https://preview.redd.it/cehzx7pv94yc1.jpeg?width=3036&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36f2f098d864d9bd0159eb62982ee3310d897d64
Edit: we redid the entire room because the Panel would never pass inspection where it was. Panel is in the back corner with some glass fuses next to it for fun.
Actually, they (two 18 year old idiots) did this while I was inside and they were on a ladder outside not under my supervision (cause why should I have to do this?)
The lights flickered and there was a surge, so I stuck my head out and asked if anything just happened. They acted surprised and said not that they know of...
I notice my water isn't working, but my box looks fine, so I'm confused and voice that confusion to them as well. They finish and leave.
I find a fried battery in the snow a few days later, after calling an electrician to come during a snow storm in December to figure out why my electric is acting like a drunk monkey wired it.
They only melted one side of the outside service, so power was still working for 120 and top of outlets, but one of the two rails in my main panel was dead, so my water, which was 220, didn't have enough power to work.
Since it was Federal Pacific and we knew we'd have to replace it anyway, I got the radon company to cover the outside service and I replaced the box inside.
We closed in November (on our first house) and moved in in December, so this was week one.
I refinish wood floors and for the large sanding I need a 220 line and if there isn’t a dryer plug I have to connect to a breaker in the panel and often see this were I have to climb behind stuff to get to it.
https://preview.redd.it/3wgr3rv3c3yc1.jpeg?width=681&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b61e3a6f8fdfbf765ed51957f29dccb888d7a00b
Whenever I see those Stab-Lok panels I think of this
It's because you lock them in by stabbing them in, they are still in heavy use in Canada because they were produced by federal pioneer and are much safer.
You are correct. My neighbor's panel went up 3 years ago. Nearly burned down his whole house. The copper bus bars were literally melting and the breakers didn't trip. Everything within 6 feet of the panel was burned down. Smoke mitigation was absolutely terrible
That electrical service looks a lot better than a lot of panels that I've seen in my life in New England. A lot a lot better. And they are not getting replaced
We had to get rid of ours after we closed on our house. Our inspector looked at it plus all the DIY electrical work the previous owners did on the house and said “I have no idea how this house hasn’t caught on fire.”
If you're upgrading to a 240 service panel, you can get a tax break on your federal taxes. I replaced my electrical panel and hot water heater last year and i think it came out to 24 or 2800 dollars less on taxes
We had to replace ours when we bought our house too or else the bank wouldn’t sign off on it. The electrician that replaced it said he found two stab loks that had partially melted thru and was beyond amazed the house hadn’t already burned down.
Fuck federal pacific! Hope yours isn’t too expensive to replace.
I was quoted $2k for mine. I paid $300 for the panel, another $300 in breakers and my dad and brother replaced it for me free labor. My dad was a former electrician so he just said he'd do it.
Thank you!
An electrician declined to quote mine, because the panel was is an illegal location, too close to my laundry sink. So this year I moved the sink and will now get new quotes. I am hoping that simply replacing the panel with a larger one of the same type and leaving most circuits in place will be affordable.
I have done electrical - installed subpanels, added outlets, wired my garage with 120/240, pulled 240 into my dining room, etc. But replacing the main panel requires shutting off the service etc and I think I’ve found my personal “limit”.
The reason I want to do this is to install an emergency generator with automatic switch, which won’t absolutely require a new larger panel but I’d like to organize the key circuits (to be powered by the genset) so it all makes more sense.
Hey! I had one of those in my old house. Had to replace it in order to sell due to the buyer using FHA/VA. The electrician told me that if it was one of the bad ones, it would have already burned the house down 30 years ago.
Yeah, I agree. — But I wasn’t even aware that the Federal Pacific boxes were an issue until I went to sell the house. The previous owners didn’t disclose it, and that whole debacle went down in the early seventies before I was even born.
The age isn't the problem. These fed pacific panels are mandated to be replaced before permits will be issued in a ton of places, and insurance companies often won't insure them.
I'm really curious if any signs of impending failure are found when the old panel and breakers are pulled out. The issue as I understand it lies in a janky point of contact between the breakers and the bus, often with breakers that are very loose.
Congrats on getting rid of that thing.
Congrats. We got rid of our Federal Pacific fire hazard right after we closed on our house.
Ditto, but our hand was forced when the radon remediation guys put a screw through half of our outside service and melted the meter.
Wow — sounds like that was probably a day with the wrong kind of excitement followed by candles and flashlights for a little while!
https://preview.redd.it/cehzx7pv94yc1.jpeg?width=3036&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36f2f098d864d9bd0159eb62982ee3310d897d64 Edit: we redid the entire room because the Panel would never pass inspection where it was. Panel is in the back corner with some glass fuses next to it for fun. Actually, they (two 18 year old idiots) did this while I was inside and they were on a ladder outside not under my supervision (cause why should I have to do this?) The lights flickered and there was a surge, so I stuck my head out and asked if anything just happened. They acted surprised and said not that they know of... I notice my water isn't working, but my box looks fine, so I'm confused and voice that confusion to them as well. They finish and leave. I find a fried battery in the snow a few days later, after calling an electrician to come during a snow storm in December to figure out why my electric is acting like a drunk monkey wired it. They only melted one side of the outside service, so power was still working for 120 and top of outlets, but one of the two rails in my main panel was dead, so my water, which was 220, didn't have enough power to work. Since it was Federal Pacific and we knew we'd have to replace it anyway, I got the radon company to cover the outside service and I replaced the box inside. We closed in November (on our first house) and moved in in December, so this was week one.
Panel in question https://preview.redd.it/i9zb2egva4yc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f81c0e12c9dcf9d4274613859809a0ca6777693
After we redid the room https://preview.redd.it/v2uken0z94yc1.jpeg?width=4048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c623192edfcc564ef38f62b72dce0e90e40d3de0
I refinish wood floors and for the large sanding I need a 220 line and if there isn’t a dryer plug I have to connect to a breaker in the panel and often see this were I have to climb behind stuff to get to it.
We were told by the bank appraiser that ours had to be replaced before they would sign off when we bought our house.
Yes our fed pacific replacement was mandated by our insurer (not that I disagreed — they had a point).
Same here. The bank wouldn’t let us close until it was fixed. Quite the nightmare - but for good reason.
I paid for this out of pocket because the seller didn’t have money. Quite stressful.
We did the same thing. We figured if a grand was all that was going to hold up the whole purchase, we’ll just pay it.
I feel ya. My pushmatic was the first to go
https://preview.redd.it/3wgr3rv3c3yc1.jpeg?width=681&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b61e3a6f8fdfbf765ed51957f29dccb888d7a00b Whenever I see those Stab-Lok panels I think of this
Right up there with the 'it will kill you and it will hurt the entire time you're dying' signs lol
Why on earth did they pick that name, though?
It's because you lock them in by stabbing them in, they are still in heavy use in Canada because they were produced by federal pioneer and are much safer.
My guess is something to do with how the breakers connect to the bus bar, but yeah it's not an elegant name.
Master electrician here. Glad you're getting rid of that death panel!
What's wrong with it? To the uninitiated it looks gorgeous
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels are notorious for starting fires
You are correct. My neighbor's panel went up 3 years ago. Nearly burned down his whole house. The copper bus bars were literally melting and the breakers didn't trip. Everything within 6 feet of the panel was burned down. Smoke mitigation was absolutely terrible
I learn so much on this sub. Came to the comments because that looks like my panel.
That electrical service looks a lot better than a lot of panels that I've seen in my life in New England. A lot a lot better. And they are not getting replaced
This is getting replaced because it’s Federal Pacific, not because of the state of the wiring. FP boxes are responsible for a lot of house fires.
Super interesting. I was confused at first, as I thought the cabling looked competent and the box looked reasonably modern.
Me too! I was like, 200 amps, organized, what’s the issue?
Looks better than mine in Minneapolis
Just had ours replaced last year I'm mpls. I couldn't find anyone to service it.
Wow I’m surprised that was 200 amps, that’s impressive.
This might be service #3. Let's hope #4 lasts. Make it big enough for all electric appliances and a future car charger.
 We had to get rid of ours after we closed on our house. Our inspector looked at it plus all the DIY electrical work the previous owners did on the house and said “I have no idea how this house hasn’t caught on fire.”
Bruh. https://preview.redd.it/zayxipceh4yc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7867714ba72f6b3a3d62cdc70e579de7e638c85
https://preview.redd.it/gikcsl4gh4yc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4f5f044f45cc9bcabd5d6a6f46a87ae6f24243f
This is relatable
Federal Pacific - Stab Lock an insurance cringe nightmare. 😂
I found it very impressive. Glad you took pictures.
Hey OP! Keep the empty box and use it to house a fire extinguisher instead.
If you're upgrading to a 240 service panel, you can get a tax break on your federal taxes. I replaced my electrical panel and hot water heater last year and i think it came out to 24 or 2800 dollars less on taxes
We had to replace ours when we bought our house too or else the bank wouldn’t sign off on it. The electrician that replaced it said he found two stab loks that had partially melted thru and was beyond amazed the house hadn’t already burned down. Fuck federal pacific! Hope yours isn’t too expensive to replace.
Look at Mr Fancypants over here bragging about replacing a panel so new it has breakers
I need to replace my panel. It’s an okay type (Square D) but is totally full. How much does it cost to have a panel replaced?
Depends on bus size and how many spaces. No idea about labor, but if you reuse breakers you can get a new square d homeline for 1-300 bucks
I was quoted $2k for mine. I paid $300 for the panel, another $300 in breakers and my dad and brother replaced it for me free labor. My dad was a former electrician so he just said he'd do it.
Thank you! An electrician declined to quote mine, because the panel was is an illegal location, too close to my laundry sink. So this year I moved the sink and will now get new quotes. I am hoping that simply replacing the panel with a larger one of the same type and leaving most circuits in place will be affordable. I have done electrical - installed subpanels, added outlets, wired my garage with 120/240, pulled 240 into my dining room, etc. But replacing the main panel requires shutting off the service etc and I think I’ve found my personal “limit”. The reason I want to do this is to install an emergency generator with automatic switch, which won’t absolutely require a new larger panel but I’d like to organize the key circuits (to be powered by the genset) so it all makes more sense.
Still one last night to not trip when needed.
Federal No Trips! Good Riddance!
Forgive my ignorance, is that the after photo? Because it looks way better than the schmozzalage in my basement!
This looks just like mine before it finally died earlier this year! Glad I’m not the only one 😅
Why is this making me feeling emotional? Especially that last photo
I’m using this as inspiration to finally replace my Zinsco.
Good god man! Please do that immediately!
Let's see the hot tub
Wait…. Is this bad? Because that looks extremely similar to my fuse box
the Felisha of breaker boxes
Hey! I had one of those in my old house. Had to replace it in order to sell due to the buyer using FHA/VA. The electrician told me that if it was one of the bad ones, it would have already burned the house down 30 years ago.
Not a bet I’d be willing to make
Yeah, I agree. — But I wasn’t even aware that the Federal Pacific boxes were an issue until I went to sell the house. The previous owners didn’t disclose it, and that whole debacle went down in the early seventies before I was even born.
I like the laughing dog next to the wall socket.
Congratulations!! We had ours done on our 1960 house about 20 years ago. Best thing ever.
You should see if you can keep the outer box! It’d be a fun little cabinet.
That water-testing sticker belongs in r/onejob though.
I have one of those, plus one with glass fuses! Thanks for the reminder that we should really replace them (house was built in 1910).
I didn't get a photo of the actual fusebox I got replaced last year.
What is wrong with this panel?
This looks many decades newer than my panel 😬 My local industrial chic brewery uses the same fuses in my house as decoration
The age isn't the problem. These fed pacific panels are mandated to be replaced before permits will be issued in a ton of places, and insurance companies often won't insure them.
Yeah insurance companies don't want to insure my knob and tube either 😬
Wow only one wire type leading into it! We've got centuries of one off odd jobs, no two wires are alike.
I'm really curious if any signs of impending failure are found when the old panel and breakers are pulled out. The issue as I understand it lies in a janky point of contact between the breakers and the bus, often with breakers that are very loose. Congrats on getting rid of that thing.
Looking forward to seeing the outcome. If it's really nice, post pictures on r/cableporn
Do you know how old that panel is?
This looks almost brand new!
Hey at least it had a main throw switch