What to Look for at the Electrical Panel During a
Home Showing.

The Panel Brand: The Most Important Thing to Read

Two panel brands stand apart from everything else you will encounter: Federal Pacific Electric (Stab-Lok) and Zinsco. Finding either of these in a home is not a routine inspection finding. It is a fire safety concern that most insurers treat as a disqualifying condition. It is worth knowing about early.

• The panel brand is Federal Pacific Electric or the breakers say “Stab-Lok.” This is the most serious panel finding you will encounter. Independent testing has found Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breakers fail to trip at high rates under overload. Some insurers will not write a policy on a home with this panel, or they require replacement. Have a licensed electrician evaluate it; replacement is the usual recommendation. Ask your inspector
• The panel brand is Zinsco or GTE-Sylvania and the breakers are multicolored. Zinsco breakers are known to fuse to the bus bar over time, making them impossible to trip manually. A breaker that cannot trip cannot protect the circuit. This is the same category of concern as Federal Pacific. A licensed electrician should evaluate it. Ask your inspector
• You cannot identify the brand from what is visible. Sometimes labels are faded, painted over, or missing. Photograph the panel interior, the breaker faces, and any visible markings. Your inspector can usually identify it. Do not assume it is fine just because you cannot read the name. Worth noting

Area 02

Amperage and Capacity: Is There Enough Power?

Amperage is the total electrical capacity of the home. Whether the current capacity is adequate depends entirely on how the home is used and what the buyer plans to add. A 100-amp panel in a 900-square-foot home with gas heat is probably fine. The same panel in a 2,500-square-foot home with a heat pump, electric vehicle charger, and electric range is likely undersized. Know the number. Evaluate it in context.

• The main breaker is rated at 60 amps. 60-amp service was the standard in homes built before roughly 1950. It is inadequate for most modern households. Even without high-demand appliances, 60-amp service limits what can run simultaneously. If you plan to update the kitchen, add a heat pump, or charge an EV, 60-amp service will need to be upgraded. This is a significant cost item. Ask your inspector
• The main breaker is rated at 100 amps. 100-amp service is adequate for many homes, particularly smaller ones without electric heat. If you are planning an EV charger, heat pump system, or electric range addition, ask your inspector whether the current service will support it or whether an upgrade is warranted. Worth noting
• The panel is full with no open breaker slots remaining. A full panel is not a safety defect, but it means any new circuit requires either a sub-panel addition or replacing existing breakers with tandem breakers (two circuits in one slot), if the panel supports them. This limits future flexibility and adds cost to any electrical work. Worth noting
• There are multiple sub-panels visible in addition to the main panel. Sub-panels themselves are not a problem. They are a common and legitimate way to extend capacity to a garage, workshop, or addition. Multiple sub-panels in an older home can also indicate a history of informal electrical additions. Ask your inspector to check the visible wiring and bonding at each sub-panel. Look more carefully

Area 03

The Breakers: What to Read Without Touching

• One or more breakers are in the tripped (middle) position. A tripped breaker means something caused that circuit to exceed its rated amperage and the breaker did its job. A single tripped breaker is not alarming on its own. Multiple tripped breakers suggest circuits that are regularly overloaded, which is worth understanding before you move in. Look more carefully
• You can see two wires entering a single breaker terminal. This is a double-tapped breaker. Most breakers are only rated for one wire per terminal. Two wires on one breaker creates a loose connection that generates heat over time. It is also usually a sign of informal circuit additions made without proper planning. It is a correctable deficiency, but it tells you something about how the electrical system has been maintained. Look more carefully
• A breaker appears discolored, charred, or has any visible burn marks around it. Burn marks inside a panel indicate that heat has been generated at that location. This can come from a loose connection, a failing breaker, or an overloaded circuit that ran hot for an extended period. Charring inside a panel is a fire risk indicator and a priority item for your inspector. Ask your inspector
• Breakers of different brands are mixed into the panel. Breakers must be listed or classified for use with a specific panel. Using a breaker that is not listed or classified for that panel is a code violation and can create connection problems. Mixed breakers are common in older panels that have been serviced informally over the years. Your inspector can note which breakers appear mismatched. Ask your inspector
• The breaker labels are missing, illegible, or all say “lights” and “outlets.” Unlabeled or vaguely labeled panels are not a safety defect, but they tell you the home’s electrical has not been carefully documented. A proper circuit directory is a basic element of a well-maintained panel. An inspector will note it. You will deal with it as a new owner every time you need to find a circuit. Worth noting

Area 04

Panel Condition and Location: The Environment Around It

• The panel enclosure shows rust or corrosion on the outside or interior surfaces. Rust inside an electrical panel means moisture has been reaching it. A damp panel is a safety problem. Even surface rust on the enclosure tells you the panel has been in a humid or wet environment. Look for nearby plumbing, water heater condensation, or a damp garage floor as a possible source. Look more carefully
• The panel is in a closet with stored items stacked immediately in front of it. Electrical panels require a minimum 36-inch clear working space in front of them. Storage directly in front of a panel is a code violation and a safety hazard: it blocks access in an emergency and creates fire risk from flammable materials near electrical components. Look more carefully
• The panel is mounted on an exterior wall and shows signs of weathering or moisture intrusion at the service entry. Exterior panels are exposed to weather at the service entrance conduit where wires enter from outside. Check around the conduit penetration for caulking failures, rust streaks, or staining. Water tracking into a panel along the service entrance conductors is a documented failure mode in older installations. Ask your inspector
• The panel is original to a home built in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. Age alone is not a defect. Panels from this era can still function correctly. But they predate AFCI and GFCI requirements and may have undersized amperage for modern use. An older panel in good condition from a reputable brand is a different situation than an older panel that is full, has informal additions, and shows deferred maintenance. Age adds context. Worth noting

Area 05

Visible Wiring: What You Can See Without Opening Walls

Most wiring in a home is hidden inside walls. What is visible in garages, basements, and utility areas can offer clues about what is elsewhere. Wiring problems are often not isolated to the one place you can see.

• Wiring is cloth-wrapped or has a braided fabric appearance rather than modern plastic insulation. This may be knob-and-tube wiring (single wires run on ceramic knobs and through ceramic tubes), used in homes built roughly before 1950, or early cloth-sheathed cable. Knob-and-tube has no ground wire, which limits what it can safely power. It also should not be buried in insulation without an electrician’s evaluation. Knob-and-tube in active use is a significant finding for both insurance and safety reasons. Ask your inspector
• There are wiring connections made outside of junction boxes: wires twisted together and taped in open air. Every wiring splice must be made inside a covered junction box. Open splices are a code violation and a fire risk. They are also a reliable indicator of amateur electrical work. Where you find one, there are often more. Look more carefully
• Most outlets throughout the home are two-prong (no ground slot). Ungrounded outlets are standard in homes wired before the 1960s. They are not immediately dangerous, but they limit what can be safely plugged in and indicate the home has not been rewired. Two-prong outlets are often replaced with three-prong during renovations without actually adding a ground wire, which creates a false sense of safety. Look more carefully
• Extension cords are being used as permanent wiring: run under rugs, through walls, or stapled to baseboards. Extension cords are not rated for permanent use. Finding them used as permanent wiring means the home lacks adequate circuits for its needs and that someone has solved it the wrong way. Ask your inspector to evaluate whether the electrical system has enough circuits for the home’s size and use. Ask your inspector

Area 06

GFCI and AFCI Protection: The Safety Net You Can Test

GFCI protection is required by code near water sources and in locations where a shock hazard exists. AFCI protection is required on bedroom circuits in newer construction and major renovations. These are measurable, testable safety features. Older homes frequently lack both, and a home with recent renovation work should have them in the areas that were updated.

• Kitchen countertop outlets, bathroom outlets, or garage outlets have no GFCI protection. GFCI protection has been required in these locations since the 1970s and 1980s depending on location. Missing GFCI protection in a home that has been renovated in the last 20 years is a code deficiency. In an unrenovated older home, it is expected and correctable. Either way, note which locations are missing protection. Look more carefully
• A GFCI outlet fails the test: pressing TEST does not kill the outlet. A GFCI outlet that does not trip when tested has failed. It may look functional but it is not providing protection. Failed GFCI outlets are common in older installations, particularly in bathrooms and garages. They need replacement. Note the location for your inspector. Worth noting
• There are no AFCI breakers visible in the panel on a home built after 2002 or significantly renovated. The National Electrical Code has required AFCI protection on bedroom circuits since 2002. Homes built or substantially renovated after that date should have AFCI breakers in the panel for bedroom circuits. Absence is not catastrophic, but it is a code item your inspector will note. Worth noting

Questions to Bring to Your Inspector

These are not things to resolve at the showing. They are the specific questions worth asking once you have an inspector evaluating the electrical system.