Federal Pacific safe if breakers changed with new?

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rubob

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Asheville North Carolina
Are there replacement Federal Pacific breakers that are free of the locking problems of old? I normally just change the panel but have a client with a 600 amp distribution panel with six 100-200 amp sub feed breakers. Can I change the breakers instead of the service?
 
The FPE issues were with the residential Stablok loadcenters, from what I understand the rest of their product line was fine.
 
rubob said:
Are there replacement Federal Pacific breakers that are free of the locking problems of old? I normally just change the panel but have a client with a 600 amp distribution panel with six 100-200 amp sub feed breakers. Can I change the breakers instead of the service?
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Through the years (70's and later)we have experienced problems with the larger molded case frame sizes in the 200 to 800A range.
I suggest you do a search on this forum for the many posts
on this subject.
 
Thanks for the input. I have been researching this and there is lots of evidence (and personal experience) about the dangers of the FPE stab-lok design but precious little about their bolt on breakers. My client has a 600 amp Federal Pacific type NDP distribution panel with six sub-feeds. I don't know that I can justify telling him it needs to changed.
 
zog said:
Not any more expensive than any other breaker of the same size and rating.
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Maybe if you can find the right source, or the wrong source with other breakers. How is it a $4.00 breaker from manufacturer ABC does not cost less then similar size and rating FPE that cost $25.00? Now put 20 or more of them into same installation, and then add $50 or more for each double pole compared to $12 for ABC brand, GFCI's - over $100 if you can get one, AFCI - forget it they likely don't even exist but not worth the price if they did anyway.
 
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