Storm Season Prompts Collin County Homeowners to Replace Outdated Electrical Panels
Master electrician explains why 1970s-era panels pose fire risks and what to replace them with
McKinney, Texas, United States, 3rd Jan 2026 — As North Texas enters another severe weather season, electrical safety experts are urging homeowners with aging electrical panels to take action before storm damage reveals dangerous flaws in their home’s infrastructure. Local contractors including ABR Electric have observed a significant uptick in panel upgrade requests, particularly from homeowners discovering their decades-old equipment poses serious fire and safety risks.
“If you have a 40 or 50 year old panel—Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Bulldog, Pushmatic—they all need to go,” explains James Adams, master electrician at ABR Electric. “They’re the 70s versions of the cars that I grew up with that I hated—Vega, Gremlin, Pinto. I drove several of those. So my point to you is if you’ve got a Pinto panel in your house, make a plan and change it.”
The Hidden Danger in Your Breaker Box
The problem with these vintage panels goes beyond age. Adams points to fundamental design flaws that create fire hazards. “The busing—these two bars that run the whole length of the panel up to the main breaker that feeds power in—the aluminum that they designed it with is super soft. It doesn’t have a hard finish or coating, and so it scratches and arcs.”
The connection mechanism compounds the problem. “If you look at these clips, this is just a tension clip. There’s no real positive connection here,” Adams explains. “If the busing is pitted at all and these clips are sprung or loose, you have this cycle of arcing where I’ve pulled these out and this whole bottom section is burned away. The design flaw for you to understand as a homeowner is the way the breakers connect to get power out of the panel and put it out into your house is flawed. It’s not positive. That’s your bottom line.”
Warning Signs Homeowners Shouldn’t Ignore
Adams identifies clear indicators that a panel needs immediate replacement. “If your panel is humming, if you touch the outside and it’s hot, it needs to go.”
He also cautions against the high-pressure sales tactics some homeowners encounter. “A lot of times you’ll have an electrician or a company that’s super salesy and you’re like, this guy says I should replace my panel and I’m going to die in my sleep because of it, and it feels a little manipulative—also a lot manipulative. I don’t want you just to say, oh I’ll spend a bazillion dollars because some guy with a tool belt told me to. I’m a guy with a tool belt. I don’t like that.”
The Square D QO Solution
When it comes to replacement options, Adams has a clear recommendation. “Square D has two main brands in the residential market—they have a QO and a Homeline. Bang for your buck, get the QO.”
The difference comes down to construction quality. “Square D QO has tin-plated copper. The outside has some tin, but underneath, the skeleton of the busing is copper—super hard compared to the soft aluminum in the other. These two legs or clips are tight and they snap around this flat bus. They’re a lot harder to put in and a lot harder to take out.”
Adams contrasts this with the problematic older panels: “That connection is so soft. Look at all the movement. Versus here—solid. The QO panel has a lifetime warranty. In thinking back since the early 90s, in terms of a bad breaker, I may have replaced maybe one or two over the course of almost 30 years. In those other panels, lots of other brands, I’ve replaced dozens and dozens.”
Plan Now, Save Later
For homeowners with Zinsco or Federal Pacific panels, Adams recommends a proactive approach. “I would just start collecting up some quotes—get two or three at least—and then start saving. Will it still work? It is. But for most things like your water heater, you can save for it and do it when you choose to do it, or you can do it on an emergency basis and pay somebody overtime when it happens, when it’s inconvenient.”
He speaks from personal experience: “I had a water heater go out Thanksgiving once, the day before, with 30 people in my house. Had the water heater blow up out of the top. And if I’m super honest, it was already starting to leak and I just thought, oh we’ll be okay for another couple of months. Don’t do that. If you’ve got one of these, plan to change it, get some quotes, and then budget for it and do it on your terms.”
The bottom line, according to Adams: “If you put in the right panel and do it once, you’re going to be done with it. You get to have a great panel and not think about it.”
About ABR Electric
ABR Electric serves the McKinney and Collin County area with comprehensive electrical services including panel upgrades, surge protection installation, and storm-hardened electrical system design. For more information about electrical panel modernization or storm preparedness assessments, contact ABR Electric.
Company Details
Organization: ABR Electric Square D
Contact Person: James Adams
Website: https://squared-by-schneiderelectric.pages.dev/
Email: Send Email
Address: HWY380
City: McKinney
State: Texas
Country: United States
Release Id: 03012636816