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federal pacific breakers

zepfan
zepfan Member Posts: 397
Has anyone had to buy reconditioned federal pacific circuit breakers? If so where is a good place to get them online? There are still a lot of FP stuff out there, but finding replacement parts can be tough.Thanks to all

Comments

  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,367
    Personally, I wouldn't sleep in a house that had FPE breakers.

    Do a web search about the breakers and the scandal that went with it. You won't think so highly of UL afterward.

    I don't know of any "reconditioned". They didn't protect the circuit and the "stablock" design was a disaster.

    You can get "listed" aftermarket replacements from most electrical supply houses.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    Do not waste your money on replacement FP breakers. Replace the entire panel. That's the only safe thing to do. Go here for more:

    http://inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPE_Stab_Lok_Hazards.htm
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    Jean-David Beyer
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    Back in SoCal they were commonly referred to as "Fire Specific."
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    This has come up before- here's a link to an earlier thread. The links in this one refer to the same site as mentioned above, but the URLs have changed:

    http://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/124963/federal-pacific-electrical-panel-problems-steamhead#latest
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • Michael Welch
    Michael Welch Member Posts: 43
    Every electrician I know rips them out due to fire hazards.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    How do you know if you have them if there is no brand on the panel?
  • Canucker
    Canucker Member Posts: 722
    If the OP is in Canada, there was no recall of FP gear, it was just the U.S., to the best of my knowledge
    You can have it good, fast or cheap. Pick two
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    So, is the USA/UL recall like the Ultra-Vent/Plexco Vent fiasco? It was changed if someone was willing to eat the cost of a replacement? So no one went back and fixed their work that had the recalled venting in it?

    The original installer was paid and they are LOOOOOOOONG gone. Never to be heard from again.

    When I had my AC system changed, the installer needed a bigger breaker for something. He went off on a long safari to get a new breaker, After a few days, he came back with another one. So, it must be available. This being Florida, where cheap is a genetic trait, I'm surprised they didn't use WW ll war surplus panels with screw in fuses that you can reset with a penny or a dime.
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,476
    I remember cartridge fuses with replaceable links, I think they were 100 - 600A sizes. That was back when parts of Boston still had DC power.

    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    edited December 2014
    icesailor said:

    How do you know if you have them if there is no brand on the panel?

    Follow the link I posted above- that site has pictures.
    icesailor said:

    So, is the USA/UL recall like the Ultra-Vent/Plexco Vent fiasco? It was changed if someone was willing to eat the cost of a replacement? So no one went back and fixed their work that had the recalled venting in it?

    The original installer was paid and they are LOOOOOOOONG gone. Never to be heard from again.

    When I had my AC system changed, the installer needed a bigger breaker for something. He went off on a long safari to get a new breaker, After a few days, he came back with another one. So, it must be available. This being Florida, where cheap is a genetic trait, I'm surprised they didn't use WW ll war surplus panels with screw in fuses that you can reset with a penny or a dime.

    I'm surprised anyone carries them at all, due to the liability.

    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    I don't know if they were FP breakers. That's why I was asking about them and if you could tell.

    The panel breakers don't really look like Square D Homeline breakers. There was a QO breaker outside at the compressor. They had one of those in their truck. To get the one in the panel, he had to go on Safari. It sounds like the FP's had an unusual way of connecting to the buss bar. These don't seem to have that problem. I'll have to ask the maintenance guy if he knows what they are.

    Standard quickie job. Lots of latex white primer overspray in the panel when you take the cover off. If you have a problem with both eyes focusing on the same point like I do, its hard to follow the black wires. With all the white paint on the black wires. Typical high quality with my favorite electrical trick. Running 3 wire and using the red and the black for separate circuits. With two circuits in the same box. One place in the kitchen, one circuit for the DW and another for the Pig. On the same receptacle. I didn't dare to see if they made 220 volts across.

    Sometimes, sparky can be right dangerous.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    Take a picture, and post it- if it's FP it should be obvious.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Sadly, I was in Lowes and someone mistook my camera case for a fanny pack. They stole my camera thinking it was a wallet. I didn't care about the camera so much as I did with the 4 Gig memory card with all the photos on it.

    If I could figure out how to do it with my Samsung Galaxy S-4 and post it, maybe. It is the most hateful electronic device I have ever owned. Designed for me personally to drive me nuts.
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,367
    One of the easiest ways to ID FP breakers from others is that you push the handle towards the outside of the panel to turn them "ON" instead of towards the middle like others.

    This marvel of engineering, coupled with their wedge shaped "StabLock" bus connection, causes the breaker to want to loosen from the bus when you turn it on, instead of tightening as others would.
    This, of course, greatly improves the reliability of the connection - said no sane man ever.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,722
    Completely off topic, but I will post it anyway. Ice should write a book. They way he words things I could read it all day long and be quite entertained!
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
  • Randy-LeeBraman
    Randy-LeeBraman Member Posts: 46
    Once watched a hundred feet of dead shorted 12/2 wire burn
    and never tripped the FP breaker,they are bad news!!!!
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,476
    I worked in a factory that had 200A 3 phase FP panels that didn't have enough slots so they took out all the single phase breakers and replaced them with double breakers.

    You could feed the heat coming off those panels from three feet away. One thing is copper wire is a lot more pliable when it's about 90C.

    The real problem was putting the cover back on after replacing a breaker, stuffing all that wire back into the box without pinching one between the box and the cover. One day a guy offered to help me by holding the cover while I got the screws caught, I told him to hold the panel only and not touch the box.

    He didn't listen and a live wire got pinched between the cover and the box, Jimmy flew across the hall while I stuffed that wire back somewhere where it couldn't touch anything and finished tightening down the cover. Jimmy said he never felt more alive - good thing it was 120 and not 277v.

    fun times,

    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Issue resolved. Thanks. NOT FP. The breakers switch on by pushing to the middle. Like a normal breaker. Inside on some of the breakers is a sticker that says: Sylvania. Another quality brand, sold out to the vulture capitalists for slow money.