FEDERAL PACIFIC  ELECTRIC, FPE STAB LOK Electrical Panels & Circuit Breakers: Latent Fire Hazards

FPE Stab-Lok Equipment in Residential Properties: Hazards & Remedies

This page presents a summary of information provided at thehosted at the online encyclopedia InspectAPedia.com. That website contains more extensive information for consumers and building professionals regarding aluminum electrical wiring in residential properties. Actual documents, authoritative research, and government resources about aluminum wiring are found there. That website is the most extensive and authoritative Internet information source for FPE Stab-Lok electrical panels and related hazards. (Photo at left of a burned, case-blown FPE Stab-Lok circuit breaker is courtesy of Roger Hankey. More FPE field failure reports and identification photographs can be found at thew FPE website link below.) [This page may be freely distributed in print or electronic form and may be copied to other websites. Do not alter the content of this page without first contacting us for permission. InspectAPedia.com privacy and content use policies can be viewed at Accuracy & Privacy Policies.]

The FPE Stab-Lok Hazard

Federal Pacific Electric (FPE Stab-Lok) was a widely-distributed electrical panel brand . They are very common in the North Texas area. For years, stories about the hazards and defects related to this equipment have prevailed. Field reports of recalls, poor manufacturing and house fires have been reported, and independent testing confirms that these circuit breakers fail to trip at rates as high as more than 60 percent of the time, compared with typical circuit breaker failure rates of less than 0.1 % of the time. Detailed information about  the hazards of Federal Pacific "Stab-Lok" circuit breaker panels includes compelling evidence that these panel boxes as wellas the circuit breakers themselves are a latent fire hazard. A successful class-action lawsuit was completed in New Jersey, but otherwise, there was no product recall and there is no warranty relief for the product. Where found in service these electrical panels should be replaced. For details, see:

FPE Stab-Lok HAZARDS & REPAIRS WEBSITE - the Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Electrical Hazards Website - description of the problem, technical studies, field reports, product identification photographs, history of the problem, all public documents on this topic can be found here.

FPE Stab-Lok TECHNICAL REPORT - Detailed study by independent forensic engineer Dr. Jess Aronstein demonstrated the failure rates in this product

REPAIR ELECTRICIANS lists repair electricians who are familiar with the FPE Stab-Lok hazard and how it should be corrected.

If you have additional information, technical critique, suggestions, etc. we would welcome suggestions.

WANTED: FPE Stab-Lok Failure Cases & Data for ongoing study on frequency and severity of occurrence of problems.

If you have experienced any problem, or symptom of possible problem with Federal Pacific Electric FPE Stab-Lok equipment, panels, circuit breakrs, or have repaired or replaced it, please contact Daniel Friedman at InspectAPedia.com using this Contact Us link. All information is confidential. Study results will be provided to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and to the electrical industry.

More Information

• Aluminum Wiring Information Website - the aluminum wiring home page
• FPE Stab-Lok HAZARDS & REPAIRS WEBSITE - the Federal Pacific Electric FPE Stab Lok latent hazard public information website
• 2008 - 2007 FPE Stab-Lok TECHNICAL REPORT (revised) - an updated test report of independent testing (a large 1.2MB PDF file) using a larger pool of FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers than the older CPSC and Wright Malta tests found significantly higher failure rates of FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers, including a look at critical safety failures (breaker failed to trip at 200% of rated current or jammed) which found up to 80% failure rate for FPE Stab-Lok GFCI circuit breakers (n=4), 12% failure rate for double pole FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers (n=120), and a 1% failure rate for FPE Stab-Lok single pole circuit breakers (n=345).
• The Federal Pacific Stab-Lok Electric Panel Hazard Website Safety Information for Consumers. 1983
• Home Inspection Reporting Language and discussion for FPE panels
• How to Identify FPE Federal Pacific Stab-Lok Electric Panels - is yours one of these? ALSO: A History of the FPE Stab-Lok Issue.
• FPE FIRES: Failures continue: FPE breaker fails, results in fires: field reports
• Federal Pacific Electric Fires Waiting to Happen, Debate Waiting to Be Ended, detailed article
• Replacement Circuit Breakers for FPE Stab-Lok Electric Panels? are not recommended. We recommend replacement of the entire electrical panel, or replacement of the entire electrical panel bus assembly. See FPE REPLACEMENT PANELS for details.
• Replacement Panels for FPE Stab-Lok load centers - options include conventional complete panel replacement and a less costly replacement of the panel interior load center/bus assembly
• 2009 Where is Federal Pacific Electric today? Leaving out some steps and omitting (for now) Exxon's role:
• There is currently no "FPE Corporation" to whom consumers can easily presently direct a complaint unless they participated in the New Jersey Class Action - see below
• An FPE attorney exists, apparently charged with protecting some un liquidated assets and apparently charged with sheltering intermediate owners and corporations (Reliance, Exxon, Challenger, Others) from litigation. His efforts were behind the silly infomercial article that appeared in the IAEI magazine on this issue.
• New Jersey Class Action lawsuit settled, homeowner plaintiffs received $500. per panel and institutional plaintiffs received varying amounts. The lawsuit pertained to original homeowners in New Jersey who had an FPE Stab-Lok electrical panel in their homes. Details are below.
• Fifty FPE Field Failures Reported to US CPSC - 2006 letter from Dr. Jess Aronstein, consulting engineer
• FPE Class Action Lawsuit Results - 2002: New Jersey Judge's Summary Judgment for the Plaintiffs against FPE 8-15-2002 & 29 October 2002 - "FPE violated the Consumer Fraud Act because FPE knowingly and purposefully distributed circuit breakers which were not tested to meet UL Standards as indicated on their label and there is an ascertainable loss for which treble damages are recoverable;" as reported by the Superior Court of New Jersey. [Note: only very limited recovery rights were granted to homeowners and only in New Jersey. The case may still be under appeal as of January 2007].
• New Jersey Federal Pacific Electric Class Action Lawsuit Summary [provides little meaningful relief but supports claims about & against FPE.]
• A Canadian Federal Pacific recall in 1997 is documented here. There has been no "recall" in the U.S. though there is no doubt that the product is hazardous and should be replaced.
  Schneider Electric is the Canadian company which still makes a version of this equipment in Canada under the name Federal Pioneer (but see the Federal Pioneer Recall Notice for Canada.
• Electro-Mechanical Corporation, purchased the assets of a dry-type transformer facility from Challenger and in conjunction with that purchase, acquired the right to use the name Federal Pacific in connection with their products, excluding Stab-Lok circuit breaker products.
• HC Zang Agency in Buffalo, NY says that "Federal Pacific Company and Federal Pacific Transformer Company of Bristol, Virginia are in no way related to the old Federal Pacific Electric (FPE)" and offers to answer questions about the old equipment.
• Consumers should report FPE failures and inspection/reporting issues to the U.S. CPSC, and
• We request that you also report FPE Stab-Lok equipment failures, FPE home inspection or FPE hazard reporting issues to us
• ZINSCO / SYLVANIA HAZARDS - field reports indicate no-trip problems and circuit breaker case explosions with this product;
• FAQs on InspectAPedia.com author/website credibility
• InspectAPedia.com Free Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice