Sylvania Panel (Zinsco-Sylvania)

Also known as: SylvaniaGTE-SylvaniaZinsco-Sylvania

Sylvania is the brand name on many 1970s-era electrical panels that are, internally, Zinsco panels. GTE-Sylvania acquired Zinsco in 1973 and continued producing the same panel design under the Sylvania label for several more years. The name on the door changed; the aluminum bus design — and its failure mode — did not.

If your panel says Sylvania (typically in homes built or re-paneled from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s), treat it exactly as you would a Zinsco: the same oxidation-prone aluminum bus, the same risk of breakers welding to the bus, the same "false off" hazard where a breaker handle reads OFF while the connection still conducts, and the same insurance flags. One honest caveat: Sylvania was a large electrical company, and not every product it ever branded is a Zinsco design — but residential load centers from this era in Western U.S. homes almost always are. If in doubt, send us a photo of the closed panel and its label.

Same as Zinsco, because it is one. We flag these panels whenever we see them and recommend replacement as a scheduled project. Because of the false-off hazard, don't open the panel yourself — photograph the closed panel and label and send it for a free read. Full story in the Zinsco panel replacement guide.