Challenger Electrical Panel Recall

You can see this in action from the picture below.

Challenger electrical panel recall.

Like zinsco it brought safety hazards and was recalled. The overheating causes cyclical expansion and contraction of the the bus bars creating a gap between the bus bar and breaker and consequent electrical arcing which has caused meltdown of the panel components in some cases. To break it down the circuit breakers have been known to overheat cause scalding on the bus bars. The challenger panel was installed in thousands of homes between 1980s to 1990s.

Challenger brand electrical panels were installed in homes during the 1980s and 1990s but have since been found to have a defect that causes the bus bars to overheat under normal operating conditions. In my opinion the frequency of field reports of challenger panel failures coming in from multiple independent experts and from electricians or owners folks who do not appear to have conflicting interests would be a sufficient reason to suggest that the panel be replaced. Challenger electrical panel cover off the issues with challenger outlined. Sunday march 1 2020.

Due to this some insurance companies are now requiring challenger panels to be replaced. It is important to note that some challenger breakers do not feature their brand name and have the gte sylvania label instead. Photographs of this ca 1980 s challenger electrical panel were provided by a licensed electrician in california who recommended electrical panel replacement as the overheated panel and its circuit breakers were considered unsafe.