Lesson from last week's near-miss: always verify tandem breakers on older panels

Been in the Chicago area my whole career, and last week I was troubleshooting a flickering light in a 70s ranch house, figured it was just a loose neutral. Turns out the panel was crammed with tandems, and some hack had jammed in a 20A on a 15A circuit without checking the NEC 120.12. Almost caused a fire when the load spiked; had to redo the whole thing with proper Siemens breakers. PSA to all you guys: double-check those old Federal Pacific knockoffs before you walk away. Saw a similar rant on r/electricians about this, and someone in Electricians Network group mentioned watching Dustin Stelzer's video on panel inspections. Don't be that guy who gets called back for a claim.

Man, that hits close to home. Lost a buddy to a panel fire years back, never skip the visual.

Same here, every old house I walk into has some BS wiring waiting to bite you.

Proud I caught mine before it went south. Always test under load.

Chicago winters make those old panels brittle too. Seen corrosion eat right through.

Frustrated as hell with these DIYers who think they can swap breakers.

We all been there. Better safe than sorry, right?

Those Federal Pacifics are ticking bombs. Rip em out every time.

Insurance companies hate em too. One claim and premiums skyrocket.

Out here it's the same crap. Old wiring + tandems = lawsuit waiting.

Felt that. Had a job where the whole attic lit up from one.

Damn, that's scary. Always label your circuits properly.

Collective rage at these inspectors who approve junk initially.

Yeah, the pushback from clients when you say no is the worst part.

Siemens are solid, but pricey. Worth it though.

Hate when you find em mid-job. Delays everything.

We in the trades gotta stick together on this. No shortcuts.

Buddy of mine got burned bad, literally. Stay vigilant.

Finally got my guys trained to spot tandems on sight.

PE firms buying up shops and skimping on safety checks pisses me off.

Every time. Lost a full day last week to one.

Don't do tandems on critical circuits. Learned that the hard way.

Use a meter on every breaker install. Saves your ass.

Client called at 3am once cuz his 'fixed' panel smoked. Hilarious but not.

For resi work, quote the full panel upgrade upfront.

Housecall Pro helps track these issues in your notes.

Square D has better tandems if you must, but nah.

Why even risk it? Full replace every time.

Homeowners with their YouTube installs are the real problem.