Federal Pacific/ Furnace

Status
Not open for further replies.
E

Esthy

Senior Member
I would like your input regarding this situation, I didn't have enough time to evaluate better. An electrical furnace was replaced for a gas furnace some time ago. Please see photos. The main service panel is a Federal Pacific one. The installer pigtailed, at the furnace, with 12 AWG (the right wage for this furnace) to the existing large gauge wiring that were use for the electrical furnace, and leaving the same large wiring all the way to the service panel (about 30/40') and there the ungrounded (the red one) is connected directly to the 20 amps breaker (I assume the installer removed some strands to accommodated this breaker). The installer left the same bare grounding as original installed and pigtailed the large neutral with the 12 AWG.

The property is for sale and I was called to replace all receptacles and switches for Decora and installation of GFCI were needed. The owner does not want to replace the Federal Pacific Panel, here in WA is not mandatory as in another communities, and really this panel "looks clean" the breakers are working, at this moment, normally. In my opinion this furnace/wiring installation looks ugly but really I don't see any hazards as the 12s are pigtailed with this heavy conductors, unless some strands were removed on the ungrounded but it can be pigtailed as well and attach the 12 to the breaker. "If it were for me I replace the entire panel"

I appreciate your inputs ....
 
J

JFletcher

Senior Member
Location
Williamsburg, VA
The original wiring looks like aluminum in pic#3. Aluminum/copper joints in box and for the neutral in the panel...were these done correctly? . Also, how does one properly "de-rate" a larger conductor to fit a smaller lug/breaker?
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Is there a local disconnect for the furnace?

If not a two pole breaker enclosure is an easy place to reduce the conductor size and incorporate a disconnecting means - on the load end anyway.

FPE panel - "the breakers are working"? Of course they are. If there is any problem with them they will fail to open when they are supposed to.

Without local requirements to replace those I guess they can stay. If I were the one giving any kind of evaluation I'd still mention there is known potential problems with this series of panel and that owner/potential buyer should at least read some information on that and use their own discretion how to proceed with this information, otherwise point out that it is or is not correctly installed for what it is. There are enough horror stories on the FPE most will want to see it go though, but you made them make that choice instead of telling them it has to go.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top