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I modified the description of "common trip" breakers and took out the description of "low voltage". -- Wtshymanski 19:21, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)
Sorry don't have time to correct "(because RCDs need power to trip)", but the real reason is that they require a differential current to trip, which is higher than the typical lethal current flowing through a human (30ma vs 1ma potentially lethal current) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fentlehan ( talk • contribs) 22:32, 18 June 2012 (UTC)
Tiny circuit breakers, that you can put in a pocket, might be electronic components. Small breakers, that you can lift, maybe with the help of a friend, might be found in electrical distribution. Big breakers, that show up in SCADA screens at system control centers, are pretty plainly electric power transmission devices. And the 30,000 amp breakers attached to generators are power components. Am I the only one finding the categorization of the article to be unclear? That's why I like the category electrical engineering- it fits anything with wires on it. Do the extra categories actually help Wikipedia users? -- Wtshymanski 22:44, 8 May 2005 (UTC)
I have completed the text with a description of interrupting principles used for HV circuit breakers (SF6 breakers as it is the technology now used for breakers 72,5 kV and above) Dingy 23 July 2005
The images that illustrate the interrupting principles have been published in many publications or conference papers in India, France, China, Algeria.... there is no copyright, I am in fact close to the source.
Concerning the title "Internal details of a European breaker" , now that the part on high-voltage circuit breakers is more developed I think that it is necessary to change the title to "Low voltage European Circuit breaker" or something like that..; dingy 26 July
A comment in the article asked:
If by ELCBs the questioner was referring to devices that measured, for example, the isolation between the power leads and ground/earth, then no, they have never been used in ordinary installations in the US. Because our power distribution systems almost always use a grounded neutral, there isn't any isolation to speak of.
Note that this is not true in specialized installations. For example, a large delta-connected motor, generator, or distribution circuit can certainly be isolated from ground and could be protected by an ELCB. Diesel-electric railroad locomotives frequently used just such an ELCB, energizing the traction motor circuits a small DC voltage away from ground and then measuring the current required to maintain that voltage (which ought to approach zero if the traction motor circuit was correctly isolated from the frame of the locomotive, but certainly became non-zero if, say, the traction motors became saturated with water).
But in ordinary practice, especially residential practice, it's all balance-fault interrupters.
Atlant 19:31, 17 July 2005 (UTC)
There is one more use in the US. Installations over 250V to ground and 1200A require a variant of the ELCB. Normally, these use electronics and CT's to measure the current and react accordingly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LightRobb ( talk • contribs) 02:12, 21 January 2015 (UTC)
I do not agree with this analysis. Circuit breakers in combination are called switchgears, which should be stated.
A circuit breaker is a type of Switchgear that is designed to break load current and extinguish an arc. Generally switchgear is the description given to any high voltage electrical switching equipment and covers a variety of equipment such as circuit breaker, air break switch disconnectors (ABSD's), earthing switches etc..
Close. Switchgear and switchboards are a type of CB installation. The CB's, and aux. equipment, are mounted in the gear or boards (I won't go into the differences here), and provide the required protection. You can also find fused switchboards, though they are a bit specialized. Note also that gear comes in both low (208V, 480V) voltage and high voltage flavors, boards are mostly low voltage. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LightRobb ( talk • contribs) 02:15, 21 January 2015 (UTC)
This page gives the impression that in high voltage engnineering cuircuit breaker means something somewhat different from what it means in low voltage wiring. in low voltage wiring a cuircuit breaker is something that detects a fault and automatically disconnects the supply. it seems in high voltage it means a device that breaks the cuircuit (which may be triggered by hardware sensing overcurrent that doesn't seem to be part of the breaker). Is this impression correct and if so should it be worked into the article somehow.
also the high voltage cuircuit breakers section is getting HUGE we should probablly break it out into a seperate article. Plugwash 16:43, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
I'm not saying we shouldn't keep some information on high voltage breakers here and it *IS* interesting but right now that section is bigger (in terms of rendered screenfulls) than the rest of the article combined. definately a case for sumarising and moving to a more specialist article. Plugwash 01:09, 23 January 2006 (UTC)
"The double motion technique halves the tripping speed of the moving part" - I take this to mean that the total execution time has doubled? Perhaps the author meant tripping time instead?-- Hooperbloob 08:05, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
Could anyone tell me where are we suppose to use Type B MCB, Type C MCB and so on...?
Let's say a 20A Type-B MCB is connected to a current carrying conductor. At what current will the MCB trip? Is it slightly above 20A or 3-5 times the rated current as stated in the article? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by LHW ( talk • contribs) 10:30, 15 December 2006 (UTC).ll;'mkomikkpkoi hiu njhukj njmo
type B MCB can be used for domestic lighting purposes while type C MCB can be used for the motoring circuits.
B type MCB's are recommended for lamps, fans, ovens, washing machines, house wiring etc
C type MCB's are recommended for Air conditioners, transformers and industrial loads. —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
59.180.45.131 (
talk)
06:46, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
further to above....how do i know which MCB to be used...6A or 10A or 16A or 20A....for domestic lighting purposes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.178.156.253 ( talk) 06:47, 4 July 2009 (UTC)
It should be noted that the listed standard low voltage molded case braker values are British or European sizes based on European standards and 240v system. The US sstandard values are different. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mattmia2 ( talk • contribs) 13:12, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
There are various types of high current, high voltage circuit breakers used by Power Industries, such as Air Blast, Minimum Oil, Vacuum, SF6 gas filled, Magnetic arc-quenched varieties etc. Apart from making or breaking the current flows in Power Lines, their main functions are to extinguish electric arcs that follow a circuit-current break. In an arc channel between two parting contacts one may delineate three distinct regions, viz, two thin regions attached to the parting electrodes and a central column. The thin regions act as interfaces conjoining the high density and low velocity e-flow within the electrodes and the low density and high velocity e-flow in the usually long central column. Such interfaces at anode are rather diffused and current densities are relatively low whereas at cathode end they are focused and current densities are high. The Electrical parameters on either side of this interface are widely separated and the mechanisms operative here are very complex. Only at low pressures, the interfaces at cathode end are spread out and some theoretical analyses as well as diagnostics of the arc parameters have been attempted.
All circuit breakers in general, are designed to extinguish the arcs by drawing out their central columns using an air blast, a gushing oil stream or a pinching magnetic field etc guided more by mechanical constructional conveniences. But, in general, an arc is relatively ‘strong’ and ‘stable’ at the mid-column regions and rather weak at the electrode interfaces, particularly at Cathode surface. Attempts to extinguish arcs at such weakest points should be beneficial as regards total energy dissipation and delay to extinction and hardly any report on such efforts is available. Initial experiments to verify the concepts may be pursued with only simple, plane parallel, stationary electrodes. Would any users be interested to participate in developing the theories / devising the experiments in this direction? We shall develop a model of the processes active in the cathode interface of the arcs shortly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.211.202.164 ( talk) 08:23, 25 October 2007 (UTC)
In the headlines "Rated current" and "Short circuit current". —Preceding unsigned comment added by Yossso ( talk • contribs) 23:10, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
The amount of content in the high voltage section suggests that stopping the current from flowing is not trivial. Perhaps this should be stated explicitly. Reading the article I infer that arcing is a normal occurence when trying to stop the current flow, and requires special measures to stop it (stop it safely?). I am no expert on the subject so I'm hesitant to edit. Walworth ( talk) 11:40, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
The reason most prospective users are interested in looking up circuit breakers, is for help in choosing an appropriate type. Of paramount importance is how the breaker attaches to the buss bar. The amount of space allotted to extraneous technical details crowds pertinent information off the page. As a user who has experienced breaker failure due to poor engineering I am in interested in basic construction. How about someone who has the needed information creating a simple page which contains information that is needed by the prospective customer. Pictures of the lever arrangement for opening and closing the circuit are fine, but one is enough since "if you've seen one you've seen 'em all" but the attachment arrangements of hooks and catches, of which there is great diversity, are considered unimportant by the average technical writer. On Wikipedia the more things change the more they stay the same. How about some basic circuit breaker information and limit the technical verbosity on at least one page. Please. 24.145.62.13 ( talk) 23:30, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
The 400 KV image does not show any breaker or switchgeer. It shows a small part of the 'visual indidicator of an open circut' which sits on both sides of a breaker. When a breaker opens then on both sides rods open to provide a visual indication that the circuit is not currently engaged. The Circut breaker for a 400KV line is much larger. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.144.56.118 ( talk) 11:09, 7 March 2010 (UTC)
I came to article looking for information about response time of household AC panel circuit breakers -- the 15A - 100A types one would find in entrance panel. Found nothing. Also interested in response time of small resettable breakers attached to power strips, UPS's, various appliances (these range from 3-15A generally). None of article's external links gave any of this info either. Some mention would be useful, as well as one sentence indicating that because of this delay (xx-xxx millisec.?) that GFCI protection devices would be needed to protect users of equipment. I don't recall if article presently states that circuit breaker's main role is to protect circuitry and equipment, NOT users! But it should. —Preceding unsigned comment added by PapaJupe ( talk • contribs) 16:10, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
I am new to wiki so if I violate any guidelines, please delete There are so many manufactures styles and vintages that images and specs would take thousands of pages If specs, size AIC ratings or pictures of cicuit breakers are needed, I will be happy to furnish them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Circuit breakers ( talk • contribs) 19:22, 6 December 2016 (UTC)
When they can be fixed needs clarification. This seems to indicate drawout construction is really optional. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.146.242.51 ( talk) 18:02, 29 May 2010 (UTC)
OK, am I just not getting something fundamental here, is it an esoteric sort of equation which needs further inline (or linked) explanation for a layman (i.e. the everyday wiki searcher) to understand, or it it an outright mistake?
The rating is described as being of the form "x/n", where x is determined by the rating (e.g. 2~3 for "B"), and, I can only assume, n is the breaker's normal rated current (ie long term sustained current).
Now what this means is, if I understand how this is written, for and within each of the classes - B, C, D, etc - the higher the sustained current rating, the lower the instantaneous tripping current, in a classical inverse relationship. E.G. for a B-class breaker, rated at 6A continuous, the ITC is between 0.333 and 0.5A (2-3/6, or 1/3-1/2). But one rated at 20A continuous has an ITC of only 0.1 to 0.15A (2/20-3/20...)
This surely can't be correct. So where's the misunderstanding/mistake? 193.63.174.10 ( talk) 11:44, 30 September 2010 (UTC)
I think the following topic is missing in the article:
Hydraulic magnetic circuit breakers incorporate an hydraulic machanism for overload protection. This usually substitutes the thermal part of magneto-thermic breakers. Basically, the magnetic coil tries to pull a ferromagnetic rod which is confined in a liquid medium. A spring tries to keep the rod at the rest position. Depending on the overload, this rod moves faster or slower towards the tripping end. At the time it reaches the tripping end, the breaker opens the circuit. Different curves are possible by adjusting the liquid flow by means of a small hole of calibrated diameter. Therefore, the pair coil-spring (force and counter-force) adjusts the steady current capacity, and the pair liquid-hole (drag force) adjust the tripping curve. Hydraulic magnetic switches are preferred to magneto-thermic ones in that the operation does not depend on the temperature, and therefore these dispositives are able to be rearmed immediately after a trip and function as the first time. In other words, they have no memory effect.
Google returns several links under "hydraulic magnetic". Here is one: [1]
Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jsola ( talk • contribs) 07:56, 6 May 2011 (UTC)
Please add a sample picture of the most common 15A/20A US circuit breakers. Please add the fact that 15A and 20A are the most common sizes of residential circuit breakers in the US. - 96.233.19.191 ( talk) 14:50, 11 July 2014 (UTC)
The "Instantaneous tripping current" section is too theoretical.
We need a graph illustration like this one:
and text that both explains the general concept and gives a maximally relevant ordinary-case example. So if this graph did apply to a common US 20A circuit breaker, we would say that the breaker would be expected to pass up to at least 22A on a continuous basis, and would pass a surge of at least 60A for a tenth of a second without tripping, but could be expected to trip within 1-sec max at 40A. At 25A it might trip as quickly as half a sec, but might take up to about a half min.
And we should specifically mention "nuisance tripping", and explain that motors have short-term peak surge currents when they start, so circuit breakers are designed to not trip too quickly. - 96.233.19.191 ( talk) 16:39, 11 July 2014 (UTC)
Lever positions - Article states "Also indicates the status of the circuit breaker (On or Off/tripped)." We should edit the parenthetical remarks to say (On, tripped, Off, Reset). If no one objects here, I shall return and make the correction. Sponsion ( talk) 20:14, 20 January 2017 (UTC)
I wish the USA's standards were described as well as internation ones. From the article: "In the United States, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certifies equipment ratings, called Series Ratings (or “integrated equipment ratings”), using a two-tier rating. For example, a 22/10 rating. This rating means that the meter pack has a 22 kAIC tenant breaker, feeding a 10 kAIC loadcenter with 10 kAIC branches, where kAIC stands for “Thousand Ampere Interrupting Capacity.” Common meter pack ratings are 22/10, 42/10 and 100/10."
As a engineer with a masters (not to boast, just for context), I can't understand this jargon at all. The reference [1], is broken with no Google cache. What's a tenant breaker? What's a loadcenter? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.231.82.57 ( talk) 22:15, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
UL listing means the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) prepares a white paper about their product and states emphatically the stringent safety test(s) the OEM will perform during manufacture of their product. UL regularly visits the OEM and certifies the OEM is testing their product based upon the OEMs stated safety test(s). Sponsion ( talk) 19:52, 20 January 2017 (UTC)
References
how often do circuit breakers go bad themselves? Jeff Kizziar 01/03/15-- 71.32.95.26 ( talk) 21:30, 3 January 2015 (UTC)
why we cal circut breaker miniature????? Mohammadsdtmnd ( talk) 12:58, 26 October 2015 (UTC)
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An analysis of the fire risks associated with circuit breakers? One imagines that, certainly with high voltage applications, there is the potential for fires to start when the contact arcs of the circuit breaker damage the material out of which the circuit breaker is made. Are circuit breakers lined with/made from flame re-tardant/flame proof materials? Sorry if this is a silly question, but the article doesn't seem to mention the word 'fire' at all. ASavantDude ( talk) 16:07, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
"By switching from SF6 to CO2 it is possible to reduce the CO2 emissions by 10 tons during the product's life cycle." [2] This is a faithful reproduction of the source but I think it is misleading. It probably means "greenhouse gas equivalent to 10 tons of CO2". Comments please. Mock wurzel soup ( talk) 00:31, 14 September 2019 (UTC)
What is the history of 63A rated circuit breakers? It seems like an odd number. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.187.243.156 ( talk) 02:57, 11 February 2022 (UTC)
The link to [magnetic blowout coils] about 3 pages into circuit breaker article mis-directs to something else (contactors). Tim Coahran ( talk) 21:04, 25 June 2023 (UTC)
Later: disregard. I found it when following the link to the full article, rather than just viewing the thumbnail.
The redirect
Vacuum circuit breaker has been listed at
redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the
redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at
Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 June 24 § Vacuum circuit breaker until a consensus is reached.
Couruu (
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This is the
talk page for discussing improvements to the
Circuit breaker article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
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I modified the description of "common trip" breakers and took out the description of "low voltage". -- Wtshymanski 19:21, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)
Sorry don't have time to correct "(because RCDs need power to trip)", but the real reason is that they require a differential current to trip, which is higher than the typical lethal current flowing through a human (30ma vs 1ma potentially lethal current) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fentlehan ( talk • contribs) 22:32, 18 June 2012 (UTC)
Tiny circuit breakers, that you can put in a pocket, might be electronic components. Small breakers, that you can lift, maybe with the help of a friend, might be found in electrical distribution. Big breakers, that show up in SCADA screens at system control centers, are pretty plainly electric power transmission devices. And the 30,000 amp breakers attached to generators are power components. Am I the only one finding the categorization of the article to be unclear? That's why I like the category electrical engineering- it fits anything with wires on it. Do the extra categories actually help Wikipedia users? -- Wtshymanski 22:44, 8 May 2005 (UTC)
I have completed the text with a description of interrupting principles used for HV circuit breakers (SF6 breakers as it is the technology now used for breakers 72,5 kV and above) Dingy 23 July 2005
The images that illustrate the interrupting principles have been published in many publications or conference papers in India, France, China, Algeria.... there is no copyright, I am in fact close to the source.
Concerning the title "Internal details of a European breaker" , now that the part on high-voltage circuit breakers is more developed I think that it is necessary to change the title to "Low voltage European Circuit breaker" or something like that..; dingy 26 July
A comment in the article asked:
If by ELCBs the questioner was referring to devices that measured, for example, the isolation between the power leads and ground/earth, then no, they have never been used in ordinary installations in the US. Because our power distribution systems almost always use a grounded neutral, there isn't any isolation to speak of.
Note that this is not true in specialized installations. For example, a large delta-connected motor, generator, or distribution circuit can certainly be isolated from ground and could be protected by an ELCB. Diesel-electric railroad locomotives frequently used just such an ELCB, energizing the traction motor circuits a small DC voltage away from ground and then measuring the current required to maintain that voltage (which ought to approach zero if the traction motor circuit was correctly isolated from the frame of the locomotive, but certainly became non-zero if, say, the traction motors became saturated with water).
But in ordinary practice, especially residential practice, it's all balance-fault interrupters.
Atlant 19:31, 17 July 2005 (UTC)
There is one more use in the US. Installations over 250V to ground and 1200A require a variant of the ELCB. Normally, these use electronics and CT's to measure the current and react accordingly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LightRobb ( talk • contribs) 02:12, 21 January 2015 (UTC)
I do not agree with this analysis. Circuit breakers in combination are called switchgears, which should be stated.
A circuit breaker is a type of Switchgear that is designed to break load current and extinguish an arc. Generally switchgear is the description given to any high voltage electrical switching equipment and covers a variety of equipment such as circuit breaker, air break switch disconnectors (ABSD's), earthing switches etc..
Close. Switchgear and switchboards are a type of CB installation. The CB's, and aux. equipment, are mounted in the gear or boards (I won't go into the differences here), and provide the required protection. You can also find fused switchboards, though they are a bit specialized. Note also that gear comes in both low (208V, 480V) voltage and high voltage flavors, boards are mostly low voltage. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LightRobb ( talk • contribs) 02:15, 21 January 2015 (UTC)
This page gives the impression that in high voltage engnineering cuircuit breaker means something somewhat different from what it means in low voltage wiring. in low voltage wiring a cuircuit breaker is something that detects a fault and automatically disconnects the supply. it seems in high voltage it means a device that breaks the cuircuit (which may be triggered by hardware sensing overcurrent that doesn't seem to be part of the breaker). Is this impression correct and if so should it be worked into the article somehow.
also the high voltage cuircuit breakers section is getting HUGE we should probablly break it out into a seperate article. Plugwash 16:43, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
I'm not saying we shouldn't keep some information on high voltage breakers here and it *IS* interesting but right now that section is bigger (in terms of rendered screenfulls) than the rest of the article combined. definately a case for sumarising and moving to a more specialist article. Plugwash 01:09, 23 January 2006 (UTC)
"The double motion technique halves the tripping speed of the moving part" - I take this to mean that the total execution time has doubled? Perhaps the author meant tripping time instead?-- Hooperbloob 08:05, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
Could anyone tell me where are we suppose to use Type B MCB, Type C MCB and so on...?
Let's say a 20A Type-B MCB is connected to a current carrying conductor. At what current will the MCB trip? Is it slightly above 20A or 3-5 times the rated current as stated in the article? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by LHW ( talk • contribs) 10:30, 15 December 2006 (UTC).ll;'mkomikkpkoi hiu njhukj njmo
type B MCB can be used for domestic lighting purposes while type C MCB can be used for the motoring circuits.
B type MCB's are recommended for lamps, fans, ovens, washing machines, house wiring etc
C type MCB's are recommended for Air conditioners, transformers and industrial loads. —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
59.180.45.131 (
talk)
06:46, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
further to above....how do i know which MCB to be used...6A or 10A or 16A or 20A....for domestic lighting purposes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.178.156.253 ( talk) 06:47, 4 July 2009 (UTC)
It should be noted that the listed standard low voltage molded case braker values are British or European sizes based on European standards and 240v system. The US sstandard values are different. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mattmia2 ( talk • contribs) 13:12, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
There are various types of high current, high voltage circuit breakers used by Power Industries, such as Air Blast, Minimum Oil, Vacuum, SF6 gas filled, Magnetic arc-quenched varieties etc. Apart from making or breaking the current flows in Power Lines, their main functions are to extinguish electric arcs that follow a circuit-current break. In an arc channel between two parting contacts one may delineate three distinct regions, viz, two thin regions attached to the parting electrodes and a central column. The thin regions act as interfaces conjoining the high density and low velocity e-flow within the electrodes and the low density and high velocity e-flow in the usually long central column. Such interfaces at anode are rather diffused and current densities are relatively low whereas at cathode end they are focused and current densities are high. The Electrical parameters on either side of this interface are widely separated and the mechanisms operative here are very complex. Only at low pressures, the interfaces at cathode end are spread out and some theoretical analyses as well as diagnostics of the arc parameters have been attempted.
All circuit breakers in general, are designed to extinguish the arcs by drawing out their central columns using an air blast, a gushing oil stream or a pinching magnetic field etc guided more by mechanical constructional conveniences. But, in general, an arc is relatively ‘strong’ and ‘stable’ at the mid-column regions and rather weak at the electrode interfaces, particularly at Cathode surface. Attempts to extinguish arcs at such weakest points should be beneficial as regards total energy dissipation and delay to extinction and hardly any report on such efforts is available. Initial experiments to verify the concepts may be pursued with only simple, plane parallel, stationary electrodes. Would any users be interested to participate in developing the theories / devising the experiments in this direction? We shall develop a model of the processes active in the cathode interface of the arcs shortly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.211.202.164 ( talk) 08:23, 25 October 2007 (UTC)
In the headlines "Rated current" and "Short circuit current". —Preceding unsigned comment added by Yossso ( talk • contribs) 23:10, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
The amount of content in the high voltage section suggests that stopping the current from flowing is not trivial. Perhaps this should be stated explicitly. Reading the article I infer that arcing is a normal occurence when trying to stop the current flow, and requires special measures to stop it (stop it safely?). I am no expert on the subject so I'm hesitant to edit. Walworth ( talk) 11:40, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
The reason most prospective users are interested in looking up circuit breakers, is for help in choosing an appropriate type. Of paramount importance is how the breaker attaches to the buss bar. The amount of space allotted to extraneous technical details crowds pertinent information off the page. As a user who has experienced breaker failure due to poor engineering I am in interested in basic construction. How about someone who has the needed information creating a simple page which contains information that is needed by the prospective customer. Pictures of the lever arrangement for opening and closing the circuit are fine, but one is enough since "if you've seen one you've seen 'em all" but the attachment arrangements of hooks and catches, of which there is great diversity, are considered unimportant by the average technical writer. On Wikipedia the more things change the more they stay the same. How about some basic circuit breaker information and limit the technical verbosity on at least one page. Please. 24.145.62.13 ( talk) 23:30, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
The 400 KV image does not show any breaker or switchgeer. It shows a small part of the 'visual indidicator of an open circut' which sits on both sides of a breaker. When a breaker opens then on both sides rods open to provide a visual indication that the circuit is not currently engaged. The Circut breaker for a 400KV line is much larger. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.144.56.118 ( talk) 11:09, 7 March 2010 (UTC)
I came to article looking for information about response time of household AC panel circuit breakers -- the 15A - 100A types one would find in entrance panel. Found nothing. Also interested in response time of small resettable breakers attached to power strips, UPS's, various appliances (these range from 3-15A generally). None of article's external links gave any of this info either. Some mention would be useful, as well as one sentence indicating that because of this delay (xx-xxx millisec.?) that GFCI protection devices would be needed to protect users of equipment. I don't recall if article presently states that circuit breaker's main role is to protect circuitry and equipment, NOT users! But it should. —Preceding unsigned comment added by PapaJupe ( talk • contribs) 16:10, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
I am new to wiki so if I violate any guidelines, please delete There are so many manufactures styles and vintages that images and specs would take thousands of pages If specs, size AIC ratings or pictures of cicuit breakers are needed, I will be happy to furnish them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Circuit breakers ( talk • contribs) 19:22, 6 December 2016 (UTC)
When they can be fixed needs clarification. This seems to indicate drawout construction is really optional. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.146.242.51 ( talk) 18:02, 29 May 2010 (UTC)
OK, am I just not getting something fundamental here, is it an esoteric sort of equation which needs further inline (or linked) explanation for a layman (i.e. the everyday wiki searcher) to understand, or it it an outright mistake?
The rating is described as being of the form "x/n", where x is determined by the rating (e.g. 2~3 for "B"), and, I can only assume, n is the breaker's normal rated current (ie long term sustained current).
Now what this means is, if I understand how this is written, for and within each of the classes - B, C, D, etc - the higher the sustained current rating, the lower the instantaneous tripping current, in a classical inverse relationship. E.G. for a B-class breaker, rated at 6A continuous, the ITC is between 0.333 and 0.5A (2-3/6, or 1/3-1/2). But one rated at 20A continuous has an ITC of only 0.1 to 0.15A (2/20-3/20...)
This surely can't be correct. So where's the misunderstanding/mistake? 193.63.174.10 ( talk) 11:44, 30 September 2010 (UTC)
I think the following topic is missing in the article:
Hydraulic magnetic circuit breakers incorporate an hydraulic machanism for overload protection. This usually substitutes the thermal part of magneto-thermic breakers. Basically, the magnetic coil tries to pull a ferromagnetic rod which is confined in a liquid medium. A spring tries to keep the rod at the rest position. Depending on the overload, this rod moves faster or slower towards the tripping end. At the time it reaches the tripping end, the breaker opens the circuit. Different curves are possible by adjusting the liquid flow by means of a small hole of calibrated diameter. Therefore, the pair coil-spring (force and counter-force) adjusts the steady current capacity, and the pair liquid-hole (drag force) adjust the tripping curve. Hydraulic magnetic switches are preferred to magneto-thermic ones in that the operation does not depend on the temperature, and therefore these dispositives are able to be rearmed immediately after a trip and function as the first time. In other words, they have no memory effect.
Google returns several links under "hydraulic magnetic". Here is one: [1]
Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jsola ( talk • contribs) 07:56, 6 May 2011 (UTC)
Please add a sample picture of the most common 15A/20A US circuit breakers. Please add the fact that 15A and 20A are the most common sizes of residential circuit breakers in the US. - 96.233.19.191 ( talk) 14:50, 11 July 2014 (UTC)
The "Instantaneous tripping current" section is too theoretical.
We need a graph illustration like this one:
and text that both explains the general concept and gives a maximally relevant ordinary-case example. So if this graph did apply to a common US 20A circuit breaker, we would say that the breaker would be expected to pass up to at least 22A on a continuous basis, and would pass a surge of at least 60A for a tenth of a second without tripping, but could be expected to trip within 1-sec max at 40A. At 25A it might trip as quickly as half a sec, but might take up to about a half min.
And we should specifically mention "nuisance tripping", and explain that motors have short-term peak surge currents when they start, so circuit breakers are designed to not trip too quickly. - 96.233.19.191 ( talk) 16:39, 11 July 2014 (UTC)
Lever positions - Article states "Also indicates the status of the circuit breaker (On or Off/tripped)." We should edit the parenthetical remarks to say (On, tripped, Off, Reset). If no one objects here, I shall return and make the correction. Sponsion ( talk) 20:14, 20 January 2017 (UTC)
I wish the USA's standards were described as well as internation ones. From the article: "In the United States, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certifies equipment ratings, called Series Ratings (or “integrated equipment ratings”), using a two-tier rating. For example, a 22/10 rating. This rating means that the meter pack has a 22 kAIC tenant breaker, feeding a 10 kAIC loadcenter with 10 kAIC branches, where kAIC stands for “Thousand Ampere Interrupting Capacity.” Common meter pack ratings are 22/10, 42/10 and 100/10."
As a engineer with a masters (not to boast, just for context), I can't understand this jargon at all. The reference [1], is broken with no Google cache. What's a tenant breaker? What's a loadcenter? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.231.82.57 ( talk) 22:15, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
UL listing means the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) prepares a white paper about their product and states emphatically the stringent safety test(s) the OEM will perform during manufacture of their product. UL regularly visits the OEM and certifies the OEM is testing their product based upon the OEMs stated safety test(s). Sponsion ( talk) 19:52, 20 January 2017 (UTC)
References
how often do circuit breakers go bad themselves? Jeff Kizziar 01/03/15-- 71.32.95.26 ( talk) 21:30, 3 January 2015 (UTC)
why we cal circut breaker miniature????? Mohammadsdtmnd ( talk) 12:58, 26 October 2015 (UTC)
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An analysis of the fire risks associated with circuit breakers? One imagines that, certainly with high voltage applications, there is the potential for fires to start when the contact arcs of the circuit breaker damage the material out of which the circuit breaker is made. Are circuit breakers lined with/made from flame re-tardant/flame proof materials? Sorry if this is a silly question, but the article doesn't seem to mention the word 'fire' at all. ASavantDude ( talk) 16:07, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
"By switching from SF6 to CO2 it is possible to reduce the CO2 emissions by 10 tons during the product's life cycle." [2] This is a faithful reproduction of the source but I think it is misleading. It probably means "greenhouse gas equivalent to 10 tons of CO2". Comments please. Mock wurzel soup ( talk) 00:31, 14 September 2019 (UTC)
What is the history of 63A rated circuit breakers? It seems like an odd number. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.187.243.156 ( talk) 02:57, 11 February 2022 (UTC)
The link to [magnetic blowout coils] about 3 pages into circuit breaker article mis-directs to something else (contactors). Tim Coahran ( talk) 21:04, 25 June 2023 (UTC)
Later: disregard. I found it when following the link to the full article, rather than just viewing the thumbnail.
The redirect
Vacuum circuit breaker has been listed at
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redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at
Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 June 24 § Vacuum circuit breaker until a consensus is reached.
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12:57, 24 June 2024 (UTC)