Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) .... fuses?

[gene6]

Very interesting read.

It appears UL 489 compliance is not enforced, and circuit breakers may be junk below 200% rated current.

Molded Case Circuit Breakers - Some Holes in the Electrical Safety Net
Publisher: IEEE, Jesse Aronstein; David W. Carrier
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8283732

"..Some manufacturers do not test all breakers that they produce for the UL489 135% must trip requirement [7]. Instead, to minimize test time and cost, they test at 200% of rated current or higher and rely on an assumption that there is a dependable current-time trip relationship. That assumption may be erroneous for some circuit breaker product lines."

So if I am reading that right he first only tested FPE breakers and they said why not test some brand new breakers to compare results?
So he did and got basically similar results as the FPE !? The brand he refers to as the new brand which he cant disclose the name is obviously Leviton.

 

[gene6]

From the report:

Brand X was assumed to be a unique outlier when [3] was
published. Subsequent testing of a variety of brands of circuit
breakers from homes has shown that assumption to be false.

(Brand X is FPE)

From the report we can see fuses of any age are as good as if not better than breakers:

Fig. 6 presents test results for new samples of six brands
of circuit breakers and for an assortment of Edison-base
fuses. The breakers were recently purchased from among the
various brands and types presently on the market. The fuses
are an assortment of old and new stock.

 

[brycenesbitt]

So if I am reading that right he first only tested FPE breakers and they said why not test some brand new breakers to compare results?
So he did and got basically similar results as the FPE !? The brand he refers to as the new brand which he cant disclose the name is obviously Leviton.

Anyone interested, PM me, I have a copy of the full "secret" key to company codes used in the article.

The new UBI breakers available with Stab Lok tested similar to the historic models.

 

[brycenesbitt]

From the report we can see fuses of any age are as good as if not better than breakers:

As the OP on this thread....
to be clear I'm not worried about the fuses themselves: fuses are great.

It's the fuse holder that's an issue for the insurance company, and an issue I wish to evaluate.

 

[ramsy]

It's the fuse holder that's an issue for the insurance company, and an issue I wish to evaluate.

Insurance bears the burden to prove increased hazard not covered, existing equipment defect, or non-compliance with 110.12(B).

Baseless threats may be legally challenged, as historically done with accident claims, to overcome insurance offers for peanuts.

The problem with residential, is inside wiring riddled with remodel-wiring hazards, and missing electrical permits.

If service-equipment complaints are tossed, insurance AHJ is authorized to inspect sub-panels, & inside wiring for proper maintenance.

Inside inspections would result in stringing up most slumlords by their testicles, for construction defects, and fire hazards.