Are insurers nervous about screw-in circuit breakers in old fuse panels?

[Belmondo]

My insurance broker said he couldn't underwrite the house if it had fuses anywhere. I told him it had one subpanel with 4 of the circuit breakers that screw in where the fuses go, and he said lets see what the insurance inspector says and issued the policy. If it's going to be a problem I'd rather get ahead of it and replace the panel now when things are slow. Anyone have experience with this issue?

[kreemoweet]

Made in China? No UL marking? My confidence level in that device just dropped to zero!

[Chad Schloss]

Made in China? No UL marking? My confidence level in that device just dropped to zero!

UL Listed

http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/Pro...aspx?SKU=31058

[Cookie]

Bel,

The insurance company cannot force you do an update but, they can deny you & make you look for new insurance. The fuses themselves will be around for a while, but, the fuse boxes have not been manufactured for a long, long time, and if you have a problem with the box, it probably, will cost you more being it could end up being an emergency repair. ( the story of my life) You would likely have to have the entire service upgraded and this would involve the power company as well. If your service is that old, chances are so is the wiring maybe, time for a rewire, because the insulation could be degraded due mostly, to age. Even if the conductors in your wiring are doing their job, it doesn't mean the insulation is, too. Some companies won't even write an insurance policy if your home has a fuse box or, Knob & Tube wiring. We ran into this a long time ago in our first house.

[Belmondo]

Kreem, good catch, I guess those may be crap, but the metal shelled model I have here in my hand is UL listed, it doesn't say "made' anywhere but says Mechanical Products, Jackson MI.

Cookie, the service itself is new, it's just this one 4 circuit sub panel that's a remnant. It should be gone, but it's all the work closing up walls & ceilings after the wiring is done that I hate and would avoid if I can!

[Cookie]

You might not have a choice. Have you had one charred yet? They can get expensive, and if an insurance company writes you, your rates might be higher, too. Just a word of warning, I see this with older homes.

[Belmondo]

You might not have a choice. Have you had one charred yet? They can get expensive, and if an insurance company writes you, your rates might be higher, too. Just a word of warning, I see this with older homes.

Umm, what charred? the breaker or the home?!