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ITE and Pushmatic panels: what to do
What became of ITE, how to spot a push-button Pushmatic, what is documented about these panels, and what can still be installed in them.
In short
ITE and Pushmatic are linked: the Pushmatic line passed to ITE, according to InspectAPedia. Here is what is known about each one.
- The ITE brand now belongs to Siemens.
- Siemens Canada sells “Blue line” breakers as replacements for old ITE panels.
- A Pushmatic is recognizable by its push buttons; it is no longer made, and its parts are difficult or expensive to find, according to InspectAPedia.
- Health Canada and the U.S. CPSC list no recall of Pushmatic; for ITE, the CPSC has a single notice (1988), covering boxes installed from 1986 to 1987 (checked on November 2, 2026).
- No law requires you to replace an old ITE or Pushmatic panel that works: the Code doesn’t apply after the fact.
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ITE and Siemens: what changed
The ITE Circuit Breaker Company was bought by Gould in the late 1970s.
In 1988, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) already described I-T-E as a Siemens brand.
Today, Siemens owns the I-T-E trademark and uses it on low-voltage equipment.
In Canada, Siemens’ catalogue lists “Blue line” breakers with this note: they are used as replacements in old ITE panels.
The Pushmatic, a push-button panel
Instead of a handle you flip, each breaker in a Pushmatic has a button you press.
The original panel was produced by Bulldog Electric Products, in Detroit. According to InspectAPedia, the line later passed to ITE; the date varies from one source to another.
InspectAPedia writes that these panels were mostly installed in American homes, from 1950 to 1970, and sold throughout North America. No Canadian source we read says how many are left in Québec.
To see it, the door is enough; the inner cover stays on.
Recalls and complaints
As of November 2, 2026, the Government of Canada’s recall database returns no result for “Pushmatic” or “I-T-E”.
Among the CPSC’s recalls since 1973, no record targets Pushmatic or Bulldog.
The only notice found for ITE dates from 1988: Siemens offered to inspect I-T-E breaker boxes installed from September 1986 to May 1987, some of whose components were made of an incorrect material, with a risk of overheating. It covers neither the Pushmatic nor older ITE panels.
What the Pushmatic is blamed for comes from inspectors quoted by InspectAPedia:
- its breakers are thermal, with no magnetic trip;
- their grease-lubricated mechanism gets stiff and hard to operate or reset when it isn’t used.
The same site adds that no official study documents an abnormal failure-to-trip rate, and that electricians disagree on whether they need to be replaced.
What can still go in it
For an ITE panel, Siemens Canada sells “Blue line” replacement breakers. Its catalogue doesn’t say which one goes in which panel: that is checked on the panel’s label.
Québec’s building authority requires approved equipment, used the way its design intends: a breaker must be approved for that panel, and the manufacturer and the panel’s label say which.
For a Pushmatic, the system is no longer made and parts are difficult or expensive to find, according to InspectAPedia.
Choosing and installing a breaker is a job for an electrical contractor.
Insurers and these panels
On the insurance side, the IBC mainly mentions fuses and services under 100 amps, sometimes with a required inspection.
Neither it nor CAA-Québec names ITE, Pushmatic or any other panel brand.
Requirements change from one insurer to the next: ask yours.
Changing the panel
The load calculation comes first, then the electrician takes care of the municipal permit and Hydro-Québec.
The new panel, for its part, meets the Code in force on the day of the work.
For a single-family home, the price of a new 200-amp panel at STM-Électrique, with or without the service going from 100 to 200 amps at the same time, is in the quote. See Electrical panel upgrade in Québec: cost and how the day goes.
Is 200 amps enough for your home? See 200 amp panel: is yours enough? for the answer. The Electrical panel upgrade page describes the service itself.
An ITE or a Pushmatic at your place?
We look at the panel, do the load calculation, and you get the price in writing before the work.
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We inspect it and tell you honestly where you stand.
If replacement is needed, we do the load calculation and handle the permit and Hydro-Québec.
Written quote, free of charge.
Frequently asked questions
Are ITE and Siemens breakers the same?
The ITE brand belongs to Siemens, and Siemens Canada sells “Blue line” breakers as replacements in old ITE panels. The right model depends on the panel’s label.
Are ITE and Pushmatic breakers still made?
For an ITE panel, Siemens Canada’s catalogue (May 2020) lists “Blue line” replacement breakers. For the Pushmatic, the system is no longer made and its parts are difficult or expensive to find, according to InspectAPedia.
Why does a Pushmatic have buttons instead of handles?
That’s its design: each breaker is operated by a push button. The original panel was produced by Bulldog Electric Products.
Does a Pushmatic panel have to be replaced?
No law requires you to replace a panel that works: a panel in place keeps its acquired rights until work is done on it. No recall was found, and electricians disagree on the question, according to InspectAPedia. The inspection, the capacity needed and your insurer guide the decision.
What does it cost to replace an ITE or Pushmatic panel?
The price of a new 200-amp panel in a single-family home, with or without a service going from 100 to 200 amps, is in the STM-Électrique quote.
An ITE or Pushmatic panel to have inspected?
We look at it, do the load calculation, and the exact price is in the quote.
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Sources
Consulted on November 2, 2026.
- Siemens Canada, Power Product Catalogue, section 1: Loadcentres, May 2020
- Siemens Industry, SPEEDFAX, section 1: Load Centers & Circuit Breakers
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Siemens Announces Free I-T-E Circuit Breaker Box Inspection Program, 1988
- ABB, Gould ITE: Heritage brand
- Friends of Matthias Baldwin Park, I-T-E, 19th and Hamilton
- InspectAPedia, Pushmatic Bulldog & ITE Pushmatic Circuit Breakers
- InspectAPedia, Pushmatic Design History
- Government of Canada, Recalls and safety alerts
- Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Different measures and acquired rights (in French)
- Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Modifying approved equipment (in French)
- Insurance Bureau of Canada, How Home Insurance Rates are Set
- CAA-Québec, Preparing for a home insurance quote (in French)