FPE Stab Lok Electric Panel Advice for Home Buyers & Sellers InspectAPedia® -
Is the FPE Stab-Lok Hazard Real?
Has there been an FPE Stab Lok Recall?
FPE Repair/Replacement Advice
Who pays for FPE Stab-Lok replacement?
We recommend that residential FPE Stab-Lok electrical panels be replaced entirely or the entire panel bus assembly be replaced entirely, regardless of model number or year of manufacture. We recommend against replacing individual FPE Stab-lok circuit breakers. We do not sell circuit breakers nor any other products.
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest.
We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices,
false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at
InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.
The bottom line on FPE Stab-lok(TM) electrical panels: The FPE Stab-Lok electrical panel is a latent fire hazard.
The panel or its entire bus assembly should be replaced, not just individual FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers.
Replacement cost ranges from $800 to $2000. There is no useful FPE recall, warranty, or other financial relief.
Making printed copies of this document is permitted. Electronic reproduction or copying of our website pages and articles in any other form is prohibited.
Home buyers and home inspectors who encounter a difference of opinion about FPE Stab-Lok equipment
expressed by a home seller, seller's attorney, or real estate agent, sometimes report the view that because there was no US Government
recall of FPE Stab-Lok electrical panels, there is no concern regarding that equipment.
The hazard: Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok electrical panels are a latent fire hazard because the circuit breakers frequently fail to
trip when they should. A circuit breaker that does not trip in response to an unsafe overcurrent or circuit overload in a building
is not providing the protection that was intended.
The absence of a recall of FPE Stab-lok electrical panels does not mean the absence of a problem. Aluminum wiring
is a recognized fire hazard but was never "recalled". Pennies in fuse sockets are a recognized electrical fire hazard but have never been
specifically addressed by recall nor by explicit legislation.
Conflicts of interest: OPINION: people who assert that this product is not a concern are speaking from a position of conflicting interest (wanting to sell a
house for the most profit, or wanting to protect corporate assets from liability claims). This viewpoint does not
include a concern for the safety of the next occupants of a building served by an FPE Stab-Lok electrical panel.
Past history is no promise of future: Statements about this equipment by an owner or realtor that "there has never been a problem in this building" are not a safe
predictor of what can happen in the future. It may simply be the case that the circuit breakers have not been called-on to
respond to an overload condition.
The FPE Stab-Lok electrical panel should be replaced. No new breakers, no inspections, no tests. Replaced.
The cost of electrical panel replacement, (typically $800. to $2800) is not significant as a portion of value of a home.
Some replacement methods (steel panel enclosure reuse) may reduce that cost in some cases.
Recalls, warranties, financial aid for replacing FPE Stab-Lok electrical panels: currently we are aware of no useful relief to consumers through these avenues when replacing this equipment.
Who pays for the replacement electrical panel? We are a neutral party concerning who pays (buyer or seller of a property) but we suggest that the panel should be replaced promptly.
Our opinion is that a building seller is not required by state or federal law to fix anything and in fact could be assuming liability by doing so. However some lenders or insurance companies may require that certain safety or other building defects be repaired before issuing a mortgage or an insurance policy.
Our opinion is that similarly, a seller is not obligated to discount their property because of the need for an electrical panel replacement - that's something that is negotiable between buyer and seller.
But if a seller agrees to assume all or part of the cost of repairing a building defect in the building being sold, there are some reasons why it's better to give the buyer a fair allowance than for the seller to actually perform the work. By making an allowance to the buyer for the repair of an agreed-on defect:
The seller puts the buyer in control of the repair, permitting the buyer to have confidence that the work was done to their satisfaction, with no short-cuts.
The buyer may be able to combine the needed repair with other elective repairs or property improvements (such as installing a larger ampacity electrical panel than the old one that was removed), thus saving money.
This step also relieves the seller of responsibility for the work having been performed correctly.
It is important that any buyer be accurately informed lest the seller leave them with an unrecognized hazard in the building. In at least some states in the U.S. a seller or real estate agent who does not disclose a known, substantive property defect to a buyer could be liable for charges of fraud.
The cost of a new electrical panel is such a small portion of the value of a building that the need to replace the panel is not a reason to refuse to buy the building just as the need to repair automobile brakes is not, alone, a reason to refuse to buy a used car.
Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
FPE Stab-Lok TECHNICAL REPORT - Hazardous FPE Circuit Breakers and Electrical Panels,
is a technical report by an un-biased forensic engineer who has tested this equipment and shown the high failure rate of the equipment.
Home Inspection Report Language recommends wording on reporting
this latent safety hazard to home buyers, owners, and other parties involved in a real estate transaction where FPE equipment is installed.
InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.
The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.
InspectAPedia ® Home & Site Map 
InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map
