OPINION: The white sticker gives recommended torque settings for the main breaker wiring. ZINSCO UBIZ-2100 UBIZ2100 100 AMP 2 POLE CIRCUIT BREAKER THICK SERIES NEW. Thanks again *and* in advance after I get more pix! The switch unit is set by a plug-in cam, the angular position of the cam when it is inserted in the breaker operating the switch unit to selectively complete one or more of the shunt current paths. 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. There were problems found with our air handlers and they were wondering if that is what caused this Ark. Their breakers can overheat and fail to trip at 135% circuit overload or higher due to aluminum alloy bus bars and loose breaker connections. Is my panel safe . Can anyone help me? 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. 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. 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. And I would give strong consideration to replacing any panel that had. See GTE-SYLVANIA-ZINSCO FAILURE MECHANISM. Look for evidence that the panel is original, having been installed when the home was built and take that as the panel age Below is a close-up of the bus connection end of a classic Zinsco circuit breaker - showing the difference between these devices. Most of the Zinsco electrical panels and circuit breakers were installed in the 1960s and 1970s. Is this 100 amp breaker from 1965 a zinsco breaker? US $19.5 Free shipping for many products Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1 Zinsco Rc38-15 RC3815 15 Amp 2 Pole Tandem Twin Circuit Breaker 120/240 VAC at the best online prices at . He's doing a great job. It is a Zinsco type electrical panel and should be replaced. Mary See details of the hazard at ZINSCO SYLVANIA ELECTRICAL PANELS as well as above on this page. 1. Experts say that FPE panels produced during that . Also is there a place where I can research to find out if my panels were officially recalled? Due to the deficiencies found in these panels and the adverse effects the panels can cause, Zinsco electrical panels should be replaced. The first Zinsco panels and breakers- labeled "Magnatrip"- (patent issued in 1950) had copper bus-bars and breaker clips. GTE Sylvania Circuit Breakers Type Q, QC, QFP, R38, RC38, & HRGF In that photo I also circle characteristic light green GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco circuit breaker toggle switches. Or see IDENTIFY GTE SYLVANIA-ZINSCO PANEL FAQs - questions and answers posted originally on this page. Use Zinsco circuit breakers type Q, Qc, QCN, Q24, Cat. 20 March 2015. My electrician told me they were Zinsco and had to be replaced. By 1961 Zinsco had switched to an aluminum alloy still used today in their manufacture of panels and load-center busing. Zinsco circuit breakers and the buss connections they use are easily identified regardless of the loss or absence of panel labels. We are pleased to credit and link-to contributors. Replacement is not, in this case, recommended. When these panels experience a short circuit or an overcurrent, they often fail to cut the power supply to the affected circuit. Alpha & Omega Home Inspections, 240V 3 PH LONG 15 3/4 WIDE 27 3/4 $300.00 $102.65 shipping toggle switch colors and unique labels should be sufficient for most inspectors and owners to identify this equipment. I [will] send pictures Sylvania Electrical Panel Catalog No. Above is an example, a Zinsco R38 Tandem circuit breaker sporting light blue toggle switches. The Challenger panel was installed in thousands of homes between 1980s to 1990s. Instructor- Fundamentals of Home Inspection- Bellingham Technical College. I started HomeInspectionInsider.com to help people better understand the home inspection process and answer questions about homeownership and home maintenance. Since Milbank still uses a Zinsco design breaker, prefer to keep them on my "do not buy" list. Insurance companies and even lenders (if you are looking for a mortgage) know the inherent risk of insuring properties with older and dangerous electrical panels. The Pick M'Amp circuit breaker, designed based on Zinsco's problem circuit breaker and bus design, was produced by Unicorn Industries. Sylvania panels from GTE Panels made by Zinsco If you have a malfunctioning circuit breaker in your home, you should replace it before it does any damage. Watch out: the panel looks corroded, rusty, unreliable as a brand-independent hazard, and of course Zinsco breakers and panels are unsafe in any event. Apologies for the delay. The average cost of replacing a Zinsco service panel is $1,600 to $4,000. 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. The table below gives examples of some GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco electrical panel model numbers, Amps ratings, and circuit breaker codes. 200 amps - $1,300 to $2,600. Free shipping for many products! 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. Third party vendors may produce "zinsco replacement" breakers but testing has shown they perform no more safely than the original ones. 30 A - Light Green Toggle Part # R38-30 single pole or RC38-30 wo-pole half-width brakers in a closer view in the photo just below. These are also called cheater breakers. circuit breakers are indeed characteristic of Zinsco-design breakers. 20 A - Red Toggle Part # R38-20 or RC38-20 double pole. Lots of sparks and a hole the size of your pinky in his pliers and neither the branch nor the main opened under a few second long fault. 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. 40 A - Light Gray Toggle Handle Part # RC38-40, 50A - Black Toggles, Part # RC38-50 - shown above, 60A - White Toggle or handle, Part # RC38-60 (not shown in the photo above). Don't be fooled by its lookalike counterparts; this panel is easily distinguishable with its pastel-colored breakers lined up in a single row. Actually that top component labeled "Main" looks like it could even be a fuse pull-out. However, if your home was built during these decades, you may well have a Zinsco electrical panel and circuit breakers in your system. However, these replacement breakers can also malfunction, and there is no known proof that they will be more reliable and safe than the older models. Contact us if you have photos of a Frank Adams electrical panel or other details. 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. Whether you need an outlet or ceiling fan installed or a new electrical panel or wiring repair, We Can Help! 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. Will snapmore pix when I can drag myself away from computer. 2, 225 AMPS Max. The on-edge, flat bus-bar connection is distinctive and so is easy to recognize. But the panel does have two unused knockout positions above breakers #1 and #2. The following panels are considered out of date or have been involved in an electrical panel recall: Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok panels. [Click to enlarge any image], 2. Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. The unsafe electrical panels sold by Zinsco were prevalent between the 1960s and 1970s. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are approximately 46,700 home fires annually due to electrical failure or malfunction. Ok, I see, the panel label has the language you spotted. Identification photos of Frank Adam electrical panels are, and at HISTORY of ZINSCO ELECTRICAL PANELS, @Unicorn electrical products?, That would argue for an occurrence of the bus-connector defects and hazards we've described. The photo above shows the distinctive operating handle on the door of this Zinsco electrical panel. "Had to" is a technical opinion with which I agree. But watch out: there are surely plenty of other GTE panels that are a completely different design and don't have the GTE-Sylvania panel issues. You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted. this is the dryer outlet, and our dryer is a 24-amp appliance, so no problem there. Since Zinsco Sylvania panels are no longer manufactured, you will not find them in newer buildings. It is from 1975. An electrical panel upgrade is the best option and can often be done in one or two days. Watch out: replacement circuit breakers that have been tested for these problem brands have generally performed no better than the originals. An expert who opens the electrical On 2018-08-18 As a homeowner, you are liable when someone is injured on your property, especially if the harm was foreseeable. Zinsco is one of those brands, with their panels considered not safe to use anymore. 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. Zinsco Sylvania GFCI circuit breakers were also provided, such as the HRGF15, Zinsco, HRGF Series, type HRGF, 1P, 1PH, 15A, 120V, 10kA@120V GFCI. As a consequence of this, in Ontario we had to mount drywall behind panels for years. Once I found your website we started to take a different path. Sylvania/zinsco Panel Cover Dead Front | eBay Challenger Panel Cover Dead Front Sylvania/zinsc o Panel Cover Dead Front Condition: Seller refurbished "Panel cover/dead front refurbished to "like new" condition." Price: US $70.00 Buy It Now Add to cart Add to Watchlist Returns accepted Ships from United States Shipping: I found it exceedingly helpful, and think it's worth sharing widely. A Zinsco panel is a good example of such an electrical panel. 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. An electrician needs to look with care at this panel for any immediate safety hazards, pending its replacement. Still, if your electrical panel uses the circuit breakers listed here it may be a Zinsco design. It looks like I have the unsafe Sylvania GTE panel. @Robert shaner, 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. I discovered it by coincidence doing a search on line during the eight hours they've been here so far. Questions & answers about the identification of Zinsco, Sylvania-Zinsco, and Kearney Electrical Panels - Zinsco-look alike Electrical Panels and Circuit Breakers. On 2021-08-21 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. We have published articles on these other panels in part to solicit field reports & research information. Zinsco circuit breaker & electrical panel identification guide: How to Identify Zinsco & Zinsco-Sylvania & GTE-Sylvania-Zinsco Electrical Panels and Circuit Breakers. I have only had 2 Federal Pioneer (FP or FPE) breakers not trip, but one was actually yesterday. 2. Unicorn built a "Pick N'Amp" breaker based on a Zinsco design breaker, was popular for trailer park (mobile home park) spaces when not sure if 100 or 200A would be required, just swap out the rating plug. Joe JRL Electric Supply said: Zinsco electrical panels were distributed in the United States, primarily in the Western states. This type of panel was mainly installed in the 1970's. Besides looking at the label of the panel for the name, this panel has pastel colored breakers that are in one row down. Zinsco or GTE-Sylvania panels were popular electrical panels installed in homes throughout the 1970s. Excerpts: Why Do Zinsco Panels Malfunction? Hi all what about unicorn electrical products? Like Zinsco, it brought safety hazards and was recalled. 3. Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia. Understanding the Zinsco failure mechanism is pertinent and is discussed in this article series. Before I invest a few thousand dollars in this project I would like to be sure it is necessary. 390-205-09 on a label which has the bottom left corner torn off. 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. The Zinsco Style may be labeled as Zinsco, Challenger or Sylvaina. 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