IS THERE A FIRE DANGER LURKING IN YOUR HOME?
There could be a great risk of fire in your home as you read this. One of my sellers decided to have a pre sale inspection and found out before it was too late for her. Mike Wang from Milwaukee Inspection Service knew right away there was an issue. He found the fire hazard in the basement electrical box. Any electrical panel with the name FEDERAL PACIFIC ELECTRICAL or FPE should be checked for safety by a licensed electrician and replaced if instructed.
Federal Pacific circuit panels were the subject of a recent class action lawsuit. They were installed in millions of homes and many are still in operation today. The problem: the service was labeled as meeting Underwriter Laboratories safety rating, when in fact they were not safe. The companies fraudulent testing and falsified UL labeling was proven in a New York court in 2002. The Federal Pacific products in question, when overloaded, failed to trip and constitute a great fire hazard. According to the website “A circuit breaker that fails to trip is unsafe fails to protect the electrical circuit and the building and building occupants where that circuit breaker is installed. This can lead to fire, property loss, and injury or worse.”
According to Ryan Wandschneider of Elite Electrical Connections, a FPE panel should be replaced as soon as possible to avoid any danger. The cost of a service replacement can average from $1,200-$1,600, and take about a days’ work, depending on the home.
So go right down to your basement and look for the label on your electrical panel. If it has a Federal Pacific or FPE label on it, you next call should be an electrician to make a correction! If you are looking to sell a home in the city or suburbs of Greater Milwaukee, a presale inspection is just one of the ideas I will give you to get the home on the market. I can be reached at my office # 262-437-5853 I look forward to your call!
Posted by: 
Pat Tasker
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