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A talk with a fire inspector made me change how I look at old panels
I was finishing a kitchen rewire in a 1950s house in Portland last Thursday. The fire inspector, a guy named Carl, stopped by for the final. He pointed at the old Zinsco panel and said, 'I see those still in service all the time. We get a call about one melting down about every six weeks.' He told me they fail without tripping, just cook the bus. I always knew they were bad, but hearing that specific number from him hit different. It's not just an old part, it's a real ticking clock. How do you guys bring up full panel replacements with homeowners who don't see the problem?
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quinnp796mo ago
Man, I saw a melted Zinsco bus bar photo online that looked like charcoal.
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nora_barnes6mo ago
Those things are absolute fire hazards.
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coleman.christopher5mo ago
My local code official told me they won't even pass a service upgrade if the old Zinsco is still on the wall.
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