Zinsco Electrical Panel ?

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carguy1nn

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In the panel foto below, there's a 70 amp breaker at the top right with no specific assigned circuit. It had been referred to as a disconnect, and had been blowing occasionally until the wires to it were "rerouted".
What might have been the purpose of this 70 amp breaker?Electric Panel.jpg
 
My guess would be that it fed a subpanel somewhere. It could be for heat but I see that heat is listed on other breakers.
 
For no more than we can tell from the picture, it would appear to most to be the main breaker supplying the entire panel. If that is the case removing conductors from it would make it not trip anymore, but also means nothing else in the panel is live anymore.

Care to clarify a little more just exactly what you are asking or give more details of what we may see once the cover is removed?
 
carguy1nn said:
In the panel foto below, there's a 70 amp breaker at the top right with no specific assigned circuit. It had been referred to as a disconnect, and had been blowing occasionally until the wires to it were "rerouted".
What might have been the purpose of this 70 amp breaker?View attachment 22462
Click to expand...

It says MAIN on the attached metal label to the right of it.

My guess is that the only way the wires could have been 'rerouted' was to land them on main lugs in the panel. That might be a code violation, and if it is the service disconnect then it is a very bad idea, especially on a Zinsco.
 
Just looking at the labels, this could be easily pushing the limit on a 70 amp main.

Some will say it is good that the Zinsco 70 amp actually does trip.
 
kwired said:
Just looking at the labels, this could be easily pushing the limit on a 70 amp main.

Some will say it is good that the Zinsco 70 amp actually does trip.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking. It needs to be sent to a museum
 
I agree if that is actually a main then IMO, that panel would not calculate out to be 70 amps. Seems like a lot but I can't be certain
 
Zinsco Electrical Panel question

Zinsco Electrical Panel question

jaggedben said:
It says MAIN on the attached metal label to the right of it.

My guess is that the only way the wires could have been 'rerouted' was to land them on main lugs in the panel. That might be a code violation, and if it is the service disconnect then it is a very bad idea, especially on a Zinsco.
Click to expand...

The panel clearly looks to use far more than 70 amps (how could that 70 amp breaker be the main?). Could that 70 amp breaker somehow have been connected to a few 20 amp breakers as some kind of safety against their overloading? Somehow related to a remodel at some time?

I've never seen the inside of the panel, just this foto; I do know that there is no sub panel wired to this breaker, and that when it on occasion would blow, many areas of the house would lose power.

N
 
kwired said:
With the "main" label (and only one label) riveted in place?
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Its possible if that was the intended place for the sub main breaker.


Although to be honest I am more guessing then knowing for sure. I haven't seen to many 70 amp mains, but plenty of 60 amp submains.
 
mbrooke said:
Its possible if that was the intended place for the sub main breaker.


Although to be honest I am more guessing then knowing for sure. I haven't seen to many 70 amp mains, but plenty of 60 amp submains.
Click to expand...

I have seen a fair number of Pushmatic panels with 70 amp mains, don't really know why 70 amp. Most were installed in 1960's
 
kwired said:
I have seen a fair number of Pushmatic panels with 70 amp mains, don't really know why 70 amp. Most were installed in 1960's
Click to expand...

Don't know when code required the 100amp disconnect for dwellings, but prior to that I could see it making sense if going solely by load calcs.
 
My thought as well. It appears to be the 70A main breaker for the panel.

When it trips, does the entire building go dark?

Who "rerouted" what wires and how?

Is this a DIY thread?
 
mbrooke said:
Split buss panel.
Click to expand...

mbrooke said:
Its possible if that was the intended place for the sub main breaker. ....
Click to expand...

I'm liking this one. The 70A feeds all the CB on the right.
I recall one about like this that I put in during the mid 70s
Only issue is this one would have 7 disconnects, six on the left side and the 70A - which doesn't seem to fit.

Time to pull the cover, get out the Knopp. Shut it off and see what dies
 
Zinsco Electrical Panel question

Zinsco Electrical Panel question

MAC702 said:
My thought as well. It appears to be the 70A main breaker for the panel.

When it trips, does the entire building go dark?

Who "rerouted" what wires and how?

Is this a DIY thread?
Click to expand...

When it tripped it was kitchen circuits which went out. I'm trying to figure out what was rerouted ( it seems that somehow kitchen circuits were tied to the 70 amp "main labelled" breaker) How might things have been wired between the kitchen circuits and this 70 amp breaker that would be fixed by "re-routing" some wires ( could new kitchen circuits have been installed with a remodel that somehow tied these two together?
 
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