Electrical panels in your home have quite a long service life–some older homes today might have panels dating all the way back to the early 20th century! Needless to say, this is no welcome sight for any homeowner, especially if they are a first time home buyer.

There are several issues with old electrical panels including inadequate capacity, no equipment grounding, degraded insulation on conductors, and fuse based systems which are no longer up to code. An old and rusted panel is often a red flag for what lies in the rest of the electrical system. Outdated technology such as knob and tube wiring and 2 prong outlets may be present. While most old electrical installations are safe, some panels such as those made by Zinsco and Federal Pacific are known fire hazards and can render the home uninsurable until these panels are replaced!

A study on electrical panels revealed that of 1052 residential electrical panels, 12% showed signs of corrosion on various parts of the system. Rust inside or on an electrical panel is a bad sign. It could be caused by a wet basement with high humidity, or could involve a more serious problem where water is intruding into the panel through the service entrance. For homes that have electrical panels located in a garage, road salt from cars has been observed to become airborne and accelerate rusting inside of the electrical panel. A rusty panel is a risk – rusty breakers may not trip as expected, and corroded buss bars in the electrical panel could be arcing, which is a definite fire risk. Water ingress from outside means that the service entrance has deficiencies to be corrected by a qualified electrician.

Electrical panels and service replacements are very expensive – electricians are in demand and a panel or service replacement is typically a few thousand dollars or more. Many people may not know that they are responsible for most of the electrical equipment outside of the home. This means that water ingress or storm damage may fall on the homeowner to repair.

If your electrical panel is showing signs of rust and corrosion, you’ll want to consult with a qualified electrician to evaluate the safety of the panel. It’s best to prevent electrical panel rust before it becomes a problem – Zerust VCI products are excellent at preventing rust but reversing existing damage may not be possible.

Prevent Rust Before It Starts

1. Keep the area around your electrical panel as dry as possible. If the panel is in a basement, invest in a dehumidifier to help keep moisture down. Some parts of the country may have panels installed outdoors, and this should be an outdoor rated panel.
2. If the panel is in a garage, and in areas of the country that use road salt, minimize the salt water in the garage by removing as much snow as possible from the vehicle before parking indoors. The airborne salt has been shown to increase corrosion on electrical panels.
3. After periods of heavy rain, check for any signs of water around the electrical panel to ensure that there are no leaks from the meter or service cables.
4. Have a qualified electrician check over the electrical system. Electrical panels, meters, service entrance cables, and weatherheads are made from steel, aluminum and copper that may corrode and have some plastic and rubber components that can degrade over time.

For an extra edge against rust and corrosion, our plastabs and rust prevention vapor capsules can be installed inside of an electrical box to provide VCI corrosion protection inside of the enclosure.

A couple of 3” x 1” Plastabs or VC2-2 vapor capsules can be adhered to the inside of the panel in an area free from wires or breakers. The odorless, invisible, non-toxic vapor molecules emitted form a shield to protect metal surfaces. Keep the panel closed, and the VCI capsules will prevent rust and corrosion for up to two years. When those molecules are exposed to open air, they simply detach from the metal items and vaporize harmlessly into the air. These items are plastic so there is no risk of short circuiting.

Caution: There is live electricity inside of electrical panels. Working inside of a live electrical panel should be done by licensed electricians or those with proper safety training.

If you have questions about our Plastabs or vapor capsules – including how they work, how to use them, or whether they’re ideal for your setup, our dedicated rust prevention experts are happy to answer your questions.

Contact Zerust for information on VCI products to help with electronics corrosion prevention by emailing us or calling (330) 405-1965.

More Blog Entries:
Electric Panel Box Rust Prevention: Zerust Vapor Capsules Offer Protection, August 18, 2019, Zerust Products Blog

Additional Resources:

Corrosion in Electrical Distribution Board: Occurrences, Effects, and Prevention IEET – International Electrical Engineering Transactions, Vol. 10 No.1 (18) January – June, 2024