If a company is out of business, does that mean that all the products it ever made and sold — and may still be in use — were defective?
Hardly.
At this very moment, I can think of any number of local basements storing black-and-white TV’s made by RCA, Zenith and other defunct brands that work just fine 50, 60 or even more years after they were made (I wish I could say the same about my almost 52 year-old body).
What if the product no longer has an Underwriters Laboratory (“UL”) certification?
It sounds like cause for concern — at least until you realize that UL only certifies products if the manufacturer pays it an annual fee . . . and by definition, defunct companies aren’t around to do that (at least, that’s what I hear from one of my favorite inspectors).
I raise the foregoing as prelude because I have now encountered my third electric service panel issue in six months.
Whether or not a service panel is safe can depend on the manufacturer (if it’s a recalled model . . it’s not).
However, the best assurance that a given service panel is safe is a safety inspection by a reputable, licensed electrician.
Which is the usual, next step when a Buyer’s inspection raises the issue.
