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UBI FPE circuit breaker smoking under test at 400% of rated current (C) Inspectapedia.com & J Aronstein 2017UBI Replacements for FPE Stab-Lok®
UBI-FP Circuit Breaker Failure-Test Results

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about the purchase of replacement FPE Stab Lok circuit breakers: where they are obtained, where they are made, are they tested, how they may be expected to perform, whether or not you should use them

UBI-brand FPE Circuit Breaker Replacement test results:

Current results of overcurrent tests performed on UBI circuit breakers sold as replacements for FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers: as of April 2017, testing of 420 UBI circuit breakers show overall a high failure rate of about 42% - higher than FPE circuit breakers, and significantly-higher than the performance of most other brands and designs of circuit breakers.

In addtion, two-pole UBI breakers frequently jam after which they will not trip at any level of overcurrent.

This article series gives expert advice about replacing FPE Stab-Lok® circuit breakers - Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok® breakers and discusses how to repair FPE StabLok Panels and circuit breakers for actual improvements in electrical safety.

Replacement FPE Stab-Lok® circuit breakers are unlikely to reduce the failure risk of this equipment. We recommend that residential FPE Stab-Lok® electrical panels be replaced entirely or the entire panel bus assembly be replaced, regardless of FPE model number or FPE year of manufacture. We do not sell circuit breakers nor any other products. 

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

UBI Replacement Circuit Breaker Independent Test Results - 2017 Update

UBI brand replacement circuit breaker (C) InspectApedia.com- EliUBI replacement circuit breakers like the equipment shown at the top of this page are sold as replacement units for FPE Stab-Lok or Federal Pacific Electric or Federal Electric or Federal Pioneer circuit breakers, and for other electrical panel brands including for Zinsco circuit breakers.

The photo of gray 15, 20 and 50A circuit breakers shown just above/left illustrates UBI-brand replacement circuit breakers, provided by reader E.K. (2014) who included the image in an FPE UBI breaker field failure report described

at FPE FAILURE FIELD REPORTS.

Page top photo of smoking UBI - FPE circuit breaker: The FPE-replacement UBI circuit breaker shown at the top of this page smokes without tripping off when subjected to 60A or 400% of rated current.

Smoke (red arrows) is coming out of the toggle slot at the top of the breaker and out of the arc chute (lower right). The orange arrow points to a burn spot near the breaker bottom where internal parts are overheating.

[Click to enlarge any image]

The test conditions that led to this smoking breaker that did not trip in response to an overcurrent are explained by Dr. Jess Aronstein:

One of the 15-amp 2-pole breakers [among a group of UBI breakers undergoing independent testing] went to 200% of rated current without tripping. Typically, when a circuit breaker does not trip at 200% it is not a calibration error, but is most likely due to jamming of the mechanism. It happens most often on the 2-pole breakers.

I ran the jammed 15-amp breaker up to 60 amps, 400% of rated current. It still did not trip. The photo below was taken just before I shut it down. - J.A. by private email to editor 2017/03/04

Results of Independent UBI-FPE Circuit Breaker Tests

A reader E.K. corresponded with us beginning in 2014 that in 2004 his condominium association replaced all of the old original FPE circuit breakers in the condominium complex with UBI replacement breakers. The reader explained that he discovered that the new replacement UBI circuit breakers were faulty.

The reader quoted below, a resident of Northgate Gardens, a large condominium complex in Waltham MA, subsequently provided a collection of UBI circuit breakers to Dr. Jess Aronstein for independent testing. Results are reported below.

The same person who sent these UBI circuit breakers to Aronstein for testing is an electrical engineer (EE) who had one circuit breaker passing about 200% of rated current without tripping. He had his panel changed and the condo board is considering making it a mandatory change in all other units. (They "upgraded" from the original FPE breakers some years ago.)

In a letter to the condominium board the reader's comments included this remark:

In my other condo we also had the same type of electrical panels; back in 2003 we had a fire inside a wall of one of the units which caused extensive damage, we were fortunate that no one was injured. - Anon [by private email]
a
[Editor's note: the 2003 fire referred to by the reader's comment took place at a different facility, not at Northgate Gardens in Waltham. However that distinction does not preclude the occurrence a fire or other loss involving an FPE electrical panel wherever that equipment remains installed.]

Below we provide two tables of independent test results for UBI-Brand replacement circuit breakers for FPE panels. The first table is a summary of test results to date while the second table provides more details of some of the tests.

Table I Summary of FPE UBI-Brand Replacement Circuit Breaker Failure Test Results

Summary: All Nortgate Condo UBI®-F Stab-Lok® (FPE Replacement) Circuit Breakers Tested

  Number Tested n=265 Failure Percent
Total # UBI Breakers Tested from Northgate 420  
   Breakers Failing to Meet UL 135% Trip Requirement 177 42%
   Critical Safety Failures (no trip @ 200%) Subset of the 135% no-trip total 14* 3%
         * Subset of the 135% no-trip total
 
Breakers by Type Included in the Summary Above - Single-Pole vs. 2-Pole Number Tested n=312 Failure Percent
Single Pole UBI - FPE Breaker Tests    
Total # Single Pole UBI Breakers Tested 3121  
   Breakers Failing to Meet UL 135% Trip Requirement 122 39%
   Critical Safety Failures (no trip @ 200%) Subset of the 135% no-trip total 0 0 %
     
Double Pole UBI - FPE Breaker Tests    
Total # Double Pole UBI Breakers Tested 1081  
   Breakers Failing to Meet UL 135% Trip Requirement 55 51%
   Critical Safety Failures (no trip @ 200%) Subset of the 135% no-trip total 14 13%

Notes to the table above

Source:

Some FPE-UBI Breaker Test Details

Table II - Example Subset of Table I Above: FPE UBI-Brand Replacement Circuit Breaker Failure Detailed Test Results1

Breaker ID & Ampacity Quantity Breaker Type:
Poles
Test Result Comments
UBI - FPE Replacement Circuit Breaker Tests: 2016-2017
UBI 15-Amp 20 Single Pole

9 failures @ 135% - 45% failure rate

Failure = failed to trip at 135% of rated current - the UL Standard requirement
UBI 15-Amp 3 Double Pole

2 failures @ 135% - 67% failure rate

Small sample size.
UBI 50-Amp 6 Double Pole

3 failures @ 135% - 50% failure rate

2 failures @ 200% - 33% failure rate

The 2 that failed to trip at 200% of rated current jammed, making them unlikely to trip at any current level.
         
UBI - FPE Replacement Circuit Breaker Tests: 2014
UBI 15-Amp 3 Single Pole 2 failures @ 135% - 67% failure rate  
UBI 20-Amp 2 Single Pole 2 failures @ 135% - 100% failure rate  
UBI 50-Amp 1 Double Pole 1 failure @ 135% - 100% failure rate  

Notes to the table above

FPE-UBI Breaker Test data as of 2 January 2017

UBI FPE Replacement Breaker Test Comments from Dr. Aronstein:

Overall, half of the UBI breakers so far tested from Northgate Gardens failed to meet the industry (and therefore the NEC) safety standard requirement. The safety exposure due to these failures ranges from mild to severe (the 50-amp jammed breakers).

The test procedure that I use encompasses the UL 100% (should not trip), 135% (must trip within one hour), and the 200% (must trip) requirements. Breakers that fail to trip properly are on the test stand for more than two hours. A failing double pole breaker can take more than 6 hours to test. Based on the UBI circuit breaker failure rate experienced to date, I expect it to take about three weeks to complete testing of the first batch that you have sent.

The more breakers that are tested, the more certain the conclusion will be -- from a statistical standpoint -- and the more likely it will be that corrective action will be taken by other homeowners and by responsible government agencies.

So, all readers are encouraged to collect and send samples of FPE replacement-type circuit breakers.

Older FPE-UBI Breaker Test Data: 3 December 2014:

Included in the lower portion of the table above are the December 2014 results of the tests on the UBI "Stab-Lok" (FPE replacement) circuit breakers that you sent. The breakers were tested at 135%, which is the required UL "must trip" level. Those that failed to trip at 135% (sustained for one hour minimum) were subjected to higher current until they tripped or reached 200% of rated current.

Five of the seven UBI breakers that the reader sent failed to trip as required at 135% of rated current. The sample size is small, but it may properly reflect the state of UBI's quality control at the time your breakers were purchased.

Overall, [J.A. had as of 12/14 ] tested 23 UBI Stab-Lok type breakers, with 8 failures. I have also tested 3 UBI Zinsco replacement type breakers, and all 3 failed to trip as required at 135%. [See ZINSCO CIRCUIT BREAKER TEST REPORT] That totals 11 failures out of 26 UBI breakers tested [in 2014].

 

UBI (or other brand) Replacement FPE or FP Stab-Lok Circuit Breakers for Testing

Updated, 2017/04/18: The sample size of Northgate UBI circuit breakers is considered sufficient to prove the defect level.

Three thousand FPE type breakers tested to date (2018): the statistical certainty of conclusions drawn from the data is very high.

These breakers have a significantly-high rate of failure to perform safely. Details are

at CIRCUIT BREAKER FAILURE RATES and also

at FPE INVESTIGATION CPSC

Homeowners and renovators who encounter these panels should replace the entire panel and circuit breaker set with new equipment. Panel replacement, can involve significant expense, typically $800 to $1800 depending on service size and other factors.

FPE - UBI Replacement Circuit Breaker Discussion [with a vendor of replacement breakers]

For space and clarity, this discussion is now located

at UBI CIRCUIT BREAKER VENDOR COMMENTS On FPE Stab-Lok replacement breakers, posted by a manufacturer sales representative as comments

to FPE Stab-Lok® : FIRES WAITING TO HAPPEN.

U.L. 489 Circuit Breaker Test Standard

Below is a description of the UL (and probably ETL) follow-up service for breakers listed under UL489. Note that the only testing required is at the factory, "observed" by the UL inspector.

Certification tests to the UL 489 Standard are witnessed by UL engineering representatives. At the successful completion of the test program, UL permits circuit breakers to bear a UL Listing mark combined with the product identity of “CIRCUIT BREAKER” or “CIRCUIT BREAKER FRAME.”

These circuit breakers are then required to undergo subsequent follow-up testing on a regular basis: quarterly, semiannually or biannually depending on the circuit breaker size and quantities produced. All follow-up tests are witnessed by UL field representatives.

Watch out: In our opinion there is a big hole in the electrical safety net. Nobody is sampling replacement circuit breakers from the market chain to check their quality level, and there is no test data available to the public to serve as guidance in selecting a brand of breaker.

 

InspectAPedia is an independent publisher of building, environmental, and forensic inspection, diagnosis, and repair information provided free to the public - we have no business nor financial connection with any manufacturer or service provider discussed at our website.

We are dedicated to making our information as accurate, complete, useful, and unbiased as possible: we very much welcome critique, questions, or content suggestions for our web articles. Working together and exchanging information makes us better informed than any individual can be working alone.

More information about this website is at ABOUT InspectApedia.com

 




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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question:2022/04/15 What can be done to remove and replace the Fed Pac breakers without unnecessarily changing panels?

What can be done to remove and replace the Fed Pac breakers without unnecessarily changing panels?

Please advise which breakers we can use ,as obviously the panel itself is not a trip issue. - Anonymous in private email to Dr. Jess Aronstein - conversation excerpted here with permission.

Electrical Engineer's reply:

Your electrician is proposing to install UBI breakers to replace the FPE breakers. The report that you attached has substantive data on the UBI breakers.

In particular, I trust that you have seen the following regarding UBI FPE type replacement breakers:

Page 11, Table 3B line 3 (UBI breakers)
Page 11, Section 3C
Page 12, Tables 3C and 3D
Page 12, Section 3D
Page 24, Sections 14 and 15
Page 25, Figure 11

The report is up-to-date and the test results are accurate. There is no data data that contradicts the test results or the conclusions. The manufacturer has no substantive test data to offer that backs up the advertising piece that the electrician sent to you.

The UBI breakers that he is proposing to install are not UL "approved". While they are "listed and labeled" by ETL (a competitor of UL) and therefore meet the letter of the NEC and NYC codes, they are substandard and do not meet the actual functional requirements for circuit overload protection.

If you need more detailed information, see the website www.fpe-info.org and the technical paper "Molded Case Circuit Breakers - Some Holes in the Electrical Safety Net" which can be accessed at ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8283732

Below is a pertinent quote and photo from that paper. "Brand 10" is UBI. (IEEE editorial rules prohibit use of the actual brand name.)

Feel free to contact me if you or your electrician need additional information.

Jesse Aronstein, Ph.D., P.E.

Fig. 8 shows a field sample of a Brand 10 (X) 2-pole 15A breaker that jammed and did not trip when tested up to 60A (400% of rating).

FIGURE 8.

Brand X replacement circuit breaker failure documented in Aronstein's 20198 Circuit Breaker test report - cited & discussed at Inspectapedia.comBrand 10 (X) 15A 2-Pole Breaker, Jammed, Tested to 60A.

The burn mark on the side of the case corresponds to the position of the severely overheating bimetallic element of the internal mechanism. The toggle face of this breaker, as seen by a person looking at the load center, has a perfectly normal appearance and the breaker’s toggle action feels normal.

The sample shown in Fig. 8 was manufactured in 2004 and installed in a condominium complex the following year. It is one of about 3,000 of that brand in the complex that replaced the original Brand 9 (X) breakers for safety reasons. All of the replacement breakers are now being replaced, once again for safety reasons. Of the 420 Brand 10 (X) breakers from this complex that have been tested, 177 (43%) failed to trip at or below 135% of rated current as required and 14 of the 104 2-pole breakers jammed.

The condominium owners have now replaced two brands of substandard circuit breakers. They are exposed to the possibility that the new breakers that they are installing are also substandard. Brand 10 (X) is not the only one marketed today that performs poorly in the tests.

This independent UBI circuit breaker test report MOLDED CASE CIRCUIT BREAKERS - SOME HOLES IN THE ELECTRICAL SAFETY NET [PDF] is up-to-date and the test results are accurate.

Th 2018 report cited above continued testing and reported further results supporting conclusions that the author had found by previous testing given in

https://inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPE-Hazards-Aronstein-2017-11-10.pdf - the article that you cited.

Question: 2022/04/14 - comment on the accuracy of Independent Tests of replacement circuit breakes for FPE panels

I was shown your article in below link regarding federal pacific.

Can you please inform on the accuracy of below and attached from my electrician that as long as the actual breakers are replaced then no need to replace the panels. - Anonymous in private email to Dr. Jess Aronstein

https://inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPE-Hazards-Aronstein-2017-11-10.pdf

Below is excerpted from email to this InspectApedia.com reader, and was sent by his electrician:

---

Please see attached UL approved replacement circuit breakers for the federal pacific panels.

With these breakers, there is absolutely no reason to replace the panel boxes, only the circuit breakers.

There are many insurance companies that accept these breakers.

Please advise

Thank you.

Abraham Gelb
Zerem Electric Corporation
3011 Avenue L
Brooklyn NY 11210
O: 718-377-8685
C: 917-299-0805

 

On 2021-05-11 by danjoefriedman (mod) - bothoriginal & replacement FPE breakers are unsafe; replacements fail as badly as the originals - risking fire, property loss, injury

@John

Independent tests by industry experts found that replacement circuit breakers of this type and brand had the same failure rate as the originals. They should not be used.

Dr. Jess Aronstein's independent UBI circuit breaker test report MOLDED CASE CIRCUIT BREAKERS - SOME HOLES IN THE ELECTRICAL SAFETY NET [PDF] is up-to-date and the test results are accurate.

That report continued testing and reported further results supporting conclusions that the author had found by previous testing, for example at https://inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPE-Hazards-Aronstein-2017-11-10.pdf

There is no data data that contradicts the test results or the conclusions.

The manufacturer has no substantive test data to offer that backs up the advertising material that you've seen.

UBI breakers sold as replacements for FPE circuit breakers are not UL "approved".

While they are "listed and labeled" by ETL (a competitor of UL) and therefore meet the letter of the NEC and NYC codes, they are substandard and do not meet the actual functional requirements for circuit overload protection.

If you need more detailed information, see the website

www.fpe-info.org

and the technical paper "Molded Case Circuit Breakers - Some Holes in the Electrical Safety Net" which can be accessed

at ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8283732

On 2021-05-11 by John J Hazel - notes on "obsolete" FPE breakers

@Anonymous,

It was Connecticut Electric's own old website that used the word Obsolete. The new website does not use that word and is much more user friendly.

On 2018-04-09 by danjoefriedman (mod) - "Obsolete" is the wrong word; "Unsafe" would be more-appropriate.

Sorry Connecticut Electric & John, but what you report is inaccurate and risks putting consumers at risk, as is the assumption that contemporary or recently-made FP (Federal Pioneer) or UBI circuit breakers perform better than older FP or FPE circuit breakers.

Independent testing has shown that such is not the case.

In fact "old" and "worn-out" or simply "obsolete" do not describe the circuit breakers discussed in this article series, nor would those conditions explain the failure rates given.

A circuit breaker is expected to perform properly from new until the electrical panel is replaced.

It was indeed disappointing to learn that even brand new replacement circuit breakers of several circuit breaker brands including FP and UBI have been found to have a significant rate of failure to trip in response to overcurrent.

The testing of these circuit breakers has been performed by engineers who have a very long and completely-respected history in the profession of forensic engineering, and who are independent from the companies involved.

Their credentials can be found under Aronstein and Carrier at ABOUT InspectApedia.com - this page is located at inspectapedia.com/Admin/About_InspectApedia.php )

This website, InspectAPedia.com is an independent publisher of building, environmental, and forensic inspection, diagnosis, and repair information provided free to the public - we have no business nor financial connection with any manufacturer or service provider discussed at our website. We do not sell products nor services.

We welcome informed, polite questions and criticism.

We would welcome copies of (or being referred to copies of) actual reports of corporate or independent testing or other documents that support the claims made by those semi-anonymous but critical readers below.

Having worked on this topic since the 1980s,, it remains the case that I know of no technical papers, studies, or reports (even company reports) on field performance of breakers or on the performance of new breakers that contradict the data and conclusions that we have posted in this article series.

Where life safety issues are at stake readers should be particularly wary posts by aonymous readers or by those who are pehaps using a nom-de-plume, who are of unknown expertise and who are neither identified nor accountable for their claims.

On 2018-04-09 by Connecticut Electric

@John J. Hazel, What do you mean, John? We, at Connecticut Electric, manufacture NEW aftermarket replacements for the FPE panels.

They are considered obsolete by sites like this that wish to push you a new panel change out by saying that FPE panels are unsafe.

They use fear of a few bad cases to make a profit, SHAMEFUL!

On 2018-03-23 by danjoefriedman (mod)

John

Do you think perhaps it's competitive ?

On 2018-03-22 by John J. Hazel

Why does Connecticut Electric insist on calling the UBI type F breakers obsolete ? Genuine trademarked Stab-Lok breakers are still being manufactured by Federal Pioneer, a division of Schneider Electric.


...

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