Electrical Panels Common in the Denver Area
Most homes in the Denver metro area were built between the 1950s and 1990s. The electrical panel that came with the house is often still there. Some of those panels have known safety issues. Others are just old and past their useful life.
Below is a guide to the panels I see most often in Lakewood, Littleton, Golden, and the surrounding areas. If yours is on this list, it doesn't mean your house is about to catch fire. It means you should know what you're dealing with.
Panels With Known Safety Issues
Federal Pacific (FPE) Stab-Lok
Installed 1950s through 1980s
- Panel label says "Federal Pacific Electric" or "FPE"
- Breakers stamped "STAB-LOK"
- Red or orange breaker handles
Zinsco / GTE-Sylvania
Installed 1950s through 1980s
- Colored breaker handles: red, green, blue
- Label says "Zinsco," "Sylvania," or "GTE Sylvania"
- Breakers arranged in a single vertical row
Challenger
Installed 1980s through 2000s
- Label says "Challenger" on the panel door or interior
- Often found in homes built in the 1980s and 1990s
Outdated Panels
An electrical panel has a typical lifespan of 25 to 40 years. After that, connections loosen, bus bars corrode, and breakers lose their ability to trip reliably. These panels aren't necessarily defective, but they're past their useful life. They don't meet current code, replacement parts are hard to find or unavailable, and they limit what your home's electrical system can handle.
Fuse Boxes
Pre-1960s
- Round screw-in glass fuses instead of breaker switches
- Small metal box, often in the basement
- Limited to 60 amps in most cases
Split-Bus Panels
1950s through 1980s
- No single main breaker at the top
- Multiple large breakers in the top section that each control a group of circuits
- You have to flip 3 to 6 breakers to shut off all power
Pushmatic / Bulldog
1950s through 1980s
- Breakers are push buttons, not toggle switches
- Label says "Pushmatic" or "ITE" or "Bulldog"
- Breakers push in to reset instead of flipping
Not Sure What You Have?
Text us a photo of your panel door. We'll tell you what it is and whether it needs attention.
(303) 775-3221