Identifying Outdated or Defective Electrical Panels in Your Home
This section will help you learn how to identify known hazards in your electrical system.
Note: Never remove the panel cover yourself—always hire a certified professional for inspections.
Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok
Era: 1950s-1980s
Defect: Breakers frequently fail to trip during overcurrent or short circuits, causing high fire hazard.
Recommendation: Replace entire panel.
Zinsco/GTE-Sylvania
Era: 1970s
Defect: Aluminum bus bars corrode; breakers melt onto the bus bar and cannot trip.
Recommendation: Replace entire panel.
Challenger (15A & 20A models)
Era: 1980s-1990s
Defect: Internal overheating and bus bar melting; subject to past CPSC recalls.
Recommendation: Replace panel or swap obsolete breakers.
Pushmatic (Bulldog / ITE)
Era: 1950s-1980s
Defect: Outdated push-button design lacks magnetic trip mechanisms and becomes stiff over time.
Recommendation: Upgrade to modern breaker panel.
Schneider Electric / Square D (QO Series)
Era: Feb.2020-Jan.2022
Defect: Loose neutral screw connections causing arcing and thermal burn/fire risks (formal recall).
Recommendation: Check date codes (200561 to 220233) via CPSC for manufacturer repair/replacement.
Siemens / Murray (QP & QPF Breakers)
Era: 2010s-present (specific batches)
Defect: Select AFCI/GFCI breakers recalled for failing to trip during electrical faults.
Recommendation: Inspect date codes and replace affected breakers.
General Prevention Information
This section presents practical information to help identify challenges and drive prevention programs.
Did You Know? -Mold
Mold can begin to grow within just 24-48 hours after a water leak or flood? If not addressed immediately, a small leak can become a major infestation in a single weekend.
There are over 100,000 species of mold. While only a few dozen are commonly found indoors, each requires a different specialized approach for effective removal.
Prevention Tip: Keeping your indoor humidity between 30-50% is the most effective way to prevent mold growth. High humidity acts as an “all-you-can-eat” buffet for mold spores.
A mold inspection will typically take between 1-3 hours. After a sample is collected, we send it sealed and tracked to a third-party accredited laboratory. We provide an unbiased, objective analysis that insurance companies and real estate attorneys trust.
Did You Know? -Radon
Radon is the #1 leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the United States. It’s responsible for 21,000 deaths every year.
Children are at higher risk. Because they have smaller lungs and higher respiration rates, they may inhale more radon relative to their body size than adults, increasing their lifetime risk.
Tip: Winter is the best time to test for radon in Missouri. Because we keep our windows and doors shut tight against the cold, radon gas becomes trapped inside, making it the most accurate time to measure your “worst-case” exposure.
Professional radon testing takes just 48 hours and provides a certified report with a recommendation is mitigation is required.
If mitigation is required, the process is simple, minimally invasive and most cases will only take a half day by our licensed specialists.
You can use this checklist to verify your preventative maintenance is up to date.
Keeping your property in peak condition requires looking at the details that often go unnoticed. Here is a point by point diagram of the key areas we help you monitor and maintain your building.
Understanding the lifespan of your property’s components is the first step in proactive maintenance. Based on industry-standard life expectancy data, here is what we monitor to ensure your “quality stays in shape”.
