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By Terri Guest

This article first appeared in The Communicator Magazine, Spring 2025.

It seems the new trigger word in the common interest development industry is “Zinsco.” Electrical panels and breakers manufactured by this company, as well as several others, have been deemed unsafe by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) as they have the potential to overheat and cause fires. Thus, several insurance carriers have drawn a hard line when it comes to these items, and communities with certain com- ponents will have a difficult, if not impossible, time finding insurance coverage.

Zinsco panels, also sometimes branded as GTE-Sylvania, were installed in the 1960s and 70s and their circuit breakers have been known to melt into the main bus bar, which can start a fire. Federal Pacific panels and Stab-Lok breakers have similar issues and can fail to trip when overloaded. Originally used in the 1950s, Federal Pacific panels and breakers have been used as recently as the early 1990s. Other electri...