Zinsco Circuit Breakers & Panels

[Larry Delor]

Are, in my opnion, bigger pieces of crap than a Yugo with 200k miles.

If you are unfortunate enough to have a Zinsco panel (or know anybody with one) do yourself a big favor and get rid of it before something bad happens.

Below are two pics. One of the Aluminum (!!) bus bar, and another one with the main breaker. You should be able to see that on the left side, the contact is about 1/2 as thick as it should be. How it lasted as long as it did is beyond me. Who knows what would've happened had I drawn some serious amperage through that thing. I've done a few searches on Zinsco's stuff, and none of what I read was good....apparently the breakers themselves may or may not trip at the correct amperage. (one 20amp breaker wouldn't trip even when they shot 50amps through it).

If I ever find the people responsible for designing this crap, I'm ought to slap them upside the head.

Since 80% of all fires are electrical related consider yourself lucky. Aluminum wire sucks as well I can't believe they are still allowing it to be used for service cable, If you don't treat it with Naolux and tighten the set screws yearly your cruising for a problem.

How many people here check the tightness of your bus bar screws?

Regarding panels Siemens and Square D are my favorites, but there all good now so its personal preference.

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by MedMech

Since 80% of all fires are electrical related consider yourself lucky. Aluminum wire sucks as well I can't believe they are still allowing it to be used for service cable, If you don't treat it with Naolux and tighten the set screws yearly your cruising for a problem.

In the coop complex where I have one of the rentals, all of the wiring is aluminum. About 10 years ago, the problem was recognized and the money was spent to have an electrical contractor install pigtails at every outlet in every unit (220 units). A fairly sizeable project.

The project was completed.

Several years later, one of the buildings (8 units) burns to the ground. Apparently, the contractor decided to save some money and never did most of the pigtails, or did them improperly (I don't know the details).

Aluminum on terminals is dangerous stuff.

[GottaDiesel]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

Several years later, one of the buildings (8 units) burns to the ground. Apparently, the contractor decided to save some money and never did most of the pigtails, or did them improperly (I don't know the details).

Probably the same type of jerk that tells you to "call a pro" on a DIY forum when you're trying to learn how to do something the right way.

Sorry, I just have a thing for these "pros" as of late. It seems most of them are crap. I would love to find a few that were worth it.

Ok. I'll climb down off my soap box now.

Pete

[H2O2]

My first house had a Zinsco panel, but it never caused us any problems in the 5 years we lived there. Our second home on the other hand had a panel out in the shop with older Cutler Hammer pushbutton breakers, which had the nasty habit of sticking in either the on or off position, and it was next to impossible to locate replacements.

[fz500sel]

I have worked at Home Depot in the electrical dept for the last 5 years. We sell Zinsco breakers but they are over $50 for a 15A single pole breaker. I recommend the Square-D QO series. They were orignially made for the commercial electric industry but homeowners have really liked them so they are sold more for residential electric now.

Originally Posted by H2O2

My first house had a Zinsco panel, but it never caused us any problems in the 5 years we lived there. Our second home on the other hand had a panel out in the shop with older Cutler Hammer pushbutton breakers, which had the nasty habit of sticking in either the on or off position, and it was next to impossible to locate replacements.

Push-O-Matic

[Jim H]

Originally Posted by MedMech

Push-O-Matic

Broken finger waiting to happen...