View source for Stab-Lok

{{Short description|Brand of electrical circuit breakers, 1950–1980}}
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[[File:Stab-Lok circuit breaker panel interior .jpg|thumb|Interior of a Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok circuit breaker panel]]
'''Stab-Lok''' is a brand name of electrical [[circuit breakers]] that were manufactured primarily by [[Federal Pacific Electric Corporation|Federal Pacific Electric]] between 1950-1980.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-21328110.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409194223/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-21328110.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 April 2016|title=Hazards of the Federal Pacific electrical panel made in the '50s|last=Terry|first=Ken|date=26 February 2010|work=Redlands Daily Facts |accessdate=5 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-507724391.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407063035/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-507724391.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 April 2016 |title=HELTER SHELTER: WORRISOME ELECTRICAL THINGS: It's all in the wiring; Federal Pacific (FPE) Stab-Lok Electrical Panels // Aluminum Wiring // Old Rag Wires in Attics |date=6 August 2002|work=Boise Weekly|accessdate=5 December 2013}}</ref>
In June 1980, Reliance Electric, which had purchased FPE, reported to the United States [[Consumer Product Safety Commission]]
that "many FPE circuit breakers did not fully comply with Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) requirements. Commission testing confirmed that these breakers fail certain UL calibration test requirements."<ref>{{cite web |title=Commission Closes Investigation Of FPE Circuit Breakers And Provides Safety Information For Consumers |url=https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1983/Commission-Closes-Investigation-Of-FPE-Circuit-Breakers-And-Provides-Safety-Information-For-Consumers/ |publisher=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref>
Professional home inspectors now routinely recommend removing and replacing Stab-Lok breakers and panels that remain in service, as they may pose a fire hazard.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leamy |first1=Elizabeth |title=Despite previous safety concerns, this circuit breaker is still in homes |date=2019-05-09 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/despite-previous-safety-concerns-this-circuit-breaker-is-still-in-homes/2018/05/08/8927af86-4ef9-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref>

==Safety issues==
It has been widely reported in news media and online that Stab-Lok circuit breakers, and panels, do not meet the requirements of the [[National Electrical Code]] (NFPA 70) and [[Underwriters Laboratories]], and should be replaced.

According to a 2012 news report by [[NBC Bay Area]] ([[KNTV]]):
{{Blockquote
|text=The "Stab-Lok” circuit breaker and panel produced by Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) installed in hundreds of thousands of homes in the Bay Area may cause house fires, according decades of documentation and electrical experts interviewed by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit.  Stab-Lok circuit breakers are most commonly found in houses built before 1990.
|title=Federal Pacific Circuit Breakers: Investigation Finds Decades of Danger.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kovaleski |first1=Tony |title=Federal Pacific Circuit Breakers: Investigation Finds Decades of Danger |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/federal-pacific-circuit-breakers-investigation-finds-decades-of-danger/1930189/ |website=NBC Bay Area |publisher=NBC Bay Area; KNTV |access-date=2021-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302061543/https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/federal-pacific-circuit-breakers-investigation-finds-decades-of-danger/1930189/ |archive-date=2021-03-02 |date=2012-09-29}}</ref>
}}

According to an independent analysis performed by Jesse Aronson, P.E.:

{{Blockquote
|text=FPE and replacement brands of Stab-Lok® circuit breakers have a high defect rate. They do not  provide the level of circuit protection required by the NEC (National Electrical Code). Homeowners should be alerted to this safety defect and advised to have it corrected. FPE Stab-Lok® circuit breaker panels should be replaced unless the occupants are informed and willing to live with the resulting increased risk of fire and injury. |title="HAZARDOUS FPE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND PANELS: Information for Homeowners, Inspectors, and Electricians"
<ref>{{cite web |last1=Aronson |first1=Jesse, PhD, PE |title=Hazardous FPE Circuit Breakers and Panels: Information for Homeowners, Inspectors, and Electricians (Updated November 10, 2017). |url=http://fpe-info.org/hazardous_fpe_171110.pdf |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref>}}

According to [[ANGI Homeservices]], formerly known as [[Angie's List]],
{{Blockquote
|text=If your home has a Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) circuit breaker panel with Stab-Lok circuit breakers, you run a significant risk of breaker malfunction and fire. While these types of circuit breakers were once commonly installed in houses across the country, many are defective. To be on the safe side, it’s a good idea to replace any Federal Pacific breakers in your home.
<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wack |first1=Margaret |title=What You Need to Know About Federal Pacific Breakers |url=https://www.angi.com/articles/are-federal-pacific-circuit-breaker-panels-safe.htm |website=Angie's List |publisher=ANGI HomeServices / Angie's List |access-date=2021-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612005215/https://www.angi.com/articles/are-federal-pacific-circuit-breaker-panels-safe.htm |archive-date=2021-06-12 |date=2021-06-09}}</ref>}}

Angie's List and NBC Bay Area both highlighted an October 2002 ruling in a New Jersey Superior Court, which found that FPE (Federal Pacific Electric), the manufacturer of the Stab-Lok breakers and panels, "knowingly and purposefully [sic] distributed circuit breakers which were not tested to meet UL standards as indicated on their label".<ref>{{cite web |title=Order for Partial Summary Judgement, Yacout vs. Federal Pacific Electric Company, et al., MID-L-2904-97 |url=https://inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPEJudgement8-15-02.pdf |website=FPE-Info |access-date=2021-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714105221/https://inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPEJudgement8-15-02.pdf |archive-date=2010-07-14 |location=Middlesex County, New Jersey}}</ref>

== Government response ==
After the 1979 sale of Federal Pacific Electric to Reliance Electric, a unit of [[Exxon]] Corporation, Reliance reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that the Stab-Lok breakers and panels did not meet the requirements published by [[Underwriters Laboratories]], even though the products bore UL markings.
The CPSC performed its own testing and concluded:

{{blockquote
|text=Commission testing confirmed that these breakers fail certain UL calibration test requirements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Commission Closes Investigation Of FPE Circuit Breakers And Provides Safety Information For Consumers |url=https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1983/Commission-Closes-Investigation-Of-FPE-Circuit-Breakers-And-Provides-Safety-Information-For-Consumers/ |publisher=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref>}}

After a two-year investigation into whether these test failures would create a "serious risk of injury to consumers", the CPSC closed the investigation, citing a lack of budget to continue:
{{blockquote
|text=The Commission staff estimates that it would cost several million dollars to gather the data necessary to assess fully whether those circuit breakers that are installed in homes ... present a risk to the public.<ref>{{cite web |title=Commission Closes Investigation Of FPE Circuit Breakers And Provides Safety Information For Consumers |url=https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1983/Commission-Closes-Investigation-Of-FPE-Circuit-Breakers-And-Provides-Safety-Information-For-Consumers/ |publisher=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref>}}

CPSC urged consumers to remain vigilant and report any failed breakers or equipment so it could continue to collect data.

== Fate ==

The Stab-Lok brand was discontinued, and its maker, FPE, went through a succession of later owners: Reliance Electric, owned by Exxon, in 1979; Exxon later sold Reliance Electric to Rockwell, which sold the business to [[Baldor Electric]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rockwell to sell Reliance Electric for $1.8B |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2006/11/06/daily10.html |publisher=Milwaukee Business Journal}}</ref>  Baldor was bought by [[ABB]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |last1=ABB (Press Release) |title=ABB Acquires Baldor Electric For $4.2 Billion In Cash |url=https://www.manufacturing.net/home/news/13199370/abb-acquires-baldor-electric-for-42-billion-in-cash |website=Manufacturing.net |access-date=2021-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731021829/https://www.manufacturing.net/home/news/13199370/abb-acquires-baldor-electric-for-42-billion-in-cash |archive-date=2021-07-31 |date=2011-11-30}}</ref>

Other companies began building Stab-Lok style breakers through around 1990. According to a [[Washington Post]] article, home inspection professionals now routinely advise consumers to remove and replace those panels that remain in service.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leamy |first1=Elizabeth |title=Despite previous safety concerns, this circuit breaker is still in homes |date=2019-05-09 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/despite-previous-safety-concerns-this-circuit-breaker-is-still-in-homes/2018/05/08/8927af86-4ef9-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref>

== Providers ==

{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2021}}

Other manufacturers of Stab-Lok breakers may have included:{{fact|date=July 2021}}
* [[American Circuit Breaker Corporation]]{{fact|date=July 2021}}
* [[Challenger Electrical Equipment Corp|Challenger]]{{fact|date=July 2021}}
* [[Thomas & Betts]]{{fact|date=July 2021}}
* [[Connecticut Electric]] - [[Unique Breakers Inc.]] (UBI){{fact|date=July 2021}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Electricity]]
[[Category:Electrical wiring and construction supplies manufacturers]]
[[Category:Product safety scandals]]
[[Category:Fire prevention]]