Monday, January 18, 2016

Federal Pacific Panels and the Dangers they Pose

Federal Pacific panels

were designed with the intention of ensuring your home's electrical safety. From time to time, there are reported cases of these panels breaking down and malfunctioning, leading to the danger of houses catching fires, with the destruction of property and in dire cases resulting in loss of lives.
Homeowners are constantly faced with the dangers and risks associated with Federal Pacific panels. There are some reasons why these panels might be a danger to homes and the lives of people. This feature aims at highlighting the reasons behind the dangers associated with federal pacific electric panels.
Old panels
The Federal Pacific panels have been in existence for decades now since they became operational in the 1950's through to 1980's. There have been many changes and modifications in features of the panels through time. Many homes are fitted with these old panels, and homeowners of such homes stand the risk of having them malfunction. In the event of these old models of panels malfunctioning, they pose a great danger to the house and lives of people.
The old versions of the Federal Pacific Electric panels have crowded wires; spring mounted bus bars and active breakers that are not fitted with the current safety features. This is the reason such panels malfunction on many occasions.
Design flaws
Some of the Federal Pacific panels might have faults that originate from their design. An example of such design-related defects includes Breakers tripping in cases where the dead front cover is removed, failure of reconnection of the Breakers with bus bars, jamming Breakers that result in the panels being overcrowded and the Breakers splitting when they are placed into sockets. Such flaws almost always guarantee a malfunction of the panels resulting in the danger of electric fires.
Manufacturing flaws
Defective Federal Pacific panels might have resulted from flaws created by the manufacturers. The Breakers designs and their materials may not be strong enough to serve their function. Such manufacturing flaws are the reasons behind the many cases of malfunctioning panels resulting in their associated risks.
When a Pacific panel trips, there is a surge of extreme amounts of electric power from the power supply to your homes resulting in many cases, electric fires.
Tests carried out on Federal Pacific panels installed within the 1980's indicate that a third of such panels are defective and may not trip off properly in the events of danger. Many of these panels have been found to be unfit to be placed in homes but still many homeowners are not aware of this.

Hire a licensed electrician

It is important to homeowners whose Federal Pacific panels are between 25 and 65 years old to have them reassessed with the necessary upgrades being fitted or have them completely removed from their homes and installing the latest versions of electric panels. A proper assessment of the panels by a licensed electrician or home inspector will tell whether the panel is in good functioning condition or whether they are obsolete and should be replaced.
It is wise to have the Federal Pacific electric panel in your home checked and assessed with a professional, licensed electrician to avert any future dangers and risks associated with old, obsolete and out of function or malfunctioning federal pacific electric panel. A good, functional Pacific electric panel should be able to offer proper protection to families and homes against dangers related to electric faults.
Ensure your house is fitted with the correct electric panel that has all the latest safety updates to prevent the risks associated with fires as a result of malfunction, out of date federal pacific panels.
On Time Electric has many years of experience dealing with federal pacific panels. They are a licensed electrician in Tampa, FL and can provide electric panel changes safely and efficiently for your home. Do not hesitate to call and ask for a free inspection to determine the safety of your electric panel. 813-545-9333