Challanger Electrical Panel
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Oh No!
You have a Challenger Electrical Panel. Having a Challenger Panel in your home isn't necessarily an Immediate fire hazard, but it does have a growing record of them catching fire. Here is why you should choose to replace your challenger panel with a more modern panel Immediately!
Whats The Big Deal
The Primary Issue with Challenger Panel's are their age and original build quality. Challenger panels were originally built with very low quality parts, and the most recent challenger panels installed at this point are close to 30 years old or older. These low quality parts in part with the age is causing early failure which often leads to fire.
Age & Quality
The Challenger brand was associated with Zinsco electrical panels, which have well-documented safety issues, including problems with circuit breakers not tripping when they should. The use of Challenger breakers in Zinsco panels compounds the safety concerns.
Zinsco Connection
Challenger panels and breakers do not meet current electrical safety standards, which have evolved and become more stringent over the years. This makes them incompatible with modern electrical systems and safety expectations. Many of the contractors that chose to install these style of panels back in the day were the "Budget friendly" contractors and often undersized the original panel anyways.
Failure to Meet Current Safety Standards
What Do I Do?
Due to these well-documented safety concerns and the unreliability of Challenger electrical panels and circuit breakers, many experts recommend replacing them with modern, safer panels from reputable manufacturers. If you suspect that your home has an Challenger electrical panel, Give me a call and we will discuss the best course of action, which often includes replacing the panel to ensure the safety of your home and its occupants. Sometimes however we can simply do a maintenance overhaul on these types of panels and be ok.