What Breakers Are Compatible With Challenger?

Challenger circuit breakers and service panels were popular during the 1980s and 1990s. Thousands of these Challenger electrical systems were installed in homes built during this period. Unfortunately, experience showed that certain Challenger circuit breakers overheated during normal use. If you have Challenger components in your home, it is critical to replace those breakers. Replacement breakers for Challenger products are available.

Currently, Cutler-Hammer offers a line of breakers that are compatible replacements for the Challenger brand breakers that are no longer manufactured. Specifically, the Cutler-Hammer BR line of breakers is listed as direct replacements for the Challenger breakers. If your home still has Challenger breakers, you should change all the breakers. Challenger breakers pose a known fire hazard.

Challenger breakers are no longer manufactured in the US. Historically, the Challenger breakers were discovered to overheat during normal use and pose a possible fire hazard. For the safety of your home and family, most electricians recommend replacing all Challenger breakers in your home electrical system.

Figuring out which new breakers are appropriate replacements for your old Challenger breakers can be overwhelming. A cross-reference chart is your best bet to make this process easier. Fortunately, Eaton Corporation, the parent company of Cutler-Hammer, publishes a handy cross-reference guide to Challenger breaker replacements.

You can access the cross-reference document at this link on the Eaton Website. To find the correct replacement cutler-hammer breaker for your old Challenger breaker, match the Challenger part number in the list. The corresponding Cutler-Hammer replacement breaker is listed immediately to the right of the Challenger part number.

Many other breakers may look similar to the Challenger breakers in your service entry panel. However, only those breakers specifically listed as direct replacements for Challenger breakers should be installed. Appearances can be deceiving and lead to bigger problems down the road.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Challenger breakers and panels were popular with builders and electricians for many years. However, time exposed some serious issues with the Challenger breakers that eventually led to the demise of the Challenger brand.

The Challenger breakers exhibited a tendency to overheat during normal use. This overheating would often fuse the internal mechanisms of the Challenger breakers. A fused breaker would often fail to trip even if a serious ground fault occurred in the circuit. The most frequent results were fused breakers, burned breakers, and damage to the service panel. Structure fires were reported and documented.

Eventually, the problems with overheating and failure forced Challenger to cease production. However, thousands of these breakers and circuit breaker panels remain in service in homes across the United States. Most electricians recommend strongly that any Challenger breakers be replaced immediately.

There are documented instances when insurance companies have refused to insure homes where Challenger electrical panels and breakers are installed. Many times, this happens after a home inspector finds this situation. If the home is involved in a sale, the inspection report is often sent to the potential purchaser and their insurance company.

In these instances, the insurance company may require the breakers or the entire service panel to be replaced. The insurance companies cite the history of Challenger breakers being responsible for house fires when the breakers fail or overheat.

Challenger only issued recalls on two types of faulty circuit breakers. The recall affected the Challenger 15 and 20-amp single-pole HAGF ground-fault-interrupter circuit breakers. This recall was made in 1988, and Challenger offered free replacement parts. However, it is estimated that 9,000 affected Challenger circuit breakers remain in homes across the US.

In 1994 Eaton Corporation purchased Challenger. At this time, Eaton is not producing any equipment using the Challenger name. It is recommended that if you have Challengers electrical equipment in your home, it be replaced, even if it is not part of the recall. The age of this equipment makes its safety suspect.

The affected breakers are relatively easy to identify. Challenger issued a descriptive identification of these breakers as part of the recall. If your home was built in the 1980s or 1990s, you should check your circuit breaker panel for these faulty circuit breakers.

These faulty breakers have “Challenger” embossed on the panel door. A label on the back of the panel door also identifies the panel as a Challenger model. Breakers that fall under the recall have a yellow button. The word “TEST” in raised letters is visible on the side of the breaker. The handle on the breaker had the numbers 15 or 20 in white letters.

Contact a licensed electrician to inspect your electrical system if you have any questions. This is the best way to determine if your electrical service panel and breakers are safe to protect your home. Your electrician can recommend what upgrades need to be made to your electrical system. They can also provide an estimate of the cost to perform the work.

The replacement of an existing Challenger service panel and breakers is estimated to be between $1,800 and $2,500. This kind of upgrade to your home’s electrical system usually requires a permit from the local building authority and a licensed electrician to perform the work.

Additional costs may add to the bill if the electrician finds other problems that need to be addressed. Some building codes consider a new service panel a major project and may require that your entire electrical system be brought into compliance with the current electrical code.

This can require extensive rewiring of your home if certain conditions apply. If your home was wired with aluminum wiring, the new code might require the aluminum to be replaced with copper. If your home doesn’t have a dedicated ground wire at all outlets, an additional wire may need to be placed to meet code requirements. There can be other problems as well. Your electrician can inspect and discuss the needed upgrades.

In general, replacement breakers for Challenger equipment cost between $14.00 and $24.00. Most home improvement stores carry these replacement breakers. You can also order replacement breakers on the internet. Most homeowners’ biggest problem is ensuring that they purchase the correct breaker to replace the older Challenger equipment.

We recommend hiring a licensed electrician to perform any replacement of circuit breakers in your home. Licensed electricians are knowledgeable about doing these replacements. A good electrician can source the correct replacement part and make the change safely and quickly.

In theory, yes. Replacing breakers in a service panel is not a complicated or difficult job. However, working around the electrical service to your home presents some dangers and challenges. Replacing breakers in the service panel requires that the electrical service to your home be shut down while you are making the replacement.

Most modern service panels have a master disconnect in the panel. Throwing this main disconnect breaker to the off position should turn off all power to the circuit breaker panel. However, if the panel is wired incorrectly or the main breaker is damaged, the panel may remain hot. This can result in a dangerous situation resulting in an electrical shock, injury, or death.

Our recommendation is that you let a qualified electrician make these kinds of replacements and repairs. These professionals are well versed in the proper safety precautions and can identify any potential problems in your electrical system.

The recalled circuit breakers from Challenger were GFCI breakers and have a test button on the breaker. In effect, pressing the test button caused the circuit breaker to trip to the off position. You would then return the circuit breaker to the on position. Unfortunately, this doesn’t tell you much about the safety of continuing to use these breakers in your electrical system.

In some cases, testing the Challenger GFCI circuit breaker would appear successful. In reality, some people found that failures occurred after testing a Challenger GFCI circuit breaker. The process of testing the circuit breaker could induce a failure when the circuit breaker was returned to the on position.

The reality is that the only way to ensure your electrical system is safe is to replace the Challenger breakers. This is critical if your Challenger circuit breakers were subject to the recall. Most electricians suggest that all Challenger circuit breakers be replaced regardless of their status under the recall.