Is This a Zinsco (Dangerous) Panel?

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-MIKE-

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Franklin, TN, USA
Can anyone tell from this picture if this is a notorious Zinsco breaker panel.
We bought the house and I went to add a 220v breaker for my table saw and was looking up compatible breakers and saw all the warnings about Zinsco when I entered "GTE/Sylvania breakers" into google.

From everything I've read the dangerous panels are the ones with the two parallel, straight, bus bars, and the breakers have those two bus slots on the back.

These are standard breakers with the clip on one side and the push-in electrical connection on the other.

Am I correct to assume that this is a safe panel and not the dangerous Zinsco design?

Thanks!
 

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That is not a Zinsco Panel but a Bryant-- well at least the breakers are mostly Bryant and a few GE breakers. Eaton now has bought out Bryant and have the replacements for them. They are the Cutler Hammer BR Series. I would not worry too much about that panel
 
Dennis Alwon said:
That is not a Zinsco Panel but a Bryant-- well at least the breakers are mostly Bryant and a few GE breakers. Eaton now has bought out Bryant and have the replacements for them. They are the Cutler Hammer BR Series. I would not worry too much about that panel
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Thank you Dennis. By the way, the picture rotated to the left for some reason. The panel is vertical, not horizontal like in the pic.
 
-MIKE- said:
Thank you Dennis. By the way, the picture rotated to the left for some reason. The panel is vertical, not horizontal like in the pic.
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I figured that. In the US the panel are mounted vertically. In Canada they often mount the panels as shown- horizontally
 
I disagree, that is a Zinsco/Sylvania/Challenger panel, the neutral bar is a typical Zinsco style, not a Bryant. They did have both styles of breakers until the infamous Zinsco design was discontinued.
 
kingpb said:
This is a Zinsco

View attachment 11748
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norcal said:
I disagree, that is a Zinsco/Sylvania/Challenger panel, the neutral bar is a typical Zinsco style, not a Bryant. They did have both styles of breakers until the infamous Zinsco design was discontinued.
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I always thought that the questionable panels were ones that accepted the breaker posted by kingpb. I could be mistaken however.
 
norcal said:
I disagree, that is a Zinsco/Sylvania/Challenger panel, the neutral bar is a typical Zinsco style, not a Bryant. They did have both styles of breakers until the infamous Zinsco design was discontinued.
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That fact does not matter. The problem was in the breakers not the panel. If the panel is a Zinsco/Sylvania type then obviously the breakers are not listed for it however IMO that is not a reason to worry. The op was interested in the worrisome concept of the failed Zinsco breakers. This is not an issue with this setup IMO.
 
John120/240 said:
Using this style of breaker for single pole loads, how did you avoid overloading one bus ? All of the ones that I have seen had the single pole connection closest to the handle. Did you just order 10 breakers for A bus & 10 for B bus ? When installed in the panel all of the breakers went the same direction.
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You were able to able to flip the metal around to change the phase the breaker connected to.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
That fact does not matter. The problem was in the breakers not the panel. If the panel is a Zinsco/Sylvania type then obviously the breakers are not listed for it however IMO that is not a reason to worry. The op was interested in the worrisome concept of the failed Zinsco breakers. This is not an issue with this setup IMO.
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Yes, that is my concern. The sticker on the outside of the panel cover reads, "GTE/Sylvania." The home was built aprox. 1977-78. The label on the inside of the hinged cover plate also states, "Use only American Switch Circuit breakers, Type A and C."

Does that narrow it down more?
Also, does that help determine which exact breakers should be in this box?
Right now I can see the following breakers installed:
several - Bryant BR
several - Siemens QP
1 each with the attached stickers...

I would like to make sure I have the proper breakers installed in this panel and will gladly replace any that might be improper. I would also like to make sure I'm using the correct breakers for future circuits.
I've also attached a pic of the entire panel.
Thanks again!
 

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I have no idea where you would find american switch circuit breakers. Imo if you are really concerned then get an electrician and change out the panel. This way you wont have issues with compliance and future installs.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I have no idea where you would find american switch circuit breakers. Imo if you are really concerned then get an electrician and change out the panel. This way you wont have issues with compliance and future installs.
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Honestly, my only real concern is that my house isn't going to burn down because a faulty Zinsco bus bar/breaker combination causes a fire. I think that question has been answered to my satisfaction. This panel looks nothing like the ones I've seen in pictures and these are definitely not those Zinsco breakers.

I just figured since I was in here and everyone's being so helpful, I'd make sure I'm using a suitable replacement breaker.
Am I correct to assume that there's more that qualifies a breaker for use in a panel than "it fits in there tightly." Or is that really all that matters; if it's fits it works.
 
-MIKE- said:
Honestly, my only real concern is that my house isn't going to burn down because a faulty Zinsco bus bar/breaker combination causes a fire. I think that question has been answered to my satisfaction. This panel looks nothing like the ones I've seen in pictures and these are definitely not those Zinsco breakers.

I just figured since I was in here and everyone's being so helpful, I'd make sure I'm using a suitable replacement breaker.
Am I correct to assume that there's more that qualifies a breaker for use in a panel than "it fits in there tightly." Or is that really all that matters; if it's fits it works.
Click to expand...

To be compliant it must be listed for the panel by a 3rd party testing lab. I have seen hundreds of panels like yours where there is a mix of breaker brands and I have never seen issues with it. I am sure one can fail but so can the breakers that are listed for that panel. Sleep tight- not a safety issue as far as I know.

Personally I would not install stuff like that but that has more to do with trying to be compliant and covering my butt if something should happen.
 
-MIKE- said:
Honestly, my only real concern is that my house isn't going to burn down because a faulty Zinsco bus bar/breaker combination causes a fire. I think that question has been answered to my satisfaction. This panel looks nothing like the ones I've seen in pictures and these are definitely not those Zinsco breakers.

I just figured since I was in here and everyone's being so helpful, I'd make sure I'm using a suitable replacement breaker.
Am I correct to assume that there's more that qualifies a breaker for use in a panel than "it fits in there tightly." Or is that really all that matters; if it's fits it works.
Click to expand...

SQ D Homeline, CH BR series, GE, Siemens all use a similar design. Similar is the key word. The slot where the breaker engages the bus is not always the same depth. If it fits it works is one way of thinking. But were something to go wrong & cause a fire or loss of life the lawyers would have a field day because your breakers were not listed/tested for use in that panel
 
John120/240 said:
SQ D Homeline, CH BR series, GE, Siemens all use a similar design. Similar is the key word. The slot where the breaker engages the bus is not always the same depth. If it fits it works is one way of thinking. But were something to go wrong & cause a fire or loss of life the lawyers would have a field day because your breakers were not listed/tested for use in that panel
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True but have you ever heard of a fire started from a mismatch breaker. I am not advocating doing it but I don't really see an issue especially in a residence where the loads are small and not continuous
 
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