Zinsco & Federal Pacific Panel Replacement
- CSLB #1036587
- 30+ Years
- Permit & Inspection Included
- 18-Month Warranty
Zinsco, Federal Pacific (Stab-Lok), and split-bus panels are commonly flagged by home inspectors, insurance companies, and electricians because of well-documented safety concerns. Sammy Electrical Services replaces these panels with a modern, code-compliant 200 amp service across Los Angeles County and Orange County. Licensed C-10 electrician, permit and city inspection included.
Why These Panels Get Flagged
Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok. Installed in millions of homes from the 1950s through the 1980s. Independent testing has found that Stab-Lok breakers can fail to trip under overload or short-circuit conditions at a much higher rate than modern breakers. A breaker that does not trip cannot protect the wiring behind it.
Zinsco (also sold as GTE-Sylvania). Common in Southern California homes built in the 1960s and 1970s. Zinsco breakers are known to fuse to the aluminum bus bar over time, which means the breaker can appear to be off while the circuit is still live, and it may not trip when it should.
Split-bus panels. Older panels with no single main breaker. Shutting off power requires flipping several breakers, and most split-bus panels are past their intended service life.
If you have one of these panels, you have probably already heard about it from a home inspector during a sale, from your insurance company at renewal, or from an electrician working on something else. The recommendation is nearly always the same: replace it.
How to Tell What You Have
Open the panel door and look at the label and the breakers themselves.
Federal Pacific / Stab-Lok: The label says Federal Pacific Electric, FPE, or Stab-Lok. The breaker handles are often red or have a red stripe, and the breakers push straight in rather than clipping on from the side.
Zinsco / GTE-Sylvania: The label says Zinsco, Sylvania, or GTE-Sylvania. The breaker handles are usually color-coded (red, blue, green) and the breakers slide onto a vertical bus bar.
Split-bus: No single main breaker at the top. Instead there is a group of two to six large breakers, and one of them controls the rest of the panel below.
Not sure? Send a photo of the open panel to info@sammyelectricalservices.com or call and describe it. Sammy can usually identify it in a minute.
What a Replacement Includes
This is a full panel replacement, not a breaker swap. Replacement breakers for FPE and Zinsco panels are still sold, but they do not fix the bus bar or the panel design, and most inspectors and insurers do not accept them as a resolution.
- Removal of the existing Zinsco, FPE, or split-bus panel
- New 200 amp main breaker panel, sized for your current and future loads (EV charger, A/C, heat pump, ADU, solar)
- New breakers, properly labeled
- Grounding and bonding brought up to current code
- City permit pulled and inspection scheduled by Sammy
- Utility coordination with SCE or LADWP for the meter pull and reconnect
- 18 month parts and labor warranty
Most single-family replacements are completed in one day. Power is off for part of that day while the new panel is set and the utility reconnects.
Insurance and Home Sales
Many insurance carriers in California will not write a new policy, or will not renew, on a home with a known Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel. Buyers' inspectors flag them routinely, and a flagged panel is a common reason for a repair credit or a delayed close.
Sammy provides documentation of the replacement, the permit, and the passed inspection. That is usually what the insurer or the buyer's agent is asking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nobody can say that about a specific panel. What is documented is that these breakers fail to trip at a higher rate than modern ones, and a breaker that does not trip cannot protect the circuit. That is why inspectors and insurers flag them. Replacement removes the question.
Replacement breakers exist, but they do not address the bus bar or the panel design, and most insurers and inspectors do not accept a breaker swap as a fix. A full panel replacement is the recommendation.
Almost always, yes. The panel is coming out either way, and a 200 amp service is the current standard. It costs little more than a like-for-like replacement and gives you capacity for an EV charger, heat pump, or addition later.
Yes. Panel replacement is permitted work in every city Sammy serves. Sammy pulls the permit, coordinates the utility meter pull, and schedules the city inspection. You do not deal with the city or the utility.
Typically four to eight hours on the day of the replacement, depending on the utility's reconnect schedule. Most jobs are completed in a single day.
Los Angeles County and Orange County, based in La Mirada. That includes Whittier, Downey, Norwalk, Fullerton, Brea, Anaheim, Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale, and the surrounding cities.
Get a Free Panel Evaluation
Call, or send a photo of your panel. Sammy will tell you what you have and what it will take to replace it.