The recent repairs that took place at Girard Park West were to protect residents from fire and shock hazards coming from the Federal Pacific Stab-lok circuit breakers and the surrounding panels. These were a good idea when they first came out, allowing manufacturers to keep costs down, but time has shown that the panels are not a good design, and definitely not safe. There is a reason products become ‘old-school’, it is because they don’t work, and fade out of the market.

This electrical job in Girard Park West took approximately 1 month to complete, and we replaced all the defective panels and their breakers within 60 condo units outside Bloomington, MN. The main reason they needed to be replaced is that these breakers will fail to trip when overloaded. They would continue to allow current to flow causing heat to build up and eventually start a fire. Even with the circuit breaker handle  in the off position, the internal breaker may still actually be on. These are unbelievably dangerous conditions, and as any electrician will tell you, hard to believe.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, the Federal Pacific electric panel is also known to cause panel-bus fires and arcing failures in several instances. The failure to trip rate among this brand is up to 60%, posing a significant threat to those in the building. Unfortunately, there is no real legal recourse, other than a very limited class action lawsuit in the State of New Jersey. This company is no longer in business, but the real issue is safety. These panels and breakers were very popular in their day and found everywhere, it is vital to make sure yours is not one of these. Contact your local Bloomington, MN electrical contractor and make sure your electric panel is not a Federal Pacific, because the risk is just not worth it. 612-385-7864