Main Electrical Service Panel and Branch Circuit Wiring

When you need an electrical service upgrade to accommodate more branch circuits, look no further! If your electrical service panel held you from renewing your home insurance, SCC Electrical can help. If you are concerned about the possible fire and safety hazard of an aging electric service panel in your home, we are here for you.

On your request, the licensed electricians at SCC Electrical can help you decide the best and safest way to make it happen. We will provide you with a free estimate and, only recommend what is necessary to achieve your electrical service panel replacement or upgrade needs.

Our electrical service panel upgrades and/or replacement service includes all material, labor and parts - including circuit breakers - to completely remove and replace your existing electrical service. A full two-year warranty covers the entire installation, including labor! We stand behind each service change and want you to know after the job is done - we remain committed to quality service years after we drive out of your neighborhood.

Branch Circuit Wiring

You have that extra space in the electrical panel to add another circuit or two, great! We are ready to help you get the project done. Here are a few items to consider:

• When adding a new bedroom circuit, an AFCI breaker is required by the electrical code
• For hot tubs and central air conditioners, an additional slot in your panel will be used for the large breaker
• Bathroom, outdoor and wet/damp areas must be GFCI protected
• For additional considerations, please contact SCC Electrical at 719-219-0960

Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Electrical Panels Information
Federal Pacific Electric (FPE, aka Stab-Lok) electric panels have a history of breakers not tripping when they should. The Problem Circuit breakers are supposed to shut off when current reaches levels that
could start a fire or damage equipment.

Due to design and/or quality control problems, the FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers do not always work reliably. Testing has shown that roughly 30% of the 2-pole circuit breakers fail to trip when they should. Virtually 100% of some lots of these breakers are defective. Fuses served the same safety function before we had circuit breakers. The situation with the FPE circuit breakers is the same as the old unsafe (but common) practice of over fusing or putting a penny in the fuse socket behind the fuse itself to deal with the nuisance of fuses frequently blowing... There isn't an inspector or electrical contractor (or even a realtor) who would not agree that these conditions should be corrected. And fast!"

The difference is that overusing is easy to see, but there is usually no visual clue if the breaker is working correctly or not. "... the homeowner's perception is that 'the breakers work fine'." There is no way for an electrician to look at a panel and know if the breakers will trip when they should.

The Solution
Recently some companies have started making replacement breakers for FPE panels. In most cases these are manufactured with the same problematic design of the original, and there is no data that they are more reliable. Also, replacing the breakers does not address problems with the buss bars in FPE panels that are not as well documented as the circuit breaker problem. The only solution that addresses all of these problems is to replace the entire panel. In closing, remember that any repair work should be performed by a licensed
electrician.

*Safety information provided by SCC Electrical, Inc. a Colorado Licensed Electrical Contractor, 719.219.0960.
Information derived from http://www.cornerstone-inspection.com/fpe.html, a home inspection web site. Property owners are advised to inform themselves on FPE panels and corrective actions to take, if any, before deciding on the best course of action.


Need more information on Federal Pacific Electrical Panels? Download the above information in .pdf format here or call your Electrical Service Experts at 719-219-0960.

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