Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) panels were a brand of electrical panels that were widely used from the 1950’s to the 1980’s in both residential and commercial construction.  Millions of these panels were installed in homes and commercial buildings throughout the country, including throughout Boca Raton, Delray Beach, other parts of Palm Beach County and in South Florida more widely.  Unbeknownst to either the manufacturer or the construction industry until much later, FPE panels had serious safety problems.  It was discovered only after they had been installed in homes across the country that there were serious defects with the panels that led to an increased risk of electrical fires in homes and commercial buildings with FPE panels.  Since that time, electricians throughout the United States have been gradually replacing these panels with safer electrical panels that do not carry the same risks of an electrical fire as FPE panels.  However, the problem is that many homeowners are unaware they have FPE panels in their home until it comes time to try and sell the home or, God forbid, an electrical fire starts as a consequence of the safety defect in the FPE panel.

At Boca Electrical Works, there is nothing more important to us than our customers’ safety.  This is one reason that we offer a comprehensive safety inspection as a part of every job that we do.  We have caught a number of FPE panels before they became a problem for our customers and we are adept at recognizing if you have FPE panels and in quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively replace them.

FPE Panel Replacement: Why Are FPE Panels So Dangerous?

There are estimated to be over 28 million FPE panels that are installed in both residential and commercial buildings throughout the United States.  The specific defect these panels were discovered to have after testing was that the breakers on the panel failed to trip when they became overloaded by too much electricity flowing through the panel.  A normal panel would have a circuit breaker that cuts the flow of power to the fuses when it reaches a certain threshold, but the circuit breakers in FPE panels failed in safety testing.  As a consequence, these panels are extremely dangerous and have resulted in thousands of electrical fires, including in South Florida.  They also have resulted in tens of thousands of electrical fires since the safety defects in FPE panels were first discovered in the early 1980’s as well as hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in property damage.

Our Experience with FPE Panels

At Boca Electrical Works, many of our clients who had FPE panels were not even aware of it until something occurred to specifically bring their attention to this issue.  You may not even be aware that your home has FPE panels until it comes time to buy or sell your house and your home is under contract and the buyers’ inspectors discover that your home has FPE panels.  At this point, you may have to replace the panels in short order or else the buyers will pull out of the contract.  Boca Electrical Works is available 24-7 and we have extensive experience replacing FPE panels.

Contact Boca Electrical Works If You Need FPE Panel Replacement

At Boca Electrical Works, we have replaced hundreds of FPE panels for our customers, reducing their risk of serious injury or even death from a hazard they did not know was even present in their homes.  Part of our complimentary safety review performed for every customer includes a review  to ensure the electric panels in your home are safe.  If you think your home may have FPE panels or you are simply concerned that these panels may have been included in the construction of your home, then call Boca Electrical Works today at (561) 235-2513.  Our experienced Boca Raton electricians have over 38 years of combined experience helping to keep our customers safe by removing and replacing FPE panels in favor of safer alternatives.