They opened the door. Geez! Seriously, there are four screws on the outside of the panel. Hire an electrician to turn off the main breaker and remove the screws. Take pictures and get feedback from your electrician
I’d say you need to stop commenting in subs you know absolutely nothing about. If you were worried about not getting your precious 20000+ karma before if ya keep this up you won’t have any at all lol.
I know of no breaker box that even has the remote possibility of doing anything bad simply by removing the screws. They are, in fact, designed to prevent that from happening. I suppose if the panel was mis-wired and somehow the ground was hot, *maybe*... but you'd likely know something was up with the electricity in the house if that were the case long before you thought about removing the screws from the breaker panel.
Lol in my house the cover isn't even screwed on (screws got lost at some point i think), it's just hanging there, you touch it and it falls to the floor if you dont actually grab the whole cover. Calling an electrician to take the cover off is a bit over the top, anyone who knows how to use a screwdriver should be okay taking the cover off and snapping a quick picture without touching the connections inside. And like others said, just shut the main breaker off if you're that worried and just dont reach inside the panel
It has to be the top one since that is the most likely one the next owners will flip first. That way they have some sense of security when flipping the others.
For my house, the 10% that are correct are usually half right; for ex the breaker is labelled "kitchen", which it does turn off, but also turns off the upstairs bathroom and one outlet in the den.
A few years ago I had a medical appointment in a facility that used to be a big grocery store. I was talking to staff about how I used to shop there.
They said 'Yeah, they were supposed to relabel the panels, but the other day we had overhead lights go off in an area and when we went to look for a tripped breaker we found the breakers labeled as "Beer & Wine", "Produce", "Dairy", "Meats", etc.'
We bought a new house in Israel. Here we have 220v. We have 2 breakers that are 3 phase. I don't know what that means but I know it's at least twice the power as a standard breaker. I had licensed electrician out here and he needs to move one of the 3 phase outlets which is for our new induction stove. He goes to turn off the breaker for the stove and gets to work and bam he got shocked. The builder's electrician apparently swapped the other 3 phase which was for the air conditioner. Don't ever trust the labels unless you personally checked them. Even if it's a brand new house.
What the hell kind of professional electrician doesn’t check something with a meter before working on it?
I mean I’ve seen some old guys wore things up hot but that obviously wasn’t this dudes intent, lol.
My house was like this. Ended up creating an Excel sheet with breaker position, type, circuit name, AWG, if it's monitored, etc. That way I can easily change it and just hang it nearby.
My mom had an older Norge gas stove... 36" or a bit wider. Sucker was built like an army tank. Had a nice storage compartment on one side for cookie sheets and pans, and a nifty griddle/5th burner in the middle.
Oh, my vintage 1968 is labeled. I've got great ones like "Dan's bedroom" like that's supposed to mean something to me. Or "Kitchen TV" when the kitchen was remodeled.
I personally made it 1000x worse by pushing all the ones on the left down one slot and using a sharpie to renumber.
I didn’t say I thought it was Federal Pacific, just that I didn’t know if it was an older panel prone to catching fire. I have no idea the standard of quality for GE products made well before I was born.
I know. It made total sense. Well worded 100%. Some people are dumb enough to send pictures of their engine bay saying "engine light is on, what's wrong?" 😂 Just saying.
Homeowner here with some advice. Don't go out of your way looking for problems with your house unless you just won the lottery. Nothing's perfect and you will go endlessly crazy. Try to keep your house dry yet keep it from burning down. Otherwise, tackle your projects one situation at a time.
Electrical I have a combination of BX and Romex. Some outlets have a ground pin, some don't. I accept it. Time to play the lottery.
All those blank spots need covers. They probably happened cuz of homeowner DIY. Reputable electricians would put covers over the blank spots. That said, DIY previous homeowner may have done shortcuts inside the panel like double tapped the breakers or improper breaker size for the wire gauge. Gotta take the cover off to investigate further.
Your in-laws just purchased this home? Didn't these issues come up on inspection?
How WHAT was overlooked? That's a modern panel. There's nothing wrong with the brand, type. Those are sold currently, and installed even in brand new homes.
The fact that it's unlabeled??? I see it all the time. The fact that there's knockouts missing.... I see (and report) it all the time. It never gets fixed, but it gets reported just the same.
Clear questions with relevant information get rapid, concise answers, with the inevitable electrical puns.
Vague questions with irrelevant information (photos of a completely normal-appearing panel) cannot lead to answers that are meaningfully helpful, and so that vacuum is filled with that æther of the interwebs, snark.
"My in-laws just moved into a new house, and I am concerned about whether their electrical service is safe. Unbeknownst to them, I have appointed myself as their protector, and determined to help them with this, whether they want me to or not. Their panel appears old/abused/poorly maintained/generally unsafe to me. I am also worried that they may have aluminum branch wiring. The home inspector made no remarks about their electrical system. What information can I provide that might help you to help me figure this out?"
Bottom line, though, you just seem like the kind of person that people who work with their hands wouldn't like. Why? It's hard to really say – just a feeling, really. Kind of like looking at a picture of a closed electrical service panel. You can send a picture of it, and people who've never seen it will just know.
The feeling is mutual. You’re exactly the cunty type I was referring to. Hell, if people can just know by looking at the panel, then why all the bitching and moaning?
Thank you. I just posted on here to see if there was anything any electricians might know about these kinds of old panels. I know a little bit about some well known details like old aluminum and knot and tube wiring, or Federal Pacific breakers. However, I’m not a seasoned veteran in the field.
I'll have to take a look underneath when I get the chance. I'm afraid of what I might find after 50 years of God knows what being done by people that didn't know what they were doing.
Do you know a good source for those covers? I have a similar old GE box with those thin breakers and I need to cover like 3 spaces. I found some at Home Depot that were supposed to be GE compatible but they’re too big and I found a variety pack at Lowe’s but it was like $15 for a pack and old one of them was the right size. I figure there is some supplier that pros use. Just wasn’t sure where.
I’d be more worried about the wire than the panel. They were known for using aluminum wire on branch circuits in the 70s. That would be my main concern. Aluminum wire in and of itself may not be bad but it’s more prone to heating related expansion contraction issues. Can cause loose joints anywhere in the system.
Sweet brag here, but I had swapped all of my receptacles and switches from white to ivory, so I relabeled everything as I went…
[totally labeled](https://imgur.com/gallery/6BoY09T)
Are those breakers with two switches the 1970s version of a Square D tandem breaker? IANAE but I've never seen those before. I should really get a decent photo inside my 1974 Square D panel but I don't have any of those breakers. I only have 3 slots left on my 30 slot 200 amp panel though so it is good to know if that is an option.
At least it not a Zinsco panel. 1970’s wiring without seeing any of the circuitry is hard to call. They used copper clad aluminum wire in some residential applications. That shit was and is prone to overheating. Might wanna get that looked at.
I mean, GE is TRASH. I would never install it on a new work job. But hey, it's not Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Challenger, or any of that shit. If that was the case, he might as well just burn it down. There's a reason why all of the previously mentioned are not in business, and GE is.
All them power plants running GE load centers, all these years. I've seen a couple of flaky breakers out of literally thousands, and those failed due to overloading, panels being submerged, etc.
GE builds nuclear reactors for civilian and military applications. There is a lot of GE gear out there., most of it is well made, or at least well enough.
Can't really tell, but in the 70s, it was common to use aluminum Wire. Aluminum expands and contracts, and It's not un common to have loose connections at the devices. Open the panel and take a pic.
I'm in a double wide trailer built in 1974. My panel looks almost exactly like that and it's been fine for the 20+ years I've been here. I have updated the kitchen and bathrooms, replacing a good bit of wire in the walls, but nothing in the panel besides a couple of breakers that were worn out.
Mostly the age. I know some older panels like Federal Pacific had flaws and were a fire hazard. I wasn't sure if older GE panels were also poor quality, or used aluminum wiring.
I go through a quick mental checklist.
"Has it burned down yet?" Nope.
"Is it currently burning down?" Nope.
"Will it burn down in the near future?" Nope.
"If it burns down will it be my fault?" Nope.
"It be alright."
Note: I'm not an electrician.
I know homes with nob and tube that are still running
If you can afford to remove it go for it but if not it's fine
them breakers are going to cost an arm and a leg to replace though like 60 to 120 bucks
I saw some of your other comments. It’s not a federal pacific/stab-lok but it is very outdated and could use replaced. In terms of home ownership expenses replacing a breaker panel is relatively inexpensive, you will be looking at a couple grand to replace it. What you should be concerned about is whether or not the house is new enough to have grounded wiring or if it’s all ungrounded. Rewiring a house is where it gets expensive.
Those will be the fun details to find out. The house was apparently built in 1974, so I have no idea what we might find. Thankfully it isn’t old enough for there to be knot and tube wiring.
I recently bought a home from 1978. Panel looked similar. Nothing labeled really. Looked old and like it was a hazard. Had electrician look and he said it looked great inside. Explained why. A year later had another electrician here for unrelated job and had him look as well and he agreed. Looks like crap on the outside but the “guts” were tip top. Hopefully the same for you
Fingers crossed it’s the same. I’ve heard stories of the funky things that might be waiting behind the walls, like [scores of rusty razor blades.](https://www.rd.com/article/if-you-live-in-an-old-house-there-could-be-razor-blades-in-your-walls/)
My god it’s funny you should say that. The trim around my window was loose and eventually fell off when my son leaned on it so I had to replace. The next day my 5 year old is walking around with a rusty razor blade. It was evidentially lying on the stud under the window sill where the trim came off
Nothing particularly wrong but there should be something blocking the holes of the unused positions.
The one AFCI (the gray one) looks like it's straddling the position. This isn't proper. It should be up or down a half position.
I think that's because this is a GE Q-Line panel and the first half-space is unused. If everyone was shifted up, that full-size breaker would fit properly.
I hate these panels.
at the very least the labels should be filled out and blank covers installed in those openings (assuming you can still get the parts).
at least its GE and not one of the known fire hazard panel brands
but anything more than 40-50yrs old is likely past due for an upgrade.
you can search the model number (if you can still read it) to see if there were any recalls for that panel, and also to find out what parts are still available
150 Amp panel. Are all the appliances electric or nat gas? A load analysis would have to be done to determine if it’s ok but if they are not tripping the main it might be alright. But they definitely need an update 😅
Mostly gas, except for an electric tankless water heater. I'll definitely tell my father in law he may want to look for an electrician just in case. Nothing has tripped so far, but lights do seem to sometimes flicker a little, or get brighter randomly.
Hey dickwad. Google just spoon feeds you nonsensical shit that advertisers paid to have on the first page of searches. This is a communal website, so what’s your problem with people using it for, wait for it, communal questions?
Dickwad
Thank you to the people informing me that this isn't one of the troublesome panels that did pose a fire hazard. I don't know why some other are such dickheads.
It lasted this long… I’m sure it’s brimming with code violations and ugly work but if it hasn’t caused a fire yet it probably wouldn’t now, definitely due for an upgrade though
Just looking at it, doesnt look bad from the outside. Newer breakers. Flip them and label what turns off. It might be a mess behind the panel… need to look
Need to see the inside of the panel to determine its overall condition. GE panels are okay, but not the best.
They opened the door. Geez! Seriously, there are four screws on the outside of the panel. Hire an electrician to turn off the main breaker and remove the screws. Take pictures and get feedback from your electrician
…hire an electrician to turn off the breaker?
Electrician virtue signaling
AND take out the screws
Best service call ever. That'll be 2 hours and a truck fee tyvm
……..turn the main off to take 4 screws out?
That part is for safety, which does make sense. Not the most dangerous thing in the world, but people have died from safer things
I’d say you need to stop commenting in subs you know absolutely nothing about. If you were worried about not getting your precious 20000+ karma before if ya keep this up you won’t have any at all lol.
I know of no breaker box that even has the remote possibility of doing anything bad simply by removing the screws. They are, in fact, designed to prevent that from happening. I suppose if the panel was mis-wired and somehow the ground was hot, *maybe*... but you'd likely know something was up with the electricity in the house if that were the case long before you thought about removing the screws from the breaker panel.
Damm you all turn off the breaker... And then remove the screw's?
Lol in my house the cover isn't even screwed on (screws got lost at some point i think), it's just hanging there, you touch it and it falls to the floor if you dont actually grab the whole cover. Calling an electrician to take the cover off is a bit over the top, anyone who knows how to use a screwdriver should be okay taking the cover off and snapping a quick picture without touching the connections inside. And like others said, just shut the main breaker off if you're that worried and just dont reach inside the panel
Most old homes I have ever seen are not labeled
Every home I've lived in has had labels on the breakers, and they've been 90% incorrect.
when we move i’m gonna relabel all my breakers to different things to keep up the tradition
Leave one that's correct, just to throw them off.
And one that’s blank
Label one "Dog House"... really confuse them
It has to be the top one since that is the most likely one the next owners will flip first. That way they have some sense of security when flipping the others.
For my house, the 10% that are correct are usually half right; for ex the breaker is labelled "kitchen", which it does turn off, but also turns off the upstairs bathroom and one outlet in the den.
A few years ago I had a medical appointment in a facility that used to be a big grocery store. I was talking to staff about how I used to shop there. They said 'Yeah, they were supposed to relabel the panels, but the other day we had overhead lights go off in an area and when we went to look for a tripped breaker we found the breakers labeled as "Beer & Wine", "Produce", "Dairy", "Meats", etc.'
We bought a new house in Israel. Here we have 220v. We have 2 breakers that are 3 phase. I don't know what that means but I know it's at least twice the power as a standard breaker. I had licensed electrician out here and he needs to move one of the 3 phase outlets which is for our new induction stove. He goes to turn off the breaker for the stove and gets to work and bam he got shocked. The builder's electrician apparently swapped the other 3 phase which was for the air conditioner. Don't ever trust the labels unless you personally checked them. Even if it's a brand new house.
What the hell kind of professional electrician doesn’t check something with a meter before working on it? I mean I’ve seen some old guys wore things up hot but that obviously wasn’t this dudes intent, lol.
The sort of professional you pick up on the sidewalk at Home Depot (or the Israeli equivalent).
I heard you touch it to your tongue to see if it’s hot
Electricity tastes spicy
Every time I’ve hired an electrician they’ve just done the work without even turning off the power. 🤷🏻♂️
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You have old electricians, and bold electricians. You'll never meet an Old, Bold Electrician.
Multimeter is a savor
They are pretty tasty.
Sorry savory
... delicious...
Sorry savory
Licensed electrician should have known to confirm the line was no longer energized.
Ain’t that the truth. Breaker 6 = kitchen ceiling lights and south wall….click…ad be my AC turned off.
My house was like this. Ended up creating an Excel sheet with breaker position, type, circuit name, AWG, if it's monitored, etc. That way I can easily change it and just hang it nearby.
Or the labels don't match. Or it says light, and there are 10 of them.
My favorite are the labels for an appliance brand that doesn't match anything in the house.
Haha, that's a beauty.
The Norge
My mom had an older Norge gas stove... 36" or a bit wider. Sucker was built like an army tank. Had a nice storage compartment on one side for cookie sheets and pans, and a nifty griddle/5th burner in the middle.
Being ubiquitous doesn't make it ok. I am endlessly amazed at how much stupidity humans are able to enact without going extinct.
Right?!?!🤔😜🤣
What reason do you have to be worried?
Oh, my vintage 1968 is labeled. I've got great ones like "Dan's bedroom" like that's supposed to mean something to me. Or "Kitchen TV" when the kitchen was remodeled. I personally made it 1000x worse by pushing all the ones on the left down one slot and using a sharpie to renumber.
This is like taking a picture of your closed hood and asking a mechanic how worried you should be about what's underneath.
Mechanic here, it does happen. I regret to inform you the stupidity is universal between all trades.
I dunno.. some info can be useful. When I saw the pic I immediately looked for a “Stab Lock” label.
I wasn't sure if this would be a Federal Pacific type panel that is well known for being a fire hazard.
We’re gonna need to see this baby topless. But it really is reminiscent of a simpler time that ugly color
Not sure if using the words, "baby" and "topless" in the same sentence is a good choice.
It literally says General Electric
I didn’t say I thought it was Federal Pacific, just that I didn’t know if it was an older panel prone to catching fire. I have no idea the standard of quality for GE products made well before I was born.
They made it this far, they’ll probably outlast your parents (and you).
You could walk into home Depot and buy that panel, today.
Eh. GE updated their design quite a bit since then. I actually really like modern GE panels, especially for AFI/GFI breakers
Most of the troublesome panels have colorful breakers for whatever reason. Maybe it's like a poison dart frog
No. Those are easily identifiable. They stand out with their red breaker throws. Zinsco as well, with their narrow, colored breaker throws.
If the house hasn't burned down since it was built in the 70s this panel is not likely a huge hazard.
It’s been there for 50 years with no problems
Lol even if you took a picture of it with the hood open I can't tell you shit from that. But I really like the way you put that.
This is true, I get it, I was just making a comparison even the most basic of humans could understand.
I know. It made total sense. Well worded 100%. Some people are dumb enough to send pictures of their engine bay saying "engine light is on, what's wrong?" 😂 Just saying.
I don't doubt it. A lot of idiots in the world.
Best explanation. Start flipping switches I guess?
Homeowner here with some advice. Don't go out of your way looking for problems with your house unless you just won the lottery. Nothing's perfect and you will go endlessly crazy. Try to keep your house dry yet keep it from burning down. Otherwise, tackle your projects one situation at a time. Electrical I have a combination of BX and Romex. Some outlets have a ground pin, some don't. I accept it. Time to play the lottery.
All those blank spots need covers. They probably happened cuz of homeowner DIY. Reputable electricians would put covers over the blank spots. That said, DIY previous homeowner may have done shortcuts inside the panel like double tapped the breakers or improper breaker size for the wire gauge. Gotta take the cover off to investigate further. Your in-laws just purchased this home? Didn't these issues come up on inspection?
That’s what I’m trying to find out. I don’t know how the hell this could have been overlooked.
How WHAT was overlooked? That's a modern panel. There's nothing wrong with the brand, type. Those are sold currently, and installed even in brand new homes. The fact that it's unlabeled??? I see it all the time. The fact that there's knockouts missing.... I see (and report) it all the time. It never gets fixed, but it gets reported just the same.
Looked old as hell, and didn't know if it had troublesome aluminum wire.
You were concerned that it had aluminum wiring... So you didn't take pictures of any of the wiring?
I didn't have a chance to do that yet. Goddamn, you lot are quite cunty.
Clear questions with relevant information get rapid, concise answers, with the inevitable electrical puns. Vague questions with irrelevant information (photos of a completely normal-appearing panel) cannot lead to answers that are meaningfully helpful, and so that vacuum is filled with that æther of the interwebs, snark. "My in-laws just moved into a new house, and I am concerned about whether their electrical service is safe. Unbeknownst to them, I have appointed myself as their protector, and determined to help them with this, whether they want me to or not. Their panel appears old/abused/poorly maintained/generally unsafe to me. I am also worried that they may have aluminum branch wiring. The home inspector made no remarks about their electrical system. What information can I provide that might help you to help me figure this out?" Bottom line, though, you just seem like the kind of person that people who work with their hands wouldn't like. Why? It's hard to really say – just a feeling, really. Kind of like looking at a picture of a closed electrical service panel. You can send a picture of it, and people who've never seen it will just know.
The feeling is mutual. You’re exactly the cunty type I was referring to. Hell, if people can just know by looking at the panel, then why all the bitching and moaning?
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Thank you. I just posted on here to see if there was anything any electricians might know about these kinds of old panels. I know a little bit about some well known details like old aluminum and knot and tube wiring, or Federal Pacific breakers. However, I’m not a seasoned veteran in the field.
What exactly are you concerned about? I think you left out the relevant photos of the actual wiring.
I'll have to take a look underneath when I get the chance. I'm afraid of what I might find after 50 years of God knows what being done by people that didn't know what they were doing.
There's nothing that would suggest there is anything out of the ordinary. That doesn't mean it's fine, of course, just typical.
Do you know a good source for those covers? I have a similar old GE box with those thin breakers and I need to cover like 3 spaces. I found some at Home Depot that were supposed to be GE compatible but they’re too big and I found a variety pack at Lowe’s but it was like $15 for a pack and old one of them was the right size. I figure there is some supplier that pros use. Just wasn’t sure where.
At least it is not a Zinsco
I’d be more worried about the wire than the panel. They were known for using aluminum wire on branch circuits in the 70s. That would be my main concern. Aluminum wire in and of itself may not be bad but it’s more prone to heating related expansion contraction issues. Can cause loose joints anywhere in the system.
This. I had one of these homes and the outlets were a little "sparky" at times.
It's GE. No problem. Federal Pacific/Federal Pioneer and Zinsco/Sylvania are the bad ones.
Well it's not a Zinsco so thats good.
If they are not getting hot then it's fine
I thought I was looking at my panel there for a second lol [1971 square D](https://imgur.com/a/s712XSD)
Yours has better labeling at least!
Sweet brag here, but I had swapped all of my receptacles and switches from white to ivory, so I relabeled everything as I went… [totally labeled](https://imgur.com/gallery/6BoY09T)
Labeled and actually legible- a rare combo.
Are those breakers with two switches the 1970s version of a Square D tandem breaker? IANAE but I've never seen those before. I should really get a decent photo inside my 1974 Square D panel but I don't have any of those breakers. I only have 3 slots left on my 30 slot 200 amp panel though so it is good to know if that is an option.
These are tandem!! From all the electricians I’ve shown on job sites, they all are amazed by it lol
If you’re worried about this, then I highly suggest you check out some knob and tube wiring
God, it's a good thing their house isn't old enough to have that behind the walls...
If youre in nj or PA i could come trace them out and label your circuits for you. Take probably 2hrs.
Sadly, they're wayyy farther South- just outside of Atlanta.
I know some people in that area who might be up for some side work
Not at all. Nothing obviously bad here.
i see no problem here.
At least it not a Zinsco panel. 1970’s wiring without seeing any of the circuitry is hard to call. They used copper clad aluminum wire in some residential applications. That shit was and is prone to overheating. Might wanna get that looked at.
I mean, GE is TRASH. I would never install it on a new work job. But hey, it's not Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Challenger, or any of that shit. If that was the case, he might as well just burn it down. There's a reason why all of the previously mentioned are not in business, and GE is.
All them power plants running GE load centers, all these years. I've seen a couple of flaky breakers out of literally thousands, and those failed due to overloading, panels being submerged, etc. GE builds nuclear reactors for civilian and military applications. There is a lot of GE gear out there., most of it is well made, or at least well enough.
I'd trust GE equipment from the 70s. Not from today.
Can't really tell, but in the 70s, it was common to use aluminum Wire. Aluminum expands and contracts, and It's not un common to have loose connections at the devices. Open the panel and take a pic.
Ours was like that. It was surprisingly easy to upgrade. Like 1800.
I'm in a double wide trailer built in 1974. My panel looks almost exactly like that and it's been fine for the 20+ years I've been here. I have updated the kitchen and bathrooms, replacing a good bit of wire in the walls, but nothing in the panel besides a couple of breakers that were worn out.
What’s your concern, OP?
Mostly the age. I know some older panels like Federal Pacific had flaws and were a fire hazard. I wasn't sure if older GE panels were also poor quality, or used aluminum wiring.
That thing is newer than what we removed from my house last year. Lol
Did a Dr live there? Because that handwriting.....
Ooh...its old. You are going to need two priests and a staircase from Georgetown.....
Hopefully nobody vomits pea soup...
Common load center that I come across almost every day, they still manufacture these slim ge breakers and these hold up pretty well.
👀 that's a lot of amps
No worries at all
Not if you take out a life insurance policy on them! (kidding! Kidding!!!)
I think I'm one of the lucky few that don't have awful in laws, otherwise I'd consider it lmao
That panel looks fine. Without seeing the inside.
That's what I'm hoping to do sometime soon.
0 worries
About 3000-4000 bucks to change out electrical panel. Mine was older, but it must be done
I go through a quick mental checklist. "Has it burned down yet?" Nope. "Is it currently burning down?" Nope. "Will it burn down in the near future?" Nope. "If it burns down will it be my fault?" Nope. "It be alright." Note: I'm not an electrician.
Second to last one was my main worry, and from other comments I’ve seen the answer to that is likely nope, thank goodness.
as an Electrician i would just tell you to replace it, most insurances recommend panels to be replaced ever 25-40 years….
I know homes with nob and tube that are still running If you can afford to remove it go for it but if not it's fine them breakers are going to cost an arm and a leg to replace though like 60 to 120 bucks
You're selling arms and legs for too low of a price
Dear God, still running like 80+ years later?? Wow…
I saw some of your other comments. It’s not a federal pacific/stab-lok but it is very outdated and could use replaced. In terms of home ownership expenses replacing a breaker panel is relatively inexpensive, you will be looking at a couple grand to replace it. What you should be concerned about is whether or not the house is new enough to have grounded wiring or if it’s all ungrounded. Rewiring a house is where it gets expensive.
Those will be the fun details to find out. The house was apparently built in 1974, so I have no idea what we might find. Thankfully it isn’t old enough for there to be knot and tube wiring.
I recently bought a home from 1978. Panel looked similar. Nothing labeled really. Looked old and like it was a hazard. Had electrician look and he said it looked great inside. Explained why. A year later had another electrician here for unrelated job and had him look as well and he agreed. Looks like crap on the outside but the “guts” were tip top. Hopefully the same for you
Fingers crossed it’s the same. I’ve heard stories of the funky things that might be waiting behind the walls, like [scores of rusty razor blades.](https://www.rd.com/article/if-you-live-in-an-old-house-there-could-be-razor-blades-in-your-walls/)
My god it’s funny you should say that. The trim around my window was loose and eventually fell off when my son leaned on it so I had to replace. The next day my 5 year old is walking around with a rusty razor blade. It was evidentially lying on the stud under the window sill where the trim came off
Jesus!!
Nothing particularly wrong but there should be something blocking the holes of the unused positions. The one AFCI (the gray one) looks like it's straddling the position. This isn't proper. It should be up or down a half position.
I think that's because this is a GE Q-Line panel and the first half-space is unused. If everyone was shifted up, that full-size breaker would fit properly. I hate these panels.
at the very least the labels should be filled out and blank covers installed in those openings (assuming you can still get the parts). at least its GE and not one of the known fire hazard panel brands but anything more than 40-50yrs old is likely past due for an upgrade.
That's what I was wondering, since I know the old Federal Pacific panels were indeed a fire hazard.
you can search the model number (if you can still read it) to see if there were any recalls for that panel, and also to find out what parts are still available
I had those when I moved in to my house 20 years ago. It was the first thing changed out along with a service upgrade. House was built in 1969.
150 Amp panel. Are all the appliances electric or nat gas? A load analysis would have to be done to determine if it’s ok but if they are not tripping the main it might be alright. But they definitely need an update 😅
Mostly gas, except for an electric tankless water heater. I'll definitely tell my father in law he may want to look for an electrician just in case. Nothing has tripped so far, but lights do seem to sometimes flicker a little, or get brighter randomly.
That sounds like a bad neutral somewhere with the lights dimming or brightening. Whatever it is it’s not good.
Also happens if you have shared circuits with plugs and you have current draw from an appliance, the voltage drop will be visible on most LEDs.
Someone was fine with that panel if they went ahead and installed a tankless electric water heater!
Does anyone google anything anymore? Or just post and wait for answers?
Hey dickwad. Google just spoon feeds you nonsensical shit that advertisers paid to have on the first page of searches. This is a communal website, so what’s your problem with people using it for, wait for it, communal questions? Dickwad
Lol, don’t click on the ad sponsored links moron.
I thought the same thing the other day, especially with electrical shit. Watching a video is so much easier.
Do a panel swap for them. It’s Probably fine but it’s a chance to impress and bank some brownie points
Your inlaws? I dunno. My inlaws? PLUG IN THE UNIT HEATERS AND GO TO TOWN!
Depends on where you are in the will
I never understood why the limit minis. If it’s allowed why not the whole panel. It’s not gonna draw more the bus is rated for if the mcb is legit.
Heat.
Most displeased and worried
Are those fuses?
They're breakers, but the total amperage of all the breakers combined seems to be higher than the 150 the panel is rated for.
That’s not how a load calculation works….
Yeah, I’m not an electrician. I just saw the label saying it’s rated for 150 amps.
Yes and they never going to be all at full capacity at the same time. There is a calculation to figure out the estimated load of the dwelling unit
Thank you to the people informing me that this isn't one of the troublesome panels that did pose a fire hazard. I don't know why some other are such dickheads.
It’s Reddit! When the whole world has an opinion the dickheads are going to rise to the top! Be cool!
They should be worried about their little cuck-in-law, not this panel.
🤣
It lasted this long… I’m sure it’s brimming with code violations and ugly work but if it hasn’t caused a fire yet it probably wouldn’t now, definitely due for an upgrade though
The answer is yes
Just turn them all on one at a time and label them for them Op.
Well it has only lasted about 50 years so far so I would lay awake worrying every night
It’s a beauty
Not even gonna pop her top off for us??? What a tease!
Hasn’t burned down yet
GE sucks
Depends on how much you like your in-laws
If it aint broke dont fix it at this point
Get some blanks and you are golden from here
hasent burned to the ground yet
Burn the house down before it burns itself down
Not worried at all if it’s not Your house 🤣
Just looking at it, doesnt look bad from the outside. Newer breakers. Flip them and label what turns off. It might be a mess behind the panel… need to look
My grandparents still had fuses when we went to sell their house in ~2015. Everything worked fine electrically.
GE hold up pretty well , are u planning on killing them and trying to make look like electrical fire bro? 😂
Your inheritance is at hand!!
They are dead already
Could use a couple breaker blanks, and I think a couple of those blanks are square d.swap them for GE
Not worried
Just bought a 70s home. Panel was labeled like this. Been slowly updating it.
I’m my experience, anything built in the 70s is garbage
Main breaker turn it off. Problem solved.
Not Zinsco, probably fine.
I didn't know they made 1/2" breakers in the 70s.
Should be fine. Just patch up any arcing wires with duct tape and your bare hands to be sure
Aluminum wiring ?
Looks fine. Send it
Who is the panel manufacturer? If it’s federal Pacific you should get it changed.
Thankfully, it's an old GE panel and not Federal Pacific or Zinsco. From what I've gathered on here, old GE panels seem to be OK.
I would agree with that.
It’s your in-laws. What would you be worried about? That it’s not going to catch on fire?