Zinsco Cutler Hammer

Zinsco brand electric panels are a documented fire hazard. Installed mostly in the 1960's and 1970's, they do not trip at short circuit, and have an annoying habit of welding the breakers to the bus bar, so the breaker is still hot when in the off or tripped position. I have seen the neutral bar literally glowing orange from heat. Bad news. And there are a lot of them in the Seattle area, and in fact all over the country.

So yesterday I am at Magnolia doing an inspection and from across the room I see a Cutler Hammer (CH) panel cover screwed to a Zinsco box. I thought my eyes were going bad. I walk over and open it up. Some genius decided to gut the Zinsco panel, and place CH breakers inside. I really thought I had seen it all.

CH panels are wider, but not as tall as a Zinsco. The CH cover didn't cover the box. So they took the bottom part of the old Zinsco and trimmed it, then put the CH cover over the top. Of course the screws didn't line up since the CH cover was now on the Zinsco box, with part of a Zinsco cover between. So they drilled through the cover panel with self-tapping sheet metal screws. Into a box full of wires. I would say that this meets the true definition of a cluster fuck.

An electrical panel is what we call a listed device. It has been tested by regulatory authorities to meet certain parameters and is approved for residential buildings if installed according to instructions. You don't take the listed breakers and bus bars out of device and haphazardly throw them into a random box on the wall and mickey mouse some cover for it. Needless to say there was no electrical permit for this work.

In order to cut power the meter had the seal completely cut out, and the meter removed. They did the work and plugged the meter back on. City Light has not noticed the lack of meter seal. They could have been stealing power the entire time unbeknownst. It wasn't even artfully snipped, just pulled out. In order to get a meter seal you need an inspection, then you need City Light to come back out and reseal. This one aint getting no inspection, tell you what. With no meter seal City Light can literally disconnect the power. Nice.