This article was posted 01/04/2007 and is most likely outdated.

A History of Zinsco Electric
 

 
Subject - A History of Zinsco Electric

January 4, 2007 

Ask a Question |  Weekly Code GraphicQuizzes |  Free Stuff InstructorsOnline Training Products | Seminars | SubscribeUnsubscribe
[ image1 Post Comments | View Comments | Notify Me When Comments Are Added ] Web Page Version [Printer-Friendly]    

A History of Zinsco Electric

Dear Mr. Holt & company,

My great-grandfather Emile Zinsmeyer and his son, my grandfather Martin Zinsmeyer started the company Zinsco Electric. I was looking up information about the company for my son's school project and came across your website. When I read a few things that people were saying on there I thought I should post on there too, but since you have to be an electrician, I thought maybe you could post this for me.

Here is a short history about my family and the company they owned. 

Frank Adam Electric (formed 1891 in St, Louis, Missouri) came out of Blacker and Adam Watch Co. In addition to watches, Blacker and Adam sold surveying equipment. Frank Adam hired only people they knew and Emile Zinsmeyer (my great-grandfather) was a sharp young salesman working at the store. They offered him a job as sales manager. In 1904 The World's Fair put Frank Adam Electric on the map. 

The family moved to Santa Monica, California in the late 1920's so that Emile could run the Frank Adam west coast operation. After the Stock Market Crash, Emile negotiated with Frank Adam to buy the west coast stock (rather than ship back to St. Louis) and started Zinsmeyer Co. with his son Bill and six others.

They started with an 8,000 sq. ft. garage and a station wagon. They would get an order in the morning, build in the afternoon and get to the job site by night. The distributors would not deal with them, so they got to know the contractors, which eventually really helped them after World War II.

Martin Zinsmeyer (my grandfather) started working at Zinsmeyer Co. with his father and Bill, after graduating from USC. He bought the company from his father in 1943 and renamed it Zinsco.

In 1973 Zinsco was sold to GTE Sylvania.

I was told by my family that he was the inventor for many things that changed the way circuit breakers are used today. I know that the parts that were used then do not compare to what is available now, but many electricians have told me that his company was ground breaking and it paved the way for other electrical companies.

Please tell your posters this. My grandfather was a great man and I hate to see the Zinsmeyer name trashed. He died in 1986, so he's not able to defend himself.

Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Heather Hill 

Mike Holt Comment: Thank you Heather for allowing me to share the great works of your grandfather with the electrical industry.
 

 

[ View More Newsletters ] [ Send to a Friend ] [ Post Comments | View Comments | Notify Me When Comments Are Added ]

Copyright © Mike Holt Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be
displayed or published on the internet without the prior written permission of Mike Holt Enterprises, Inc.

http://www.MikeHolt.com     1-888-NEC-CODE (1-888-632-2633)

Experiencing a Problem? Contact our Webmaster

Comments
  • An excellent post, thank you!

    India Ka Bazaar
    Reply to this comment

  • I got a chuckle with the comments about the candy included in all loadcenters. When I was a salesman with Zinsco, my customers would thank us and ask if we knew a dentist....

    andy zinsmeyer
    Reply to this comment

  • Thanks for sending the June 23 update, I assume you got my contact info from another Zinsco board. Martin was our next door neighbor in Arcadia, California US when I was 5th grade through high school. I remember Johnny and his brother well. I'm curious about the history after that. hoytstearns.com

    Hoyt A. Stearns Jr.
    Reply to this comment

  • I was wiring houses in the 1965 we used zinsco panels they would have a pack of peppermint candy in the box.

    john l derrington
    Reply to this comment

  • Thanks Zinsco in old Dallas Tex. everyone here should say thanks to Jack Petrusca and the crew, all gone now!

    chuck miller
    Reply to this comment

  • I just turn 41 yrs. old and for the last 18 yrs I have been involved in the electrical bussiness in San Juan Puerto Rico. I was born and raised in house where breakers and switchgears where the main course at dinner. You see my father was hired by Martin Zynsmayer to open for him a manufacturing operation on the island that became ZINSCO first offshore operation. My father an electrical enginner witha master from NYU got the opportunity of a life time thru martin and Zinsco. Zinsco became one of the biggest employers in Puerto Rico with over 5000 people and 5 manufacturing locations while becoming a well recognize name in the construction bussiness. Most of the who is who in electrical equipment in the caribbean somehow work for ZINSCO. By the way Martin became my fathers mentor and treat him like a son so me and my brothers became like his grandson. My father was part of the team of official assig by Martin for the sale and transition on the Sylvania deal he was offer a job and he work for some years as President of the PR operations and some latin american operations and decided to quit to pursue another path. Today I run an ED&C manufacturing operation founded by my father 29 years ago, of our 60 employees 2 are from ZINSCO. You may say our company is a daugther of Martin and ZINSCO and with a smile i will proudly accept. I just want it to say that ZINSCO was ahead of his time regarding the way they treat their employess and the social awarness. I loved Martin very much and as I see my father age I see Martin in his expressions and way to solve business and employees issues.

    Heli Rivera Jr.
    Reply to this comment

  • i too am looking for info on very early Frank Adam gear. i have a very old panel board with exposed bus and knife switches mounted on a marble base. Can anyone help?

    mike schmerl
    Reply to this comment

  • I wanted you to know that I started using the Zinsco panels in the early 60's and used them after they were sold to GTE. Our company wired on average 700 houses a year from 1963 to the late 70's. We had very few problems and most we had were caused by homeowners and ametaur electrcians who did not know what they were doing. I built 3 houses for myself and they all had and still the zinsco breakers in the. I am retired now but I still have over 2 dozen Zinsco Breakers in my attic. Plus I winter in a MHP in Florida and the park uses the 100 amp and 200 amp Zinsco breakers in the meter pods.

    Sid
    Reply to this comment

  • i have recently worked in a building, near dowtown los angeles. the building is located at the corner of santa fe av. and olympic blvd. lo and behold the electrical apparatus is zinsmayer!! as near as i can figure , the building is in the 1930s construction methods. if anyone is interested, i can take pictures as the building is in current use in the garment industry.

    jim hernandez
    Reply to this comment

  • Zinsco breakers are still in high demand in Michigan, Great story, I would be very proud...

    Jon
    Reply to this comment

  • That's a great story. I too am from Los Angeles and remember the Zinsco plant. Heather, thanks for sharing.

    Whoop! Whoop!

    Romex Racer
    Reply to this comment

  • I wanted to thank you for posting the history of Zinsco. I installed these panels in the late 60's that are still in good shape and working fine. To my knowledge, breakers have not required replacement.

    The main problem was not the panels but the installation and overloading of the circuits. Over the years, people (mostly electricians) would just add what ever the client wanted without giving a thought to the load. When I installed the panels, I made sure that the 80% was maintained. By not overloading the panel, you keep the heat down and eliminate breaker movement. This is what caused the major problem with Zinsco.

    Thank you for letting me show my age. I still add rather than load up circuits.

    Jerry

    Jerry
    Reply to this comment

  • thank you for the insite, i have heard alot of differnt storyes now i can say that i know the inside story' thx mike. and the zinco faimly

    kevin
    Reply to this comment

  • HI MY NAME IS MIKE NANCE OWNER OF POWER SOURCE ELECTRIC IN SAN BERNARDINO CA, I HAVE WORKED ON MANY ZINSCO ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS IN MY MANY YEARS. YOUR GRANDFATHERS WERE AND ARE GREAT MEN YOU SHOULD BE VERY PROUD.

    MIKE NANCE
    Reply to this comment

  • I agree with sloppy installations being the problem. For truely universal fit, many of the breakers had convertable lugs allowing connection to either buss. Unknowing homeowners & unaware "wiremen" installed them without concern about buss loading & as a result, overloading on one side was often the case. Several fires resulted in Washington alone due to one side loading. The color coding was unique, making for non confusing selection, but qualified installation is still paramount in the electrical trade. Stay safe and aware everyone. Happy New Year!

    Tall Bill
    Reply to this comment

  • I thank the gentleman for sharing the memories of an early electrical manufacturer. He can be proud of his family's place in the history of the electrical industry. For a short time the local utility in NorthWest Florida furnished a 200 amp power pack, or a 400 amp Zinsco panel. The plan was to encourage use of electrical appliances. To qualify - it was necessary to install at least one 240 volt appliance outlet. We were suprised to find the Zinsco panel required another brand of breakers to be stocked on the truck. And more suprised to be told that the Zinsco brand was common on the west coast. I want to add that "Frank Adam" was a brand seen from time to time , but especially as the name on an old panel installed in a home built by my father in Virginia, in 1945-46. By the time I recall, the panel had been turned into a junction box, fed from one of the Square D fuse module panels into the Frank Adam panel to join onto the original circuit homeruns. It was mounted beside a 60 amp Bulldog, ITE disconnect! I have a picture of the installation

    Lynn Adams

    Lynn Adams
    Reply to this comment

  • I thank the gentleman for sharing the memories of an early electrical manufacturer. He can be proud of his family's place in the history of the electrical industry. For a short time the local utility in NorthWest Florida furnished a 200 amp power pack, or a 400 amp Zinsco panel. The plan was to encourage use of electrical appliances. To qualify - it was necessary to install at least one 240 volt appliance outlet. We were suprised to find the Zinsco panel required another brand of breakers to be stocked on the truck. And more suprised to be told that the Zinsco brand was common on the west coast. I want to add that "Frank Adam" was a brand seen from time to time , but especially as the name on an old panel installed in a home built by my father in Virginia, in 1945-46. By the time I recall, the panel had been turned into a junction box, fed from one of the Square D fuse module panels into the Frank Adam panel to join onto the original circuit homeruns. It was mounted beside a 60 amp Bulldog, ITE disconnect! I have a picture of the installation

    Lynn Adams

    Lynn Adams
    Reply to this comment

  • I wanted to thank you for the nice Christmas card Mike,and would like to thank you for all your emails, if things work out right I will be taking my Journeyman Electrical exam hopefully if things work out on January 20,2007.Well have a great weekend ,and week. Phil.

    Phil Hobbs
    Reply to this comment

  • We see a little bit of Zinsco here in Baltimore, in fact my apartment has a Zinsco panel. Does anyone have any information about Fran Adam Electric. We see a lot of that manufacturer. What happened to them? We they bought out by one of the other manufacturers? If so, when? Thanks for any information anyone can provide.

    Richard Williams
    Reply to this comment

  • This commentary is not to trash anyones' brand name. However, I would like to gently say that I wish a had a dollar for every Frank Adam switchgear installation for which I did the engineering to replace in its totality.

    kevin cassidy
    Reply to this comment

  • Heater , Thank you for the human touch your story put in this dry industry world. I cannot comment on Zinsco CBs and panels, as I haven't seen, but I am pretty sure that GTE Sylvania did their best to keep it up to the todays requirements.

    Iulian Profir
    Reply to this comment

  • Dear Heather I don't know how you feel the Zinsmeyer name was trashed, because there are many of us, who accepted the Zinsco name in our industry. I would like you to explain the origin of Zinsmeyer, which i believe to be Russian when you have time. Thanks for sharing your story with us. The Frank Adams company is one that I am familiar with as well. We need to hold all these names as our forefathers. Sincerely, Philip C Petta, PE

    Philip Petta
    Reply to this comment

  • I recall Zinzco very well having worked in the Los Angels electrical industry for over five generations. The city of Lakewood, CA was a development of some 15000 homes built over five years. The homes used Zinsco mater and panel combinations. Zinsco was the first company, and to my knowledge the only one that colored breaker handles in blue for 15 amps blue for 20, and green for 30 amps, the same color used for plug fuse inserts. The Zinsco plant was on North Main Street in L.A. The Zinsmeyer family has nothing to defend. Time and progress marches on. Ford's products certainly changed over many years and so have circuit breakers. They earned a kept a U.L. approval, more than can be said about some companies. Incidentally my present residence built in 1967 used Zinsco panels and circuit breakers and we have not had a problem one. In fact I have load checked the breakers and still find no failures. The biggest number of failures, I believe, comes from sloppy installations

    Eric David
    Reply to this comment

  • Heather,

    Thanks for the background infomation.

    I wish I could order equipment in the morning, have it custom built and see it by evening.

    Marty
    Reply to this comment

  • It is nice to hear the "rest of the story" . or better yet, the true story as told by family members who know it best.

    Bill
    Reply to this comment

  • Heather Hill has every right to be proud of her Grandfather and his accomplishments. However my experience has shown me that these panels do not age well. I have found many instances of bus damage and breaker deterioration and I have a hard time believing that these were all installation problems. I have found breakers that won't disengage the bus, burn marks on bus, breaker blow outs, lug to bus damage and the list goes on. I think that the time is overdue for these panels to be replaced.

    Steve
    Reply to this comment

  • One problem with Zinsco panels is that if you lose the face plate screws it is impossible fo find replacements. I need 8 of these screws to replace the face plates on two panels that were lost by a do it your self home elecrician.. The option, according to the local electrical inspector is to replace both panels.

    Question: Where can I buy these screws.

    Michael Stoianoff Tel: (907) 269-0653

    Michael Stoianoff, PE
    Reply to this comment


Get notified when new comments are posted here
* Your Email:
 
        
 
Add Your Comments to this Newsletter
* Your Name:
   Your name will appear under your comments.

* Your Email:
   Your email address is not displayed.
* Comments:

Email Notification Options:
Notify me when a reply is posted to this comment
Notify me whenever a comment is posted to this newsletter