CAA Habitation recommendedFree tool · Electrical panel
Identify my electrical panel
Two questions about what you see with the door open, without taking anything apart: the tool tells you what your panel’s brand and amperage mean, what your insurer looks at, and what comes next.
4.9469 Google reviewsThe tool
The brand
The amperage
Your result
Answer both questions: the result shows up here.
The brand
Screw-in fuses
The problem is the fuse replaced with a bigger one to stop the outages.
The replacement often involves the service entrance too.
The brand
Federal Pioneer
It’s not illegal, and nothing requires you to replace it.
The doubt is about Stab-Lok breakers, suspected of not always tripping during an overload. Changing the breakers doesn’t fix anything.
The brand
Zinsco
According to the American insurer Great American, a Zinsco breaker can melt onto the bus bar and no longer trip properly.
The U.S. CPSC and the Canadian recall database list none. An electrician decides by opening the panel.
The brand
Commander, CEB or Sylvania
In Canada, Eaton groups C.E.B., Sylvania (GTE) and Commander panels into one family, now brought together under its own brand.
No recall of these panels shows up at Health Canada, Ontario’s ESA or the U.S. CPSC (search of November 2, 2026). The Code isn’t retroactive: no law requires you to replace a panel that works.
A panel labelled “Sylvania” isn’t necessarily a Zinsco.
The brand
Push buttons, or ITE
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.
The ITE brand now belongs to Siemens.
The brand
Siemens
Siemens is the electrical panel brand STM-Électrique installs most often, and within it, almost always the SEQ line.
Siemens Canada’s installation instructions allow only Siemens breakers and accessories.
The brand
Another brand, or I don’t know
If the label is unreadable or you’re in doubt, don’t take anything apart: have it checked.
An electrician decides by opening the panel.
The amperage
60 A
60 amps was the norm before the 1960s, for a house without electric heating.
The replacement almost always involves the service entrance too, not just the panel.
The amperage
100 A
A 100 amp service is still legal and safe if it’s properly sized for what it powers.
The problem almost always comes from additions (an EV charger, a spa, a heat pump), not from age.
The amperage
200 A
200 amps is the standard for recent construction, not a requirement. What determines the capacity required is the load calculation.
The amperage
Another number
What determines the capacity required is the load calculation.
The amperage
I don’t know
If the label is unreadable or you’re in doubt, don’t take anything apart: have it checked.
What your insurer looks at
Several insurers ask about fuses, sometimes more than about the amperage.
What your insurer looks at
The real pressure comes from insurance and pre-purchase inspections, not from the Québec Construction Code.
What your insurer looks at
Each insurer has its own rules: ask yours.
What your insurer looks at
Each insurer has its own rules: ask yours.
What your insurer looks at
Each insurer has its own rules: ask yours.
What your insurer looks at
Each insurer has its own rules: ask yours.
What your insurer looks at
Each insurer has its own rules: ask yours.
A direction, not a diagnosis: the visit decides, and the quote is written and free.
Does your panel need replacing?
Our master electricians replace panels and service entrances, and do the load calculation at the visit.
Reading your panel without taking anything apart
Open only the panel door. The brand is on the manufacturer’s label; the amperage is the number on the main breaker, the big breaker at the top. If the label can no longer be read, stop there: removing the cover is an electrician’s job.
Fuses that screw in instead of handles mean a fuse panel. Buttons you push in instead of handles are the signature of a Pushmatic.
What the insurer looks at, what the Code says
An old panel that works isn’t illegal: the Code doesn’t require replacing what’s already in place. What drives a replacement, most often, is the insurer or the pre-purchase inspection. Each insurer applies its own rules, and the question is theirs to answer.
Our role: note what’s in the panel and give you the work report the insurer asks for.
Then: panel only, or the service entrance too?
The brand tells you whether the panel raises an insurance question; the amperage tells you whether it’s enough for what you want to plug in. To find out whether a replacement also involves the service entrance (mast, meter base, cable), take the panel only or service + panel test, then the load calculation. To see who owns each part outside, see the service entrance diagram.
Get a quote with this result
Your result is attached to the request automatically. Our master electrician confirms it at the visit, and the quote is written and free.
Our other tools
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my panel’s amperage?
Look at the main breaker, at the top of the panel: its number is the amperage. If the label is unreadable, don’t take anything apart and have it checked.
Is my old panel illegal?
No. The Code isn’t retroactive: no law requires you to replace a panel that works, even a Federal Pioneer or a Commander.
Can my insurer require a new panel?
Each insurer has its own rules, and the question is theirs to answer. Several ask about fuses and about certain brands; after the work, we provide the report they ask for.
Is replacing only the breakers of a Federal Pioneer enough?
No. The doubt is about the panel and its Stab-Lok breakers as a whole, not one part.
Can I remove the cover to read the label?
No: open only the door. If the label can’t be read, don’t take anything apart; an electrician decides by opening the panel.
Sources
- Great American Insurance Group, Is Your Electric Panel a Fire Risk?
- Eaton, Eaton Brand Circuit Breakers: Application in vintage loadcentres, 2012
- InspectAPedia, Pushmatic Bulldog & ITE Pushmatic Circuit Breakers
- Siemens Canada, Power Product Catalogue, section 1: Loadcentres, May 2020
- Government of Canada, Recalls and safety alerts
- Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Different measures and acquired rights (in French)
Sources consulted on November 2 and 3, 2026 for our brand guides; tool published on November 6, 2026.
Master electricians · 24/7
A project or an emergency?
Free, detailed quote. For an emergency, we answer 24 hours a day.