Will Pushmatic Electrical Panel Pass a Home Inspection?

The Pushmatic electric panel with the Bulldog brand can be found in homes today and dates back to the 1950's through the 1960's. There has never been an actual recall of the Pushmatic, however it is known that over time they can become very stiff and difficult to operate or reset. This results in the on/off flag sticking in either position, giving you a false indication of the condition of the circuit. Some people today would tell you that there is significant shock hazard and should be replaced.

With this information some people wonder if their home will "pass" a home inspection if they have a Pushmatic electrical panel. However, home inspections do not have a pass or fail associated with them. A home inspection is not like an inspection needed for mortgage underwriting or an inspection from a local municipality's building inspector. There is no such thing as a pass or fail. A home inspection analyzes all areas of a home from the roof to the basement and everything in between. Which then results in a printed or digital report for the buyer to reference in order to know what may need to be replaced, serviced or in which areas the home inspector recommends further investigation by a specialists, like an electrician in this case.

From Mike Vakos, owner and head home inspector:

... in today's video, I wanted to talk to you about electrical panels specifically this Pushmatic type panel you can see right there. It says pushmatic and that's a type of breaker and we see it a lot in older homes. These types of panels are obsolete, hard to get parts for and these types of breakers are prone to failing. The way it works and the reason they call it pushmatic is because in a typical panel you would flip the breaker left to right, in these you actually push them in. So, like this one here, it says off when you push it. It's an old technology; usually we recommend replacing these for a safety upgrade. This is something you definitely want to look into and have an electrician review the panel. Most electricians would probably have you update the panel.