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Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco Panel? Check the Label and the Record

By Mark Phaneuf · Updated September 28, 2026 · Editorial policy

You can check without taking the panel apart. If the box is warm, wet, scorched, or buzzing, don't open it. Open only the small hinged door you use to reset a breaker. Read the label on the door and inside it, photograph it, and close the door. If the label says Federal Pacific, FPE, Stab-Lok, Zinsco, or Sylvania, call a licensed electrician and your insurance agent. CPSC closed its Federal Pacific case in 1983 without a recall. We found no recall for Zinsco. Inspectors and some insurers flag both.

Look before you touch

Stand back first. Look, listen, and sniff. Is the box wet, rusty, scorched, or buzzing? Does it smell burnt? Is the floor wet? If so, don't touch it. Call a licensed electrician. If the door feels warm when you reach for it, stop. If you see smoke, sparks, or flames, get everyone out. Call 911 from outside.

If the box seems normal, open only the hinged door. Don't unscrew anything. The metal cover behind that door stays on. Live parts sit behind it. Don't pull out a breaker. Don't flip breakers off and on to test them. More on that below.

Read the door label

Look in the garage, a utility room, a closet, or on an outside wall. Read the front of the door and the paper label inside it. Look for these names:

• Federal Pacific Electric, FPE, Federal Electric, Federal Noark, or Stab-Lok.
• Zinsco, Sylvania, or GTE-Sylvania.

Take a clear photo of the label. Take one of the breaker row too, without touching it. Inspectors note that Zinsco breakers often have colored handles. That's a clue. It doesn't prove the brand.

Two things can fool you. Other companies made breakers that fit these panels. So new-looking breakers don't rule the brand out. And an old label can be painted over or gone. If you can't read it, let the electrician name the brand.

Not sure your house is old enough? The free House Decoder shows which panel brands were common by build year.

What CPSC found, and what it didn't

Start with the record on Federal Pacific. In June 1980, FPE's parent company told the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that many Stab-Lok breakers didn't fully meet UL rules. UL is a product safety testing group. CPSC tested them. It confirmed that some breakers failed certain UL calibration tests. A calibration test checks that a breaker shuts off power in time when a circuit is overloaded. The investigation focused mainly on two-pole residential breakers made before Reliance bought FPE in 1979.

CPSC closed the case in 1983. It said its data did not establish that the breakers posed a serious risk. It said it couldn't link the test failures to a hazard. CPSC staff estimated that gathering the data to fully judge the risk would cost several million dollars. The agency's whole budget for fiscal 1983 was $34 million, and it had other known hazards to address. There was no recall. In 2011, CPSC added a note. It said it closed the matter without deciding whether the breakers were safe.

So the honest summary is short. Some breakers failed a lab test. CPSC never proved harm, and never cleared them either.

Zinsco is different. We found no government test, finding, or recall at all. What we found are inspector reports. InterNACHI's inspection reference reports that these breakers can work loose from the metal bar they plug into. That can cause sparks and heat. A damaged breaker may not shut off power when it should. It also reports a breaker that looks off but is still on.

What insurers say

Hanover, an insurer, says certain Stab-Lok breakers may not trip as UL requires and, in some cases, can jam in the on position. It says the safest course is to replace the whole panel. It puts the installs between 1950 and 1985.

In Florida, some insurers put it in writing. Universal's 2018 guide lists Federal Pacific (including Stab-Lok), Zinsco, Sylvania-Zinsco, and Challenger-Zinsco boxes as not acceptable. Anchor's 2019 guide says homes with Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Challenger, Stab-Lok, or Sylvania panels are ineligible and require replacement. Ineligible means the home doesn't qualify for that policy. Both guides are years old, and your insurer may not use the same list.

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation has a different public record. Its 4-point form asks for the panel brand and model. It requires a photo of the interior door label and a photo with the cover off. The inspector takes those photos, not you. We found no public Citizens rule that names a brand. Ask your agent what your insurer needs.

Do these in order

1. Photograph the label. Save it with the date.
2. Test your smoke alarms. Use the alarm checklist.
3. Book a licensed electrician to inspect the panel with the cover off and quote a replacement. Confirm the license first with the state lookup steps.
4. Ask your insurance agent, in writing, whether the panel affects your policy or a sale.
5. If a breaker trips, don't just reset it. CPSC says find out why first. Use the breaker guide.
6. Don't flip these breakers off and on to test them. CPSC's home checklist says to exercise breakers at least once a year so they don't stick. Skip that here, and let the electrician test them.

Don't count on these breakers to cut power. Hanover says some Federal Pacific breakers can jam on, and inspectors report a Zinsco breaker can stay on with its handle at off. And if an outlet or switch feels warm, stop using it. The warm outlet guide explains why. More electrical warning-sign guides are on the Electrical and Fire Safety hub.

Start a panel record

Write these down and keep them with the label photo:

• Brand and model from the label, with the photo date.
• Who inspected the panel with the cover off, and when.
• What they found, in their words.
• The replacement quote, if you got one.
• Your insurer's written answer.

Hand that record to your agent, a buyer, or the next electrician. In Florida, a 4-point inspection will ask for the same facts.

Say it the right way

Words matter here. They matter to a buyer, a seller, and an insurer.

If you're selling, say what the label says and what the electrician found, in writing. If you're buying, ask for the same.

Quick answers

Were Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breakers recalled?

No. CPSC investigated them from 1980 to 1983 and closed the case without a recall. It said its tests showed some breakers failed certain UL calibration tests, but its data did not establish a serious risk. In 2011 it noted that it never made a determination on their safety.

Can I test my Federal Pacific or Zinsco breakers by flipping them?

Don't. CPSC's general checklist suggests exercising breakers once a year. But Hanover, an insurer, says some Federal Pacific breakers can jam in the on position, and inspectors report Zinsco breakers can fail to shut off power. Leave testing and any cover removal to a licensed electrician.

Will my insurer refuse a home with one of these panels?

Some Florida insurers' published guides list Federal Pacific, Stab-Lok, Zinsco and Sylvania panels as ineligible. Those guides are dated 2018 and 2019 and may have changed. Citizens' 4-point form asks for the panel brand, but we found no public Citizens rule that names a brand. Ask your agent.