Zinsco brand panels, also known as just ‘Zinsco panels’, made by Sylvania, frequently pose safety and reliability risks. We highly recommend their replacement if you still have them in your home or condominium.
Two-fold fire threat
Zinsco panels have always had a reputation for their breakers not tripping. This means that an overloaded or faulty circuit which should be automatically shut-off by the breaker could be allowed to continue operating. This is a serious fire hazard.
In addition, Zinsco breaker panels have been known to cause fires themselves. The aluminum busing and the connection to it from the breakers is not very good and you will quite often find that there is overheating at that connection. Circuits with larger and continual loads are frequently where the problems will show up. These types of circuits include those with electric water heaters, electric heaters, and furnaces, as well as 120 volt receptacle circuits with portable heaters or other appliances plugged into them.
What to do if you have a Zinsco panel
Many insurance companies will not write insurance for and some banks will not finance homes with Zinsco panels. Home inspectors usually will recommend the replacement of a Zinsco panel during purchase and sale inspections.
If you have a Zinsco panel in your home, please contact us for more information about having it replaced.
