These panels have a documented history of breakers that don't trip during an overload. The breaker stays closed, the wire overheats, and the wall catches fire. If you have one, it needs to come out.
Manufactured from the 1950s through 1980s. The Stab-Lok breakers have a documented failure rate — they don't trip under overload. The Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated these panels. They're still in thousands of homes in Wilmington because they don't look broken until something catches fire.
The breakers in Zinsco panels melt to the bus bar over time. When they fuse, they can't trip. You flip the breaker off and it's still conducting. Common in homes built in the '70s. If you have a Zinsco, your insurance company will eventually find it.
Some Challenger panels from the 1980s–90s have breakers that fail to trip under certain conditions. Not all Challenger panels are affected — we can identify which ones need replacement during a panel assessment.
We confirm the panel type, document it for insurance purposes, and provide a written report.
Old panel out, new panel in. Full replacement with a modern Square D or Eaton panel. Every circuit transferred, labeled, and tested.
We pull the New Hanover County permit, schedule the inspection, and coordinate with Duke Energy for the reconnect.
Many insurance companies won't renew your homeowner's policy if they discover a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel during an inspection. If your insurer has flagged your panel, we can provide the documentation they need — panel assessment report, replacement quote, and post-install inspection certificate.
Pricing depends on the panel size, meter base condition, and inspector requirements. Includes the new panel, breakers, permit, and inspection. Quoted itemized before any work starts.
It's not an emergency in the sense that you need to leave the house tonight. But it's serious enough that you shouldn't put it off. These panels have caused documented house fires. Get it assessed and scheduled.
Most policies don't cover panel replacement as maintenance. But some insurers offer incentives or require it for policy renewal. We provide all documentation your insurance company needs.
No. The problem with Federal Pacific isn't just the breakers — it's the bus bar design. The breakers don't make reliable contact. The entire panel needs to go.
We replace Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and Challenger panels throughout the Wilmington area. A lot of the homes we see in Myrtle Grove and Monkey Junction were built in the '70s and '80s — right when these panels were going into everything. The beach communities are worse: salt air in Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach accelerates the corrosion that makes these panels even more dangerous.
We also service Hampstead, Leland, Ogden / Porters Neck, and Figure Eight Island. If your insurance company is asking about your panel, call before they cancel the policy.