Questions tagged [circuit-breaker]

An automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
1 vote
3 answers
889 views

Why can't circuit breakers close across a large phase angle difference?

In power systems I understand that breakers have mechanisms preventing their closing if they detect the phase angle (and voltage) across them to be too large. This is usually called a 'sync check'. ...
1 vote
1 answer
324 views

What could be causing this GFCI trip upon fan turn off?

I have a 2-pronged fan plugged into a GFCI in my basement. Twice now, as I was turning it off (out of maybe 30 times I have turned the fan off), the GFCI tripped. Now, I understand that GFCIs trip ...
1 vote
1 answer
166 views

Should I use DC-specific circuit breakers?

I’m building household electrical distribution boards where the LED lighting controllers take 24V. To this end I am using a DIN rail-mounted 220-to-24V converter. I connect this converter to ...
-1 votes
1 answer
357 views

How to test an MCCB for safe functionality? [closed]

Ive got a few MCCBs for an old system, what is a suitable way to test them to make sure that they function correctly and safely?
4 votes
5 answers
8k views

Why do Americans use fuses and not differentials and breakers like Europeans do?

I recently moved to North America, and I was wondering why the houses here seem to be protected by fuses rather than breakers and differential switches like we have in France for example. It would ...
0 votes
0 answers
104 views

Are breakers polarized?

I would like to know if a circuit breaker is polarized if it looks like this: I would also like to know how I can manually turn off these breakers and how to reset them.
0 votes
1 answer
109 views

Safety check - Is this Amazon PV combiner box labeled wrong? 15A Vs 32A - 500V vs 1000V

I'm currently working on a solar circuit. I wanted to protect my internal systems from my panels in the event of a surge. I purchased a PV combiner box from Amazon - link to product. It claims to be a ...
0 votes
1 answer
115 views

Single vs two pole breakers - Single phase loads on IT power with distributed neutral

Are two-pole breakers required on single-phase 230 V loads when connected to a 3-phase supply with IT earthing system (with distributed neutral) in Germany? Where in the standards is this requirement ...
0 votes
1 answer
356 views

How exactly does a breaker finder work?

I've used a breaker finder for a while now, and I'm curious as to how it actually works. The only explanations I can find online are layman explanations (e.g. it sends a signal up from the outlet to ...
0 votes
2 answers
117 views

Can a lower gauge jumper be connected to a high amperage circuit as long as it is going to an appropriate sized breaker?

The 14 AWG wire is connected to an appropriate sized circuit breaker to prevent that run of wire from drawing too many amps; however, my concerns would be that the 2/0 cable being in such close ...
0 votes
1 answer
244 views

Charging capacitor trips breaker

I am designing a circuit to drive a DC motor from rectified mains voltage. For that, I have added a 1200uF capacitor. My problem is that this circuit is supposed to work on a user's home power plug, ...
0 votes
1 answer
83 views

Breaker with alarm

I am thinking about a theft alarm for an HVAC condenser. The condenser is installed outside and subject to burglary. I think a viable approach is detecting when it is detached from power. The HVAC ...
1 vote
2 answers
3k views

Three-phase circuit breaker trip current

If a three-phase circuit breaker is specified as, for example, a 32 A breaker, does this mean the breaker will trip when the current in a single phase exceeds 32 A, or when the total current of all ...
0 votes
1 answer
662 views

3 Phase breaker - Current Limit

I have a simple question... If I have this 3 Phase breaker: That means its current limit is 20A right? My question is, is it limit for the whole breaker or limit for every phase separately?... What ...
1 vote
2 answers
236 views

16 A mains breaker and heat

So I got curious and could not find any good information on high breaker load over an extended period. In my home (in EU, 240V) there is a breaker which is rated for 16 A. If 16 A is drawn for hours ...
2 votes
2 answers
245 views

The home single phase differential switch cuts whatever I did [closed]

I have a 30 mA sensitivity differential switch which cuts each time I lift the power switch even if the circuit breakers for the sockets and the lighting are off (even if all the circuit breakers on ...
1 vote
1 answer
112 views

CBE Schematic and Wiring

I'm in the process of installing a circuit breaker between a power supply and an HMI device, but have some uncertainty when it comes to illuminating the rocker switch. The part number is TA35-...
1 vote
1 answer
485 views

How to fix this ABB MS325 circuit breaker?

I have couple broken training bench circuit breakers. The broken part is the manual switch. I uninstalled one and tried to open it. I was able to open the back side which contains metal connectors ...
1 vote
1 answer
166 views

Will there be any negative effects if I install the Circuit Breaker to the system voltage lower than its "Rated Operational Voltage"?

I am referring the Schneider's EasyPact Circuit Breakers (but I do believe that my question also applies to Circuit Breakers in general) Let be EZC250F3200 model our subject for today. By looking at ...
0 votes
2 answers
173 views

Why can't the circuit breaker interrupt this circuit?

I have a 3-phase input in my home. There is 127 V between any of the phases and neutral, and 220 V between any pair of phases. The electrical appliances have 127 V, and the wirings are such that the ...
-1 votes
1 answer
71 views

2P circuit breaker, Ground wiring

i need to test some outlets and im using a 25A 2P circuit breaker, from what i researched i need to connect neutral and hot to the circuit breaker and from there to the outlet. My question is, do I ...
0 votes
1 answer
130 views

RCCB - Residual Current Circuit Breakers (FID) are randomly blowing

We have a problem with FIDS (RCCB) randomly blowing, different cabinets, not connected at all. Trying to solve it for few months now with army of electricians... So far, we have measured 4000A ...
0 votes
1 answer
88 views

What Siemens part can I replace this Lovato part with? [closed]

Original part: Lovato Circuit Breaker -- 10A, 2-Pole, C-curve -- https://www.solutionsdirectonline.com/lovato-miniature-circuit-breaker-10a-2-poles-p1mb2pc10 Official page: https://www.lovatoelectric....
0 votes
1 answer
224 views

Sizing Circuit breaker, and I believe my calculation is wrong. Can anyone help me out

I am looking at a 3Amp rated circuit breaker, and the datasheet given below of the derating factor, and trip time in second. The average office temperature is 71F. Cable Current rating = Rated ...
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

DC Parallel Breakers

I need a single-pole circuit breaker for a 200A, 48V DC battery bank powering a solar inverter. The batteries are LiFePO4 and capable of large short-circuit currents on the order of 10 to 15 kA. ...
0 votes
1 answer
728 views

How do I cut power inside a main panel when there's no service disconnect present? [closed]

I am trying to install a 50A circuit breaker for a 14-50 outlet. I'd like to put that breaker in the main panel of the house. Looking at my panel I cannot figure out how to cut power to the whole ...
9 votes
6 answers
3k views

Could an uninterruptible power supply for energy intensive appliances balance the power draw and help my breaker stop tripping? [closed]

Non-engineer here. Well, not the electrical kind. About once a week the breaker to my office (read: gamer cave) trips. I just noticed that our 70 inch TV, 2 x Echo Studios, etc. in the living room on ...
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Grounding and protecting 12V Inverter

I am always surprised when researching online for a topic for a few hours does not bring solid responses. This is one of such situations. I am in the process to provide AC power to a remote small ...
0 votes
1 answer
352 views

Can an Adjustable Circuit Breaker be adjusted while Energized?

For a Low Voltage Circuit Breaker, such as the Legrand DPX3 630, 3x400A, 36kA, 400V, we have adjustment dials to change the properties of the magnetic (Magnetic adjustable from 5 to 10 In) and or ...
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

battery low voltage cut off breaker (manually reset)

First off, I am aware that premade devices like this exist however I have been unable to find any that fit my exact needs which are as follows. 0 power draw when in the off state Minimal voltage drop ...
17 votes
8 answers
6k views

Do circuit breakers trip on Apparent or True Power?

The thermal and magnetic protection for AC circuit breakers take into account both the timing and the magnitude of the AC current passing through. Does a standard circuit breaker trip on the current ...
0 votes
1 answer
240 views

When is a fuse used in tandem with a breaker/MCB?

I have observed that at the input (supply side) of some electrical units, only MCB is used for overcurrent protection; whereas in other units, a fuse is used as well as MCB at the input side. Why and ...
8 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why does a circuit breaker voltage rating differ between AC and DC?

I'm looking at circuit breakers from Allen Bradley's 1492 series: (https://configurator.rockwellautomation.com/api/Doc/1492-SPM%20Specifications.pdf) For each circuit breaker, it lists a AC and DC ...
0 votes
1 answer
172 views

20 amp to a 40 amp circuit [closed]

On the back of my house is the breaker box. It has an open 40AMP fuse (not connected to anything any more). There is also a 20AMP fuse connected to my shed. When the shed was originally built, it was ...
1 vote
2 answers
327 views

Why does adding one more extension cable turn the MCB on again?

I found a strange phenomena when I tried to use a metal cutter that consumes about 2000 watt. See the following illustration. If I just use one extension cable, the MCB will trip when I turn on the ...
1 vote
1 answer
687 views

Connecting a 120V/30A variac to a 240V circuit

I have a variac rated for a maximum output of 30A. The problem is it takes 120V on the input and all of my 120V circuits are 15A, as expected. I unfortunately cannot just add an additional 30A circuit ...
0 votes
4 answers
1k views

Is there a device to prevent a main circuit breaker from tripping and give an added layer of protection?

I would like to install some additional appliances in a room that already has a couple of heavy equipment machines running in it. These are sensitive machines, so instead of having the main circuit ...
3 votes
2 answers
5k views

Fault current indicator - what should I do?

Part of the power plugs in my flat stopped working this morning. I checked the breakers box and one of the breakers was in OFF position, with a yellow indicator. After checking the producer's website, ...
0 votes
0 answers
115 views

Can I avoid tripping my breakers with an superinductor?

I was thinking about creating a circuit with a large inductor to avoid tripping my breakers when I turn on an iron. When I use the iron, if I slowly start it with minimum heat and gradually increase ...
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

What sort of protection does a 2 pole circuit breaker offer?

I am trying to understand the advantages of using a 2 pole circuit breaker. I mean when the 2nd pole is used in the Neutral line in a single phase 230VAC system. Normally they cost more so they must ...
0 votes
2 answers
264 views

How do TVSS and Circuit Breakers (thermal-magnetic) interact with each-other?

In EU you can find thermal-magnetic circuit breakers all other the places in buildings and it's not uncommon to have daisy chains of them (meaning a main panel will have one, which is connected to ...
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why location of CT is different for the two Circuit breakers in same substation layout?

This is a schematic diagram of a traction substation. In this traction substation protection system schematic diagram, at point marked 'A', CT is located after the 25kV CB. However, at point marked 'B'...
1 vote
3 answers
16k views

Circuit breaker trip timing

I'm a little unfamiliar with circuit breaker specs and confused by this circuit breaker datasheet: https://www.waytekwire.com/datasheet/46974.pdf On the second page, it says that it takes more than ...
1 vote
1 answer
140 views

What does this switch do?

Also, what is that circuit element symbol (an arrow leaving a rectangle) called, in the diagram next to the switch?
0 votes
1 answer
969 views

Can I replace a 32 A switch with a 32 A MCB?

A switch for a water heater in my apartment is broken (image attached). It is an "Anchor Roma 32 Amp 1-Way Switch with indicator". Can I replace it with this or this switch? Would the installation ...
1 vote
2 answers
159 views

3-Pole Circuit Breaker with GPIO

I'm starting a small project involving 3-pole circuit breakers and 3-ph motors. There's this custom built machine with multiple 3-ph motors, each connected to circuit breakers. The purpose of the ...
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Generator to Main changeover issue RCCB not moving up

RCCB not moving to up position while DG to EB ( generator to mains) changeover. I live in a community where we have almost 1200 apartments in India which will serve power through generators when the ...
10 votes
4 answers
14k views

Why can an AC circuit breaker not be used in DC circuits?

Let's assume that I want to use a 20-amp GE AC circuit breaker in a DC circuit. So, after testing it in a DC circuit with some loads and ammeter + clamp DC amp meter I find the current at which the ...
0 votes
1 answer
126 views

I'm looking for a circuit breaker that interrupts the circuit when current drops to zero

I am looking for a switch that only keeps contact while current is running. Once the current drops to zero the switch opens contact. Something like a circuit breaker that trips with no current. It ...
0 votes
1 answer
349 views

amp rating a circuit breaker

My application has a max Amp draw of 56@24Vdc, if I use a Circuit Breaker that is rated 60A@48Vdc, will it "trip" 60A@24Vdc? If not, what do you suggest? The Minn Kota MKR-19 Circuit breaker is rated ...