A circuit breaker is a switch that automatically interrupts electrical flow in a circuit in case of an overload or short. This guide will walk you through the different types of circuit breakers to help you determine which is best for your home's electrical needs.
There is no breaker that will fit a FPE panel except a FPE. Thebreakers are still being manufactured and are available at Lowesand Home Depot stores, but they are expensive. The failure rate ofFPE breakers is worrisome and if I had one in my home I wouldchange it.Federal Pacific has been out of business since the early 80'sThe current breakers being sold at Home Depot etc, are NOTmanufactured by Federal Pacific since that company no longerexists. They are made by aftermarket companies. The FPE problemsare not associated with the newer products, HOWEVER, there may beissues with the older FPE panels themselves. It is important toinspect the panels carefully and see that there are no burned orarcing areas and that all screws on the bus bar are securely tightand the bus is not damaged in any way.
The breakers must fitproperly and SECURELY in to the panel bus bar and the panel covermust hold the breakers securely in place as there are no actualscrews to hold the breakers in place. If the breaker fit is looseor sloppy, there is a problem.To clarify the answer to thequestion, there ARE other options to Federal Pacific or theaftermarket manufactured products. Federal Pacific has a 'sister'company in Canada called Federal Pioneer. They are still inbusiness and still being installed today.
Although there was arecall on some of there breakers several years ago, there is notthe notorious history to Federal Pioneer and they have continued toimprove on the product designs.The Federal Pioneer breakers areavailable in Canada at very competitive prices. There are somesellers on ebay as well, but the shipping costs may be a bit highif you order one or two breakers only.Federal Pioneer is marketedby Schneider Electric of Canada. Check online for further detailson the products and availability. You can also buy US made breakersmanufacturers like 'American' 'Challenger' and 'Connecticut'electric and a few others. Old, used or NOS 'Federal Pacific'breakers have been determined to have high failure rates and shouldnot be used as replacements.
Existing Federal pacific breakersshould be replaced even if they 'appear' to be functioningnormally.Keep in mind that the Federal Pacific panels themselves may notmeet current codes or standards and should not be used for newinstallations or 'expansions'. Replacements of existing breakersare usually 'grandfathered' in but once again, the breaker panelsthemselves should be checked out thoroughly for damages and ALLscrew connections should be tight and secure and breakers should besecure in the bus bar. Covers should be securely installed. It maynot be cost effective to replace ALL breakers as opposed toreplacing the entire breaker panel itself.
Weigh out the costscarefully as well as the problems and costs of replacing the entirepanel. Keep in mind your 'future needs' when making thisdetermination.