Professional Mold Inspections & Environmental Testing in East Brunswick, NJ

As home inspectors, we still come across electrical panel boxes that are made by the Zinsmeyer company. These panels were installed in homes in the 1950's to the 1970's. Electricians have found these panels to be vulnerable to overheating which significantly contributes to the risk of fire in the home. These panels can operate properly for years but can fail quickly leading to fire safety hazards. There are a few significant design flaws with these panel boxes. The first is a defect with the plating on the bus bars. A bus bar is a metal strip that electrical current flows through and where the breakers connect. If there is deterioration to the bus bar the connection of the breaker to the bus bar will be inadequate and the result can be arching which can cause a fire. The second major issue is that the Zinsco breakers do not tightly clamp onto the bus bar they are just clipped making for an unstable connection. In fact, the breakers can be moved up and down on the bus bar if you have room in your panel and the panel is not filled. Both of these issues create a significant fire hazard because if the breakers are not positively connected to the bus bars electrical arcing can take place and a fire can result due to increased heat and resistance. A Zinsco panel can be identified by the label and their color coated breakers. Home inspectors should identify these panels, educate their clients about the hazards and recommend replacement.