Struggling with figuring out the safety of this panel. I know some sylvania ge panels were recalled around the time my house was built 1978. Anyone know if this is related to that problem. It looks like it uses a flat bus bar.
Should I call an electrician?

I'm already concerned that there is a 20a breaker for lights with 14ga wiring.
It looks like there is some surface corrosion on the bus bar but not sure if it's normal since the panel is probably 40 years old.

Thanks for all your help!
I'm in California.

 

PIc of bus bar on that panel

 

In my experience, if they do one thing not to code/not safe, then you will find other "surprises" in the wiring.

So good idea to have an electrician look things over. Also I would recommend learning about proper electrical wiring yourself (if you do not already know), then peek inside every outlet/switch and light fixture. Especially anywhere it looks like something was added on. (Room addition, etc.)

i.e. Watch YouTube videos on wiring, read electrical wiring books sold at home improvement stores, etc. Learn what is OK and what is not.

For fun, search google.com for the following words, then click on images....

home inspector dangerous wiring

You will see things like this...
http://www.electricianingarland.com/...anger_5755.jpg

 

Hello, the Sylvania line of panels is on the lower end of the safety spectrum. You should put it on your list of home upgrades to replace eventually. In my opinion the Sylvanias are not as bad as the FPE stab-lok or the Zinsco, but they do have known problems so you shouldn't ignore it.

For now what you can do is to pop some of the breakers out and do an inspection of the connection points on the bus bar. If you have obvious heat damage then move your replacement priority up; otherwise if the bars look OK, keep an eye on it for eventual replacement.

 

GTE Sylvania bought Zinsco many years ago. This panel is the old Zinsco with the aluminum ribbon type busbars. It is definitely a known fire hazard. I've seen many of these old dogs in houses that also had aluminum wiring. Hopefully since your house was built in 1978 it has copper wiring, but I have also seen a few houses built as late as 1979 that did have aluminum wiring.

Zinsco Sylvania Kearney Electrical Panel and Circuit Breaker Hazards, Failures, Inspection, Detection, Repair, Replacement - Sylvania Zinsco circuit breakers and panel hazards