Central Ohio Home Inspection

Home Inspections in Columbus Ohio and all of Central Ohio

Obsolete electric panels and the home inspection

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It’s Time to Upgrade the Electric.

Safe and reliable electricity is something we depend on. Many obsolete electric panels installed prior to the early 1990’s do not provide this. Often older panels have unprofessional DIY and handyman ‘upgrades’ that should be corrected. These should be called out during the Home Inspection as deficient.

  1. Fuse panels: Most fuse panels provided acceptable service when they were installed. However, they are often only 60 amps which is obsolete by today’s standards. They were installed before air conditioning and other modern conveniences. DIY wiring often exists and the panel is too small for the load.  It is not uncommon to see a wire rated for 15 amps fused at 20 or 30 amps.  This panel is obsolete and should be upgraded.
  2. Pushmatic or Bulldog: These were installed from the 1960’s thru the 80’s. Most of these panels are undersized by today’s standards. They have weak breakers that often will not reset. Many times the breaker will show that is off when in fact it is on making any repair a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, they cannot be upgraded to AFCI or GFCI breakers. At a minimum, this panel should be evaluated by an electrician. It is wise to consider replacing it.
  3. Zinsco: Installed through the 1970’s, these panels are known to deteriorate over time.  Portions of the panel can actually melt.  This is an unsafe panel! Replace it, period.
  4. FPE, or Federal Pacific Stab-Lok: Were installed from the 1950’s thru the early 1980’s. If you still have this panel, they should be replaced.  The breakers are known to fall out when removing the ‘dead front’ or panel cover which is why the panel cover will not be removed for your home inspection. The breakers do not necessarily trip at the appropriate rating rendering them unsafe.
  5. Improper service upgrade: It is common to find a beautiful 200-amp panel in an older home. Sometimes the electric meter box and wiring from the power pole to the meter and on to the panel is only rated for 60-100 amps. I assure you that this upgrade was done without the approval of the electric company or building department. In this case, the weak link- the service entrance cable, defines the ampacity of the service. So, even though the panel says 200 amps you only have a 60-100 amp service. This is a very straightforward upgrade that should be done.

We don’t drive 50-year-old cars, an obsolete electric panel is an equivalent.