Federal Pacific and Zinsco, Pulled and Replaced

Look at the front of your panel door for the words “Federal Pacific Electric” or the abbreviation “FPE.” Inside the panel, look for breakers labeled “Stab-Lok.” Federal Pacific panels were very common in homes built between 1950 and 1990 in the Cheyenne area. If you cannot identify your panel brand, call us at (307) 757-5553 and we will identify it during a free inspection. We can tell immediately whether your panel is one of the known hazardous brands and advise you accordingly.

Most residential panel replacements take four to eight hours to complete. The power must be off during the swap, but we complete the work in a single day and restore power before we leave. The total project timeline including permitting is typically one to two weeks from the initial assessment to completion. If your panel replacement is combined with a service upgrade, the installation may extend to a full day with an additional utility coordination timeline.

Yes. Independent testing has shown that FPE Stab-Lok breakers fail to trip at rates significantly higher than acceptable standards. When a breaker fails to trip during an overload or short circuit, the wiring in that circuit overheats without protection, which can cause an electrical fire inside your walls. The CPSC investigated Federal Pacific panels and found substantial evidence of defective breakers. While not every FPE panel will cause a fire, the risk is real and well-documented. Insurance companies increasingly require replacement of FPE panels, and home inspectors flag them as a major deficiency.

Many insurance companies in Wyoming now require replacement of Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and other hazardous panels as a condition of maintaining coverage or issuing new policies. Some insurers offer reduced premiums after a panel upgrade. Even if your insurer does not currently require replacement, having a known-hazardous panel creates complications during claims if a fire occurs. We provide complete documentation of the panel replacement including permits, inspection records, and the panel brand and model, which you can submit to your insurance company for their records and potential premium adjustments.

We install panels from Square D (Schneider Electric), Eaton, and Siemens. These are the most trusted and widely available panel brands in the United States, with proven reliability, full UL listing, and excellent breaker availability for future service. We recommend specific brands and models based on your home’s requirements, the number of circuits needed, and whether you want features like whole-home surge protection or smart panel monitoring. Every panel we install comes with a manufacturer’s warranty in addition to our workmanship guarantee.

A panel replacement swaps your existing panel for a new one at the same amperage, which is appropriate when the panel itself is the problem but your total electrical capacity is adequate. A service upgrade increases the total amperage your home receives from the utility, which is necessary when you need more power than your current service provides. During our assessment, we perform a load calculation to determine whether your current service size is adequate or whether an upgrade is needed alongside the panel replacement. If both are required, we handle the entire project as one coordinated installation.