Circuit breakers are critical protection devices in today's modern electrical world, an essential safety components in your home. Without them, household electricity would be impractical because of the potential for fires and damages resulting from simple wiring problems and equipment malfunctions. Simply speaking, a circuit breaker is a mechanical device designed to monitor electrical current within a conductor (wire) for potentially hazardous overloads or short circuits. Circuit breakers work by monitoring the electrical voltage, current and resistance within the circuit and cutting off power to the circuit when current levels get excessive, change unexpectedly or short circuit - averting possible deadly problems.
In an effort to understand circuit breakers, it is important to understand how residential electricity operates. Electricity is defined by three main elements: Voltage, Current and Resistance.
To better understand circuit breakers, it is important to understand how residential electricity functions. Electricity is defined by three major elements: Voltage, Current and Resistance.
Voltage is the "pressure" that makes an electric charge move. Current is the charge's "flow", or the rate that the charge moves through the conductor (wire). The conductor offers a certain amount of resistance to this flow, which varies depending on the type of conductor, its composition and size. Voltage, current and resistance are all interrelated - you can't change one without changing another. Current is equal to voltage divided by resistance (I = v / r). Increasing pressure on an electric charge or decreasing resistance means more charge will flow.
A handful of the better known breaker companies have either gone out of business entirely or have been acquired by other companies. Here's a list of some of the more well-known manufacturers during the last few decades: ABB, American, Bryant, Bulldog, Cerus Industrial, Challenger, Crouse Hinds, Cutler Hammer, Federal Pacific, General Electric, Gould, ITE, Murray, Pushmatic, Siemens, Square D, Sylvania/GTE, Thomas & Betts, Trumble, UBI - Wadsworth, Westinghouse, and Zinsco.
Circuit breaker Brands
A few of the popular breaker companies, like Crouse Hinds, Challenger, Thomas & Betts, Westinghouse, and Zinsco have either gone out of business completely or have been acquired by other companies. Sometimes breaker companies close up shop and it makes it hard to locate replacements when a breaker stops working. Luckily, numerous dealers these days focus on surplus new and obsolete replacement circuit breakers. This approach could very well save substantial time and money, as in certain instances, the complete electrical panel could otherwise have to be changed out in the event the replacement breaker wasn't available.
Are Reconditioned Breakers a Safe Option?
In the event that a breaker fails, many suppliers recommend replacing the entire product. In most cases, the breaker itself is still in good working order. The problem lies in an isolated part of the product. It's very common to replace a bad breaker with a reconditioned unit. Don't think of it as cutting corners to save a few bucks. Reconditioning is a perfectly acceptable solution. The process will include complete disassembly of the breaker, component-specific cleaning and analysis, potential replacement of worn or faulty components, reassembly, and a final inspection and testing to ensure that the product functions to factory specifications.
In an effort to understand circuit breakers, it is important to understand how residential electricity operates. Electricity is defined by three main elements: Voltage, Current and Resistance.
To better understand circuit breakers, it is important to understand how residential electricity functions. Electricity is defined by three major elements: Voltage, Current and Resistance.
Voltage is the "pressure" that makes an electric charge move. Current is the charge's "flow", or the rate that the charge moves through the conductor (wire). The conductor offers a certain amount of resistance to this flow, which varies depending on the type of conductor, its composition and size. Voltage, current and resistance are all interrelated - you can't change one without changing another. Current is equal to voltage divided by resistance (I = v / r). Increasing pressure on an electric charge or decreasing resistance means more charge will flow.
A handful of the better known breaker companies have either gone out of business entirely or have been acquired by other companies. Here's a list of some of the more well-known manufacturers during the last few decades: ABB, American, Bryant, Bulldog, Cerus Industrial, Challenger, Crouse Hinds, Cutler Hammer, Federal Pacific, General Electric, Gould, ITE, Murray, Pushmatic, Siemens, Square D, Sylvania/GTE, Thomas & Betts, Trumble, UBI - Wadsworth, Westinghouse, and Zinsco.
Circuit breaker Brands
A few of the popular breaker companies, like Crouse Hinds, Challenger, Thomas & Betts, Westinghouse, and Zinsco have either gone out of business completely or have been acquired by other companies. Sometimes breaker companies close up shop and it makes it hard to locate replacements when a breaker stops working. Luckily, numerous dealers these days focus on surplus new and obsolete replacement circuit breakers. This approach could very well save substantial time and money, as in certain instances, the complete electrical panel could otherwise have to be changed out in the event the replacement breaker wasn't available.
Are Reconditioned Breakers a Safe Option?
In the event that a breaker fails, many suppliers recommend replacing the entire product. In most cases, the breaker itself is still in good working order. The problem lies in an isolated part of the product. It's very common to replace a bad breaker with a reconditioned unit. Don't think of it as cutting corners to save a few bucks. Reconditioning is a perfectly acceptable solution. The process will include complete disassembly of the breaker, component-specific cleaning and analysis, potential replacement of worn or faulty components, reassembly, and a final inspection and testing to ensure that the product functions to factory specifications.
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Visit BreakerConnection.com to learn more about about obsolete and hard-to-find electrical hardware like Zinsco Breakers and Obsolete Circuit Breakers.
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