“Our inspector wrote one word, Federal Pacific, and nothing else. Rafaela explained what it meant, wrote the quote, and our agent had it before the next showing.”
Anoush H.Buyer, Eagle Rock
Panels for Los Angeles houses and duplexes
Read the label on your panel door.
Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels are still in many Los Angeles houses built from the 1950s on, and inspectors flag them. The label tells you which one you have. Find it, photograph it, text it to us.
The panel directory
Which label is on your panel door?
Look at the door and at the label inside it. Don't take the cover off and don't touch the breakers.
- Stab-Lok
Federal Pacific
The name Federal Pacific, FPE or Stab-Lok on the door or on the breakers. It went into many houses from the 1950s through the 1980s. Inspectors often flag it, and we usually quote a replacement.
- GTE-Sylvania
Zinsco
Zinsco, or GTE-Sylvania on a later label. Its breakers can fuse to the metal bar they plug into, so one may not trip when it should. Inspectors flag it, and we usually quote a replacement.
- Bulldog, ITE
Pushmatic
Square push-button breakers, sold as Bulldog or ITE. Inspectors do not flag it the way they flag the first two, but it is old. We look at it and tell you what we see.
- Screw-in fuses
A fuse box
Round screw-in fuses instead of breakers. Common in Los Angeles houses from before the 1960s, and often the first thing a buyer's inspector writes up.
- Square D, Eaton, Siemens, GE
A name you know
Square D, Eaton, Siemens or GE. A newer panel is a different question: is it big enough for the EV charger or heat pump you want? We run a load check and tell you.
- Send a photo
No label, or you can't read it
Labels fade and doors get painted. Text us a photo of the door and the label inside it, and we will tell you what we see.
What a label can't tell you
A label tells us where to start, not what is wrong.
The worry with the flagged brands is the breaker: it may not trip when a circuit overloads. You can't see that from outside, and a clean panel can still be one of them.
We read the label and the breaker names
We note what each circuit feeds
We write down what we saw, with photos
You get a quote to replace it, or a note that nothing needs doing
From photo to power back on
What happens when the panel has to go
Six steps, in this order, with you told before each one.
You send a photo
The door, the label inside it and the meter, by text or WhatsApp.
We read it and write back
What we see, and whether we need a visit before we can quote.
A visit and a written quote
We look at the panel and the service, then write the quote down.
The permit
Pulled before work starts, when the work needs one.
The power day
We book the utility's disconnect and reconnect with you, and tell you how long the power will be off before the day.
Inspection and clean-up
The inspector signs off where the work needs it. We patch what we cut where we can, and tell you what paint is left to you.
Buying, selling, renting out
The panel line in an inspection report
Each of you reads that line differently. We write the quote so it answers yours.
Buying a house
The inspector wrote a brand name and little else. We read the line with you, price the fix, and you decide what to ask the seller for.
Check your panelSelling a house
A flagged panel can come up in the buyer's inspection. We write the quote so you can replace it before listing or offer a credit, and we book around escrow.
How pricing worksRenting out units
A duplex or fourplex with its original panels: one visit can cover the building, and the quote has a line for each unit.
Our services
The license line
Our license, and what its class means
California asks every contractor to put the license number in every ad. Ours is in the footer of each page. The class says what the license covers, and the state board's site shows whether it is in good standing.
Contractor license
C-10 Electrical ContractorVerify
CA Lic. 000000 · Contractors State License Board
The California class for electrical work done by contract. Look the number up on the state board's site before you hire anyone.
Insurance
General liability insurance
Carrier named on the certificate
A certificate of insurance on request, before work starts.
Languages on the phone and on site
English
The whole shop
Spanish
Romeo, Rafaela, Teresita and Rey
Sample reviews
What people write after the panel is in
“Two panels in a duplex, one visit, one quote with a line for each unit. The tenants knew the power day a week ahead.”
Danny T.Landlord, Lincoln Heights
“I texted a photo of the Zinsco label from the garage. A short visit later I had a written quote, and the permit was in the paperwork.”
Priscila R.Seller, Mount Washington
Sample reviews.
The shop
Five people, one phone number
Bernal Electric is a family shop on York Boulevard. We do panel and service work in houses and small buildings, and the same crew that visits writes the quote and meets the inspector.
Where we work
From Lincoln Heights to Altadena
Houses, duplexes and small buildings in northeast Los Angeles and the nearby cities.
Northeast Los Angeles
- Lincoln Heights
- Eagle Rock
- Mount Washington
- Glassell Park
- Cypress Park
- Montecito Heights
- Atwater Village
- Silver Lake
- Echo Park
- Los Feliz
- Boyle Heights
San Gabriel Valley
- South Pasadena
- Altadena
- Alhambra
- Monterey Park
Burbank and Sun Valley
- Burbank
- Sun Valley
We do not take jobs south of the 10 freeway, west of Burbank or on the coast.
ZIP codes: 90042, 90041, 90065, 90031, 90032, 90039, 90026, 90027, 90033, 91030, 91001, 91801, 91754, 91352, 91505
Questions
Questions we hear before the first call
Does my panel need replacing?
Not every old panel does. A Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel is one we usually quote to replace, because of its breakers. Any other panel gets a look and a written answer, and if there is nothing to do, we say so.
Can I test the breakers myself?
No. Don't press or reset breakers to test them, and don't take the cover off. Text us a photo of the door and the label, and we will tell you what to do next.
Do I need a permit?
A panel replacement needs a permit from your city's building department. We pull it and book the inspection, and the quote says what it costs.
Will my insurer care about my panel?
Some insurers ask about Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels, and some ask for a replacement. Ask yours. We can give you a written description of the panel and the work to send them.
I'm selling. Should I replace the panel before closing?
That is for you and your agent to decide. We write the quote so you can replace it before listing or offer the buyer a credit. We don't tell you what to negotiate.
Do you speak Spanish?
Romeo, Rafaela, Teresita and Rey do. Tell us which language you prefer when you text, and we write the quote in it.
Contact
Send us the photos, or ask for a visit
Tell us who you are and which label is on the door. We answer Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone(323) 555-0100
Text(323) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed