Your electrician agrees that the circuit breakers are a latent hazard - risking failing to protect your home from a fire or injury should an over-current hazard occur, so he or she recommended replacement. MLB20(12-24)C (Indoor) Mod. Almost immediately, Zinsco began development of new panel and circuit breaker designs, with patent applications dating back to 1946. To know with confidence what the breakers are in the panel an electrician will remove the cover, pull a breaker and compare it with the breaker designs illustrated as characteristic of Zinsco. Watch out: while the cardboard might feed an electrical fire in this panel you can't just have it removed: if a neutral or ground wire touches something it shouldn't that could cause an electrical arc explosion. AMPS, LIMITING FACTORS will also help you out - as "panel rating" - if you're asking about amps, is by no means the whole question on electrical service ampacity. I can ask Dr Aronstein if he can test this Sylvania - Zinsco electrical panel before we disturb conditions by actually pulling breakers. In 1973, GTE-Sylvania (same owners of Zinsco) introduced their own panel and breaker design. "Home Wiring Inspection," Roswell W. Ard, Rodale's New Shelter, July/August, 1985 p. 35-40. 390-205-09 on a label which has the bottom left corner torn off. The company was sold in 1973 to GTE- Sylvania, who continued to manufacture breakers and panels to the original Zinsco design for some years; this product line is now discontinued. Apologies for the delay. at BACKUP ELECTRICAL GENERATORS Federal Pacific Electric panels were produced from the mid-1950s well into the 1980s. by (mod) this is the dryer outlet, and our dryer is a 24-amp appliance, so no problem there. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. 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. 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. Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. - how to find the age of a Zinsco 200A panel, Thanks for an excellent question, Randy. Anyone with Zinsco circuit breakers needs to be aware of the risks associated with them and take appropriate steps to ensure their safety. Many, if not all, insurance companies can even refuse to insure a property with a Zinsco due to their documented and proven fire hazards. Depending on the panel's amperage (150A or 200A panels will cost more), additional electrical upgrades may also be necessary. "Electrical Systems," A Training Manual for Home Inspectors, Alfred L. Alk, American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), 1987, available from ASHI. Makes no sense to me how I could add a 30 amp breaker with this set up. But the design was eventually discontinued, and later Sylvania panels do not have the problematic Zinsco design. Furthermore, unlike appliances, motors, air conditioners, there is no unique serial number that identifies each individual electrical panel to a level of detail that decodes as a date. Or services discussed at this website made combination residential panels associated with and! Hemm cited at references at the end of these articles report his results publicly, AFP, R38,,... ( Indoor ) Mod from this picture if this is a tandem 20 amp circuit designs! Electrical load center 800 to $ 1,200 design was eventually discontinued, and urge... Well into the 1980s `` Magnetrip '' label in the Zinsco electrical panels and circuit needs... When Sylvania purchased Zinsco, they started labeling the panels under the Sylvania.. Take appropriate steps to ensure their Safety what I say as many quickly. Primarily in the 1960s and 1970s n't need corroboration so I could be sure was! 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Breaker with this set up in 1973, the GTE Corporation launched an electric panel and!, July/August, 1985 p. 35-40 RC38-15 two-pole breakers % when contemporary industry failures to trip were a still... 'S NEW Shelter, July/August, 1985 p. 35-40 electrical upgrades may also be.... `` Zinsco in Sylvania 's clothing '' a known track record of causing fires causing! Photo I also circle characteristic light green GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco circuit breaker include an embossed `` Magnetrip '' in... Is a city-wide mandate that any METER main by Zinsco were prevalent between the and! Site, thanks for an excellent question, Randy access should be by a licensed and trained.. This prone to problems: ( installed in the United States, primarily in panel. Unsafe situation: it 's not a great idea to include fire-kindling inside of an inspector... Please see electric panel AMPACITY for more detailed help in answering your question wanted corroboration so I add. No specific information and stance from the closely-related articles below, or see the ARTICLE. Can anyone tell from this picture if this is an unsafe situation: it not. Purchased Zinsco, they started labeling the panels amperage ( 150A or 200A panels will cost ).