Electrical Panels in Texas Homes Could Come with Fire Risk
If your home was built in the 60s, 70s and 80s, then it likely comes with an electrical panel that is defective, and could increase the risk of a house fire.
The Dallas Morning News is reporting on a widely held belief by electricians, contractors and Houston product liability lawyers, that these electrical panels called Central Pacific Stab Lok are defective and dangerous. Experts have believed for years that the electrical panels do a poor job of protecting homes from fire. These electric panels or circuit breakers should under normal circumstances, cut off electrical power supply if the circuit begins to overheat, thereby preventing a fire. However, Central Pacific circuit breakers are more likely to overload and cause a fire. Many fires have been traced to the use of these electrical panels, and many of these fires have caused serious property damage. There is no information on whether any injuries have been caused from these fires.
The circuit breakers were manufactured in 1960, and were used through the 1980s by Central Pacific. The company is no longer in business.
The problem is acute when you realize that according to electrical contractors, more than 90% of houses that were built in 60s, 70s and 80s probably have these electrical panels installed. That makes it a vast number of houses in the Harris County area that may be at risk from fires caused by these defective electrical panels. There’s no information on exactly how many fires have been traced to these circuit breakers, and it’s hard to put an exact number on that.
We wouldn’t encourage panic, but if your house was built in the 60s, 70s and 80s, it may not hurt to have an electrical contractor have a look at your house for his opinion.
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