Zinsco Panel Bottom Line: Why you should replace your Zinsco Panel
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- ABR Electric
214-691-1941
@abrelectric
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A Zinsco Electrical Panel is usually installed in your basement or garage and can be identified by it's metal casing and typically very bright colored breakers installed horizontally. In this video, James Adams (master electrician) is going to show you why you should replace a Zinsco Electrical Panel with a modern panel that meets today's safety standards. Sometimes the old wiring in your home is not sufficient for today's needs, and a new panel can help you solve this problem.
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Zinsco electrical panels are among the most dangerous. They've been linked to over 600 fires, 3 deaths, and $80 million in property damage. Today James Adams of ABR Electric in McKinney TX will go over the dangers of a Zinsco and the steps to replace it with a modern circuit breaker.
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As we all know, Texas homes are not immune to power outages and electrical fires. Call ABR Electric today to have a trusted electrician in McKinney TX to help replace your Zinsco Electrical Panel with a modern panel that meets today's safety standards. Sometimes the old wiring in your home is not sufficient for today's needs, and a new panel can help you solve this problem.
/ abrelectric
The best thing overall is simply to replace these old panels. Here is a video that we did a few weeks back about the Square D QO breaker box panel and why James Adams as a master electrician recommends that particular panel.
• Electrical Panel Upgra...
ABR Electric highly recommends the Square D QO www.homedepot....
Check out our website
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Excellent summary. I was just visiting my mother over Easter weekend. I heard about Zinnsco problems in the past and guess what that’s what she has in her house. She’s calling the electrician today I sent her this video just to reinforce what I told her already.
We used to retrofit the Zinscos with copper buss bars. They worked well and had the advantage of being able to load balance. Nothing like a square D QO. I still work on a lot of 50 year old OC panels that are like new.
I was adding some 220 circuits in my garage for woodworking tools. I was out of space in my Zinsco box, so asked an electrician for advice. He suggested changing out the Zinsco for the reasons you mentioned, rather than adding a subpanel. I paid him to change it out, and watched him work. The rails were pitted, and I had a breaker that had arced so much it had stuck and no overload could trip it. I spent a little extra on a quality Square D panel more than 12 years ago, and never regretted the spend. That Zinsco panel in my house was an absolute disaster waiting to happen.
Seeing those pitted, burned rails is something to behold, right? Thanks for sharing your experience
@@abrelectricjust to add we had replaced the main breaker because of the same issue. It had heavy pits. Also after that the 240 circuits had small pits after we removed the panel. What was strange but a warning signs the lights in the house had flickering effect slightly. When I went to ask a supply house about replacement parts they told me to get rid of the panel it was a fire hazard. One thing to add the Federal Pacific panel was another fire hazard. Mom and Dad should have replaced the panel sooner. But I installed the new square D QO panel with all the breakers. My brother helped me so the change over would pass inspection. The current panel had all the wires running down through the large hole at the top. We put connectors on each wire I wasn't or my brother wasn't sure either if the job would pass inspection so each wire had its own connector and hole. It passed with no return visits. I did have to pull a permit because I pulled the meter. I don't do live electrical work. Zinsco should have used tinned brass or copper for the buss. Aluminum is not the material to be used. Moisture and electric don't mix and aluminum pits when corrosion sets in. 73
My Zinsco panel has copper buss bars and the breakers are all pretty firmly snapped in. It has been completely disassembled and there is no trace of arcing or scorching. The solar panel installer did have a little trouble finding breakers for their system, but they said don't fix it if it ain't broken. The city inspector also had no problem with it.
QO has been around so long with reliability and have changed out a couple of panels and was able to reuse the older QO breakers. They all tripped perfectly fine and as fast as any other breaker I have ever seen. I dead shorted many breakers and found QO tripped so fast there wasn't even any arc flash.
Very helpful!
It’s true that the Zinsco design has a problem with the buss bar but so do many modern panels. Panels like cutler hammer br, murray, challenger, and Crouse Hinds burn up on the buss bar just as much as Zinsco. I don’t think there is any reason to replace a Zinsco until it has issues which could be a very long time considering many of these panels have been working fine since the 70s. When replacing qo is a really good panel that almost never burns up due to the reasons shown in the video.
I agree, with the idea of planning to replace the Zinsco vs waiting for there to be a big problem with bussing. Thank you
Agree!
Nope , I turned off a zinsco breaker to service a heater....the SOB CAME BACK TO 60 VOLTS AND SHOCKED ME....STILL WAS SET IN OFF POSITION. I HAVE SEEN VOLTAGE STILL TRAVEL THRU BUSSBAR EVEN WITH MAIN BREAKER SHUT OFF. I HAVE SEEN THEM NOT TO BE ABLE TO BE SHUT OFF AND HAD TO PULL THE METER BECAUSE BOX WAS SMOKING....ZINSCO ARE DEATHTRAPS .
My dad is a retired electrician and said that the buss bars were a common problem. He said that they used to replace the aluminum buss bars with copper buss bars and then swap out any bad breakers. That was in the early 90's though.
@@geraldholcomb2049I don't think zinsco is in business anymore. Square D has been around for a long time. The early breakers had no trip window to see if the breaker is tripped but they still work the same . 73
Good to know ! I’m gonna replace a breaker and saw these warnings yours was the simplest to understand.
Be careful! Not to be naggy, BUT turn the power off and test it to be sure. Good hunting 👍
@@abrelectric yes I live alone and don’t want to die. Also a nurse. Can’t believe people do it without turning off main breaker. But I think I can do it just gotta buy right part 20 amp.
Thank you for this exceptional video! Your professionalism is impressive and refreshing. 👍
I recently replaced 11 zinsko and 1 fpe load centers. The fpe i am really surprised it still works. The stab connection was not in good shape. The zinsko boxes are a different story. None of them needed to be changed. Compared to square d and siemens, the bus bar bolts and nuts are a bit loose. But other than that, no issues after 50 years of use. The replacement breakers are expensive. For two breakers, i can buy the whole box and all the breakets in it from squae d or ge or eaton. If you have to hire someone, you may consider waiting for a remodel and get it done together.
...Hey, I recognize this guy! Greetings from California James :-) Great job on this video. 100% agree with you. Chris, Creico Electric
How you doing chief?
How's your family?
So great- enjoying life at the beach and staying busy with electrical contracting. Hope you and yours are loving Texas@@abrelectric
We had zinzco in our apartment. Water heater shorted out and tripped the breaker. I found the breaker tripped, turned it back on. Days later smelled a funny smell, opened the panel and the breaker had exploded/burnt. I can't believe didnt burn the place down. Owner saw and replaed all panels with square d afterwards.
i also noticed that the lugs and screws loosen up over time in these zinsco panels
Recently had an electrician out to do some outlet work. He looked T our panel and it’s a GTE Sylvania 1981 vintage. He said it needed to be upgraded and changed out. So, it’s going to be a bit costly, but he will be here next week and do a full replacement and upgrade to 200amp from 100amp. Doing research I find they are originally Zinsco style. Glad I got the correct info and having the work done.
how much did it cost
@@X2Jason $2300 complete re-wiring from meter to panel. Now the panel meets full NEMA and city code for electrical panel, and is set up in the event we install a home generator. Worth every penny.
I have that exact Zinsco panel in my shop from 1973.
Classic. The Vega of panels :)
I retire next year. Square d made some of the industrial load centers that are still used that were intalled before I was born.
Older Zinsco panels had copper busses and therefore much better and safer. The spring tension of the breaker clips on a breaker that has never been on an aluminum bus is quite good and there is a lot of contact area between the bus and the breaker clips lowering the heat generated at the connection.
Zinsco panels can be rebuilt as long as the plastic is good...
Twin thins usually 30 and larger breakers are usually what burn the bars
I didn't see any difference in the way the breakers connect to the buss-bars except that the Square D doesn't use aluminum contacts and the breaker clips are tighter. Do the Zinsco problems vary with location? Mine is in the dry CA Central Valley. I recall replacing at least one Zinsco breaker and I didn't see any signs of arcing and it clipped securely to the buss-bar. I also didn't see any of the corroded aluminum like in this video. You can still buy Zinsco-compatible breakers, perhaps with different copper contacts. I had a different breaker box in Atlanta (GE?, forget) and the breakers weren't hard to pry off the buss-bar. Perhaps the main reason the Square D breaker here seems tighter in the wiggle-test is that it is much wider and has 2 plastic clip-in feet.
The only time I've been shocked as an electrician was from a zinsco box, and the only time I have seen houses burned by an electrical fire was from a zinsco.
Wow. That is same bad juju
How many homes have you seen burned from this ?
@@theocraz176 5 including Mattie Mallet's house two weeks before Christmas.....that's the reason Zinsco is out of business, in fact Farm bureau will not insure homes with Zinsco breakers and they will drop u if they find out you still have them. Some cases they will give you 30 days to upgrade.
@@johnnyteague3407 so it’s not enough to just replace all breakers to the newer versions ? I appreciate your replies, thank you
@@theocraz176 no the breaker box itself is also flawed. If it is original,the old Zinsco breakers will start arcing and cause corrosion. If you replace them with new ones they not make a solid connection to the buss bar. Plus some parts are made from aluminum, with is a no no..
Our home built in 58 has a Zinsco. Having the panel upgraded to handle EV.
Awesome! If I may ask, what are you putting in?
Good video I enjoyed it. Zinc and FPE are junk.
The new Connecticut Electric repros often don't work outta the box new.
Didn't know that! Thank you
Mine is only 11" wide mounted between 2 studs. Can't find any panel with that width.
Doesn't have more space for 2 extra breakers that I need to add to my new kitchen. Really in panic mode.
Get a standard panel, and reframe the stud bay to a standard layout.
Thank you for the video. How do you pull out a 60 amp breaker (Zinsco)? You only need till and pull it, right? But it is so hard to pull any way.
It is hard, ironically. The lug side comes out pretty easily. The other end is usually under a long clip, that can be pried back (carefully) with needle nose pliers.
Turn off the power- there's lots of live parts in a tight space on the Zinsco
Hi I have a zinsco panel on a 1973 home. Worked just fine till now. I overloaded a circuit by accident (baby bottle sanitizer, water boiler, and electric heater). The power died on that plug but none of the breakers tripped on the zinsco. I tried moving all breakers up and down but the power is not back. That means the breaker is not doing its job right ?
That breaker is dead. You can only tell which breaker by using a multimeter to confirm voltage. At the very least, that breaker will be replaced. At best, you need to replace the panel - you've gotten good mileage out of it :)
@@abrelectric thank you kind sir. 🙏I think I should have gotten it done in 2017 when we bought the house. A $2500 estimate then will be what now in CA? I’m so excited to find out 😵💫🤣
Any concerns about a plastic board? Won't that get brittle, break, and need replacing sooner?
No. Still has a lifetime warranty.
Have you used something differentiate for that peace of the assembly?
Why would one side of my zinsco box not work. One wire coming in is 120 v the other is dead or 0 v. Thx
Same voltage difference phase-to-neutral, at the main lugs, right? Do you have a main breaker? Is the service overhead or underground?
@@abrelectric yes, main leg coming into garage. It’s underground for main coming into garage
@ccarnut have the utility company check your meter socket or the ground vault that supplies the meter. A lot of times you'll have a burned up lug in the meter or a corroded connection in a ground vault
@@abrelectric it’s on my
Sons house that he just bought. He had to replace the air conditioner condenser when they switched power and we think this has something to do with it also.
I have a Zinsco panel in my 1963 house
Classic
@@abrelectric It has copper buss bars though...so that's cool. I'm still getting it upgraded to a Square D. I want to take my Zinsco and my neighbor's FPE panel and play around with them with on a transformer
Yeah but if you live in California and are taxed to death it's better to replace one breaker then to replace the whole thing. It's the difference between having power or being homeless. $45 to have power or thousands and then becoming homeless in a few months.
I have done lots of repairs to Zinsco and FPE panels to limp them along. You're right: there's ideal and then there's practical.
Federal Pacific is more like a "Pinto" - death trap
Not a gremlin?
@@abrelectric I could be wrong, but Gremlins never caught fire like a pinto :)