ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Replacements for FP/Zinsco

Looking through the electrical section of a mail-order catalog I came upon the foolowing two items:

1. Replacement breakers for Federal Pacific, made by Unique Breakers, Inc., $16.12 ea. for 1-pole 15 or 20A version.

2. Replacement breakers for Zinsco, "Q" series made by Challenger, $19.12 ea. for 1-pole 15/20A.

Bearing in mind the high prices, does anyone buy this type of thing to re-fit an old FP/Zinsco panel, or are they strictly for the homeowner market only?

Don't know about home owners but I have to add a couple of circuits to an old Zinsco panel in a week or so. Fortunately another contractor I know never throws anything away and had just what I needed. Fortunate too because these people would never go for a new service.

Challenger is making these eh?

-Hal

I would think that most of the sales are to DIYers who don't know the sorry record of these panels/breakers.

I did purchase one of the FPE replacements once, to add a circuit for an elderly customer who couldn't afford a complete panel swapout, although I recommended it. The buss looked to be in pretty good shape, so I installed the new breaker. It was about 4X the price of a breaker for a modern panel, though....

Unique Breakers Inc. makes Zinsco replacements as well. I just spent $47.00 for a 2- Pole 20 Amp full size. By the way these breakers are made in China.

Home Depot carries these. They also have a Pushmatic replacement.
None of them are UL listed, and their website doesn't mention who tested them.
http://www.connecticut-electric.com/breaker.asp

FYI, the distributor for whom I used to work sells brand new (not old stock from 30 years ago) American/FPE breakers. I'm not sure where they are made. They are obtained from Breakers Unlimited. They sell to distributors only.

When people would moan about the price ($50 or more) for a single pole, we would inform them to search the internet for dealers. We would also inform them that our price is high because we sell a new breaker that we can garuantee, not some shady used/refurbished/recycled thing.

Peter

[This message has been edited by CTwireman (edited 06-05-2004).]