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Replacement Circuit Breakers for Kearney, B&C Kearney, GTE Sylvania Zinsco Panels
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about buying & installing replacement circuit breakers for Kearney, GTE Sylvania Zinsco, or Zinsco Electrical Panels
Should you install a new or replacement Zinsco or GTE Sylvania Zinsco or Kearney circuit breaker in your electrical panel?
Probably not. Doing so may not make your electrical panel perform more reliably nor more safely.
This article series discusses the electrical, fire, and shock hazards associated with Zinsco, GTE Sylvania Zinsco, and Kearney electrical components, circuit breakers, electrical panels, including certain Sylvania-Zinsco electrical panels and breakers which are in fact of the same product design and origin.
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Replacement Circuit Breakers for GTE Sylvania Zinsco & Kearney Electrical Panels
You'll notice that blue, red as well as black-toggle-switch colored GTE Sylvania Zinsco circuit breakers remain available.
Watch out: "replacement" Zinsco-type circuit breakers are still being marketed to fit in Zinsco, GTE-Sylvania Zinsco, and Kearney electrical panels as you can see from these advertising photographs found by internet seach on 20178/05/02.
We recommend complete electrical panel replacement.
Watch out: do NOT try to open up your panel nor to remove circuit breakers yourself.
There is live voltage in the panel interior - you could be shocked or killed. Never insert any tool nor your fingers into the interior of an electrical panel.
Electrical panel interior access should be by a licensed and trained electrician.
Several vendors sell "replacement" GTE Sylvania Zinsco or Kearney circuit breakers including
- Single pole 120 VAC: Black-toggled Sylvania HQGF15 (15-Amp 120VAC), HQGF20 (20-Amp 120VAC), Sylvania Q15 120/240VAC Type Q circuit breaker, Sylvania Q20
- Single pole Blue-toggled Sylvania HRGF15, Red?-toggled HRGF20,
- Double poled GTE Sylvania Zinsco or Kearney circuit breakers
- Triple poled GTE Sylvania Zinsco or Kearney circuit breakers
Many additional circut breaker models ranging from 15A to 225A, 1209VAC, 240VAC, and 120/240VAC models, in single, double, and three pole breaker designs, in these GTE-Sylvania Zinsco/Kearney breaker designs: HQGF, HRGF, R, Q, QB, QB24, QC, QFB, QFL, QFP.
There was never a Kearney, Zinsco nor GTE-Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel recall. These panels should be replaced.
Do not simply replace individual circuit breakers. In our opinion replacement circuit breakers, whether "new old stock" or made by a new independent supplier, will not change the innate design hazards of these electrical panels.
Watch out: GTE Sylvania Zinsco electrical panels and circuit breakers use a thin vertical bus bar and deep slots into the connecting circuit breaker to form a connection that corrodes, arc-burns, overheats, and is unreliable. These panels and circuit breakers are in our opinion unsafe and should be replaced.
Replacing a circuit breaker will not correct arc-burned, overheat-prone bus bar connections in the electrical panel.
Details about a typical replacement circuit breaker sold for these panels are at UBI FPE CIRCUIT BREAKER TEST RESULTS.
Also see OEM breaker performance at this ZINSCO CIRCUIT BREAKER TEST REPORT.
Therefore in our view and based on independent expert testing, replacing Zinsco, GTE Sylvania Zinsco, or Kearney circuit breakers will not make significant safety nor reliability improvements in a Kearney, Zinsco nor GTE-Sylvania Zinsco electrical panel.
Counterfeit GTE-Sylvania Zinsco & Kearney Circuit Breaker Warning
Watch out: separate from companies selling what they assert are new, non-counterfeit GTE Sylvania Zinsco or Kearny circuit breakers that may not perform adequately, there have been absolute fake or counterfeit circuit breakers sold on eBay and perhaps from other vendors. See
Elod Tamas Toldy, owner of Pioneer Breaker and Control Supply sentenced to federal prison for mail fraud and trafficking in counterfeit goods and services for marketing COUNTERFEIT CIRCUIT BREAKERS on eBay [PDF], under the brand names Zinsco and FPE Stab-Lok. - source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, retrieved 2018/05/02, original source https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/texas-business-owner-sentenced-counterfeit-circuit-breaker-scheme - ICE Office of Public Affairs at (202) 732-4242.
Members of the public can report suspected counterfeit operations by calling the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations HSI’s toll-free hotline at: 866-347-2423.
...
Continue reading at ZINSCO REPLACEMENT PANELS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see CIRCUIT BREAKER RESET STEPS
IDENTIFY ZINSCO ELECTRICAL PANELS
UBI FPE CIRCUIT BREAKER TEST RESULTS
ZINSCO CIRCUIT BREAKER TEST REPORT
Or see these
Recommended Articles
- ZINSCO SYLVANIA ELECTRICAL PANELS - home
- GTE-SYLVANIA-ZINSCO FAILURE MECHANISM
- GTE-SYLVANIA-ZINSCO FAILURE REPORTS
- IDENITFY FRANK ADAM ELECTRICAL PANELS
- IDENTIFY GTE SYLVANIA-ZINSCO PANELS
- IDENTIFY KEARNEY PANELS
- IDENTIFY SYLVANIA ELECTRICAL PANELS
- IDENTIFY WALKER ELECTRICAL PANELS
- IDENTIFY ZINSCO ELECTRICAL PANELS
- IDENTIFY ZINSCO SYLVANIA METER BASE
- OK to USE ZINSCOS?
- UBI FPE CIRCUIT BREAKER TEST RESULTS
- ZINSCO CIRCUIT BREAKER INDEPENDENT TESTS
- ZINSCO CIRCUIT BREAKER TEST REPORT
- ZINSCO ELECTRICAL PANEL AGE & HISTORY
- ZINSCO FAILURE PHOTOGRAPHS
- ZINSCO FAILURE REPORTS
- ZINSCO OVERHEAT IR PHOTOS
- ZINSCO FAILURE REPORT PROCEDURE
- ZINSCO REPLACEMENT CIRCUIT BREAKERS
- ZINSCO REPLACEMENT PANELS
- ZINSCO REPLACEMENT PANEL COSTS
- ZINSCO SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
- ZINSCO SUMMARY PAGE for Reproduction
- ZINSCO WARRANTY & CONTACT INFO
Suggested citation for this web page
ZINSCO REPLACEMENT CIRCUIT BREAKERS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to ELECTRICAL INSPECTION & TESTING
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Personal communication, J. Aronstein to D. Friedman, 3/6/2006
- James P. Simmons: Personal communication and photographs used in this article series, J. Simmons to Daniel Friedman, 3/4/2006, 2/19/2008. Photographs contributed to this website by Jim P. Simmons, Mr. Electric, Licensed Master Electrician, 1320 Dayton Street SE, Olympia, WA 98501, 360-705-4225, Fax 360-705-0130 or by email to mrelectricoly@msn.com
- Thanks to various electricians, home owners, and home inspectors for contributing the Zinsco Sylvania-Zinsco electric panel and circuit breaker field failure reports cited above.
- Thanks to David Osborn, an alert home inspector, for helpful critique regarding the need for Zinsco/Sylvania electrical panel replacement, 4/27/06
- Thanks to Joe Funderburk, Alpha & Omega Home Inspections, Hickory Grove, SC for his photos of a Kearney electrical panel. Mr. Funderburk is a NACHI member and home inspector who can be reached at jfunderburk@aohomeinspection.com or at www.aohomeinspection.com
- Thanks to Texas electrician Jeff Weissman for contribution of photographs of burned Zinsco circuit breakers. 03/06/2007. Mr Weissman can be reached at jeffweissman@gmail.com or by telephone at 713-666-6605
- Thanks to reader Richard Sims for photographs of a 400A Zinsco Electrical panel 3/6/2007
- Thanks to reader Judd Stiff for photos of a Zinsco-Sylvania meter base 3/6/2007
- * Safety Hazards and Safe Inspection Procedures for Electrical and Home Inspectors at Residential Electric Panels
- Aluminum Wiring Information WebsiteAluminum Electrical Wiring Hazards and Repairs: in-depth authoritative info, photos, documents including selection of proper vs. ineffective repair methods. E.g.: Ideal 65 "Twister" purple connector fails in field and lab testing with aluminum wire.
- Ampacity of an Electrical Service: How to determine the electrical service size or ampacity entering a building
- Circuit Breaker, a bad one fails to trip failure at aluminum bus-to-circuit breaker connection - field report and photographs
- Electrical Panels, How to Inspect in buildings, safety for electrical inspectors, electrical panel, fusing, wiring defects, defective products. Inspection Class Presentation
- Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok Circuit Breaker Panel Hazards Website - Latent fire hazards, in-depth authoritative research, documents, advice on Stab-Lok electric panel and circuit breaker failures and what to do when this equipment is found in buildings.
- "Electrical System Inspection Basics," Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston 1985.
- "Simplified Electrical Wiring," Sears, Roebuck and Co., 15705 (F5428) Rev. 4-77 1977 [Lots of sketches of older-type service panels.]
- "How to plan and install electric wiring for homes, farms, garages, shops," Montgomery Ward Co., 83-850.
- "Simplified Electrical Wiring," Sears, Roebuck and Co., 15705 (F5428) Rev. 4-77 1977 [Lots of sketches of older-type service panels.]
- "Home Wiring Inspection," Roswell W. Ard, Rodale's New Shelter, July/August, 1985 p. 35-40.
- "Evaluating Wiring in Older Minnesota Homes," Agricultural Extension Service, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108.
- "Electrical Systems," A Training Manual for Home Inspectors, Alfred L. Alk, American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), 1987, available from ASHI. [DF NOTE: I do NOT recommend this obsolete publication, though it was cited in the original Journal article as it contains unsafe inaccuracies]
- "Basic Housing Inspection," US DHEW, S352.75 U48, p.144, out of print, but is available in most state libraries.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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