Zinsco Electrical Panel Advice

ADVICE FOR OWNERS - Zinsco Electrical Panel Advice for Homeowners and Home Buyers
These circuit breakers do not offer the level of overcurrent and fire protection provided by most other electrical panels and circuit breakers. This means homes with this equipment are at greater risk of fire or other electrical hazard. Where Zinsco and Zinsco-Sylvania electrical panels are discovered in buildings they should be replaced to reduce some very real fire and shock hazards. Building owners or electricians encountering problems with this equipment are asked to contact us to add that information to our electrical failure data base in an effort to develop accurate safety information which is then shared with appropriate federal and state agencies. Thanks to Mr. James Simmons, a licensed electrician with extensive field experience and the contributor of most of the photos and case reports at this web page.
Where Zinsco electrical panels and Zinsco circuit breakers are in use, arcing, contact-point burn, and even circuit breaker case blow-out have been observed in the field. A principal Zinsco circuit breaker (or Sylvania circuit breaker for those Sylvania panels using the Zinsco product) point of failure appears to be at the point of contact where the circuit breaker contacts clip onto the electrical panel bus, combined with the use of an aluminum electrical panel bus. In addition to advice on identifying Zinsco panels, inspecting Zinsco electrical panels, and repair/replacement advice, we provide field photographs of circuit breaker failures: overheating, burnups, failures to trip, overcurrent protection failure. This document includes field reports of failures and additional anecdotal evidence. As a not-for-profit activity, we have been collecting information and field failure reports for Zinsco/Sylvania electrical components since 1996 in an effort to develop credible failure-rate information which is then shared with the U.S. CPSC and with other electrical failure researchers and educators.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS - Zinsco Electrical Panel Safety Precautions for Homeowners and Home Buyers
The following comments are incomplete - other safety concerns and advice may apply, pending additional technical review by industry experts.
If you are having an emergency right now such as seeing smoke or fire you should get occupants out of the building and call the fire department. This is a general suggestion for any suspected building fire, and is not unique to Zinsco, Sylvania, or any electrical product manufacturer.
Do not touch the electrical panel if you are standing on a wet floor.
Warning of possible fatal electrical shock: If you have noticed any of the trouble signs listed in the next section below, or if you already know that you have problem electrical equipment such as the Zinsco components discussed here, have a qualified electrician inspect the electrical system. Where problems have been observed (such as flickering lights), the electrician can determine the cause of the problem and recommend the appropriate repair.
Do not disassemble electrical equipment nor try to make electrical repairs yourself: You could be electrocuted or you could make the electrical equipment more unsafe by disturbing it.
Although this website includes photographs of the interior of electrical panels, you should not try to see inside the electrical panel by removing screws to take off the cover yourself as this can be quite dangerous.
Determine whether or not you have Zinsco or Sylvania-Zinsco electrical equipment installed by simple visual inspection of the electrical panel exterior, any exposed labels or markings, and by observing the characteristic red and blue-colored circuit breaker toggle switches.
Pending replacement of unsafe electrical panels and circuit breakers of any brand, turn off any suspect circuits such as ones displaying flickering lights.
Be sure that you have working smoke detectors in your home.
Turn off unsafe or suspect electrical equipment. If there is evidence of or suspicion of overheating electrical devices turn off the offending electrical circuit or turn off all electrical power.
To inspect the panel, to confirm that you have unsafe electrical equipment, and to replace unsafe electrical equipment in a home, you should hire a licensed electrician who is familiar with Zinsco/Sylvania equipment and the hazards it poses.