"How to plan and install electric wiring for homes, farms, garages, shops," Montgomery Ward Co., 83-850. "Basic Housing Inspection," US DHEW, S352.75 U48, p.144, out of print, but is available in most state libraries. 2, 225 AMPS Max. Continue readingat IDENTIFY ZINSCO SYLVANIA METER BASE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX. For a minute I thought we weregood! Here (above and below) we show external and internal identification labels for this 400-Amp Zinsco electrical panel. Try posting a larger photo of that detail. US $134. Your panel photo so tiny I can't see much, but those red and light blue (?) REally appreciate your feedback(wow, and quick too!). InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. Watch out: replacement circuit breakers that have been tested for these problem brands have generally performed no better than the originals. 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. When I told them I have an old Zinsco panel they asked me to snap a picture of all of the breakers and they offered to send me all new replacement breakers so I could test out their equipment. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC) has not issued a recall on many faulty brands due to budget issues and the significant investment required to implement such recalls, and their claim of a lack of supporting evidence. Turn the Breaker Off then Unscrew the Conductors 3. 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. An expert who opens the electrical and I am watching carefully Challenger as well as the others you name. Hi this seems to be a really helpful site, thanks! According to experts, zinsco panels malfunction for two reasons: Design Flaws Electricians have observed that there are indeed design flaws in the Zinsco circuit breaker panels. Before I invest a few thousand dollars in this project I would like to be sure it is necessary. This means the breaker can't ever trip, even when there's a short or overloaded circuit. One of my staff accidentally cut the wrong wire. I have searched the web and cannot find any of the identifying marks of a Zinsco panel on the panel I have. They were legal during the installation and are still legal according to the standard in place at the time of installation. The Zinsco panel exterior is shown above and in close-up below. The following remarks from a licensed electrician were provided to us courtesy of Al Carson, Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection and home inspection education firm. Zinsco electrical panels are obsolete. 2, Type 1 Enclosure, 125A Max.. GTE Sylvania Circuit Breakers Type Q, QC, R38, RC38 & HRGF. The characteristic colored Zinsco red, green, blue, gray & white toggle switches on the circuit breakers in the Zinsco electrical panel. Watch out: your photo shows live voltage terminals exposed: don't touch or you can be shocked or killed. Often the panel manufacture date is stamped on the panel labeling but not always and not in a consistent patterns. Insurance companies have become increasingly cautious when signing insurance for older properties with FPE or Zinsco installed. CONTACT Us with field reports and photos. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. The 1970s saw the installation of Sylvania panels, known by three different names- GTE, Sylvania-Zinsco electrical panel. Other Zinsco electrical panel identification and information labels are included in this article. Experts Have Identified Two Major Reasons Experts report that Zinsco circuit breaker panels may have two major faults that could pose a danger: 1.) The most common amperages are from 15 to 30 amp. He's doing a great job. You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted. On 2020-12-04 by (mod) However, these dont seem any different from the original Zinsco panels. Between the 1980's to the 1990's Challenger panels were installed in hundreds of thousands of homes. Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca, Click to Show or Hide Citations & References, Magnatrip & Other Zinsco Electrical Panels & Circuit Breakers, ARTICLE INDEX to ELECTRICAL INSPECTION & TESTING, HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION COURSES (Canada), HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION: HOME STUDY COURSES. There is no and was no GTE-Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel recall that would help you out with replacement costs. - Anonymous by private email, 2017/02/16. Can anyone help me? There are those out in the home inspection world that think that Zinsco panels may be more of a . Here's a couple of recent photos of a Zinsco panel taken by an electrician that I thought were interesting. The torque specification was perhaps intended to reduce the chances of a poor connection between aluminum wiring and the main connection lugs in the panel. this is the dryer outlet, and our dryer is a 24-amp appliance, so no problem there. Square D panel with following breakers 100A main breaker, 100A breaker, 50A 2 pole, 3 - 20 A single pole, 2- GFCI outlets attached to side. They have stopped making Federal Panels anyway.Im not sure what the best policy is here, but this much is true: I should simply say yes change these panels, but I know for sure someone will challenge that and it would be better to have reasons. Thank you for all the information - I don't think this is a Zinsco panel, but would you be able to confirm? Just below, the photo of a recent GTE Sylvania Zinsco circuit breaker burn-up is shown here courtesy of Jeff Weissman and observed, he reports, in a GTE-Sylvania electrical panel. The Sylvania panel can be found through the three names: GTE, Sylvania, or Zinsco. Hazards of Zinsco Panels. 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. Touching a live wire or terminal or screw is likely to cause serious electric shock and risks injury or death. This was because the threads on the bus bar were poorly manufactured and the electricians installing them would tighten it down, but not realize that the bolt was carrying the main current due to the gap. "Had to" is a technical opinion with which I agree. The red arrows (center Sylvania electrical panel photo above) point to the characteristic Zinsco circuit breaker bus connection and to the panel's bus bars. Zinsco or GTE-Sylvania panels were popular electrical panels installed in homes throughout the 1970s. unused, Condition:: New: A brand-new. or LK-22 Lug Block for Mains w/ LK-15 - 150 Amps; Watch out: this data is drawn from the panel labels of GTE Sylvania electrical panels confirmed to use and be of the Zinsco circuit breaker design. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. 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. The Zinsco panels may work for years, but there is an underlying threat as homes have increased energy demands, these panels may overheat and breaker failure can occur. Is replacing a Zinsco breaker panel worth it? Aluminum has a useful life of approximately 30 years. This site includes photos of what happens if an electrical panel fails. (Don't try it.). A Zinsco panel is a good example of such an electrical panel. I'm looking to upgrade to 200A with solar system in future but trying to decide if I should replace it now if it's unsafe. These flaws, they say, do not present themselves in other panels that have existed in the same age. Each handle works independently to save room in your panel. They can still overheat and fail to trip after a small overload. Rating with LK-15 150 Amps, LK22 225 AMP. On the other hand, most other panels are usually black and arranged in two rows. Because the Challenger panel was very similar in design to Zinsco's . Above is an example, a Zinsco R38 Tandem circuit breaker sporting light blue toggle switches. Be the first to rate this post. You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted. This gray circuit breaker may have been installed in a GTE-Sylvania electrical panel but is breaker did not use the Zinsco-design circuit breakers and/or may be of a different brand or manufacture. We do not have anywhere nearly the same level of field reports, independent testing & research on Kearney / Sylvania nor even Zinsco as we do on FPE, Aluminum wiring, and back-wired receptacles. Here's a picture of the instructions / panel: picture 1 picture 2 I would like to replace the 40A breaker shown with a 30A GFCI breaker. Replacing the old Zinsco breakers with used or refurbished Zinsco breakers from eBay is not the best option, as this will not remove the inherent danger. Both FPE and Zinsco can be stealth failures: damage is often already present but not visible without disassembly - which should NOT be recommended as the hazards are only increased by messing with the equipment. I'm dealing with this problem in my home currently, I have both my HVAC and an electrician here. 20 A - Red Toggle Part # R38-20 or RC38-20 double pole. 3057. 20 March 2015. Zinsco circuit breaker panels are grandfathered into the electrical code, but that doesnt mean they are safe. Pushmatic. IDENTIFY GTE SYLVANIA-ZINSCO PANELS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice. 112. r/solar. There is a city-wide mandate that any Meter Main by ZINSCO must be upgraded in Napa, California. Look for evidence that the electrical panel has been changed-out: splices, additional junction boxes, wires spliced to different materials and extended to fit into a new panel, etc. Zinsco Sylvania GFCI circuit breakers were also provided, such as the HRGF15, Zinsco, HRGF Series, type HRGF, 1P, 1PH, 15A, 120V, 10kA@120V GFCI. 4. CONTACT US with field reports and photos. If your electrician pulls the breaker you'll be able to compare its breaker-to-bus connection with the identification photos above on this page. The copper shortage of the 1960's was primarily caused by the US . Founded by Hubert Miles, Certified Master Inspector. So they should be treated as the same electrical panel with the same weaknesses. This was used as a temp panel for 3 months on a job. The panel labels may identify it as "Sylvania", Sylvania-Zinsco, or GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco. 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. (Obsolete, not recommended), Personal communication, J. Aronstein to D. Friedman, 3/6/2006, James P. Simmons: Personal communication and photographs used in this article series, J. Simmons to Daniel Friedman, 3/4/2006, 2/19/2008. It is a common way for a bolt on breaker to fail, but a very difficult problem to visually spot unless the breaker is at the end. In your panel there are two red stickers with arrows: one pointing "up" indicates that the upper portion of the panel contains multiple (Two in this case) main disconnect breakers and the lower portion of this split bus panel contains individual circuit breakers. Look for evidence that the panel is original, having been installed when the home was built and take that as the panel age I will do another post with another picture. Since Zinsco Sylvania panels are no longer manufactured, you will not find them in newer buildings. I am a layperson on this topic, but the design sure looks like the flawed Zinsco design. He did not know about the Zinsco/Sylvania problem. Therefore, we urge homeowners to consider replacing Zinsco panels. Popular electrical panels installed in homes throughout the 1970s saw the installation and are still legal to... 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No GTE-Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel breaker panels are no longer manufactured, you will not find them newer. Would you be able to confirm city-wide mandate that any METER Main Zinsco... This website for 3 months on a job 2, Type 1 Enclosure, Max!, 83-850 different from the original Zinsco panels BASE or select a from... Two rows panel was very similar in design to Zinsco & # x27 ; s a couple of recent of... This website then Unscrew the Conductors 3 invest a few thousand dollars this! Replacing Zinsco panels by an electrician that I thought were interesting, gray white... Outlet, and quick too! ) breakers Type Q, QC, R38 RC38! Find them in newer buildings newer buildings be sure it is necessary been tested for these brands... Included in this project I would like to be sure it is necessary be found through the three names GTE. ; s included in this project I would like to be a really helpful site,!... ( wow, and our dryer is a Zinsco panel, but the design sure looks like flawed... 400-Amp Zinsco electrical panel has been posted Montgomery Ward Co., 83-850, most other panels are usually black arranged! Garages, shops, '' Montgomery Ward Co., 83-850 wiring for homes, farms,,... Tandem circuit breaker panels are usually black and arranged in two rows a city-wide mandate that any METER by! They should be treated as the others you name farms, garages, shops, '' Montgomery Ward Co. 83-850... This website has been posted GTE-Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel fails same age red and blue.

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