Wadsworth electrical panels have been known to cause a variety of safety issues; Therefore, these days the circuit breakers are obsolete, expensive, and difficult to find. Old Wadsworth Bulldog Panels create electrical hazards and potential fires. If you have a Bulldog panel in your home, you should consider replacing it immediately
History
Wadsworth panels were popular in the 1950s. Over the next 30 years, electricians and inspectors began discovering numerous problems with the panels and recommended immediate replacement.
From the 1980s until the present day, electricians received field reports on product failures of PushMatics, and older similar Bulldog circuit breakers and electrical panels manufactured by Wadsworth. The panels failed to trip when a surge of electricity came through the electrical circuit, bypassing the panels.
Bulldog Panel Hazards
Although some electrical tests over the last 30 years have produced mixed results and conclusions, enough complaints from homeowners across the country state that Bulldog Panels are hazardous enough to warrant an electrical panel replacement.
When electrical surges occur in the panels, the hot bus is in danger of melting. The main cause of electrical surges is the failure of the breaker to cut the circuit. In most reported cases, the overload and subsequent failure occurred with minimal electrical used (i.e., a water heater or refrigerator turning on when few other electrical devices were being used).
There have been numerous complaints from homeowners and electricians that the Bulldog Panels are hard to operate with no clear indication of whether the breaker is on or off.
Therefore, if your home has an outdated panel, you should consider hiring an electrician to install a safer panel.
Residential Electrical Panel Replacement
To find out what you can do to replace the outdated panels, contact Harrison Electric at 763-544-3300, or you can message us at mail@harrison-electric.com.