A Review Of Prominent Circuit Breaker Manufacturers
By Elizabeth Morgan, Fri Dec 9th
The following article provides a review of prominent circuitbreaker manufacturers.
ABB is at the forefront of circuit breaker manufacturers,offering homes and industries the ability to achieve maximumperformance while limiting the negative impact on theenvironment. With companies operating in over 100 countriesaround the globe, ABB is a leader in its field. ABB offersproducts from miniature circuit breakers to molded-case breakersand guarantees its products are among the safest and mostdependable on the market.
Perhaps better known for home appliances and products forvarious industries, Siemens is also a leading circuit breakermanufacturer. In 1998, Siemens executed a major recall of one oftheir circuit breaker products. The breaker in question wasmostly used in hot tubs and spas. Although Siemens claims theyare unaware of any injuries due to malfunction, they erred onthe side of caution. The breakers were found to have thepotential cause electrocution of people in hot tubs.
GE circuit breakers are probably some of the best-known and usedcircuit breakers on the market. GE offers circuit breakers thatare compliant with Federal regulations. This circuit breakermanufacturer offers a wide range of products for all voltageneeds. From home to industrial electrical necessities, GE hasproducts for both low and high voltage electrical outputs.
ITE is credited as the founder of 5 kV air magnetic circuitbreakers. They were among the first circuit breakermanufacturers to offer low energy and high quality solutions toindustrial electrical needs. ITE also offers medium and highvoltage circuit breakers for a variety of purposes.
Cutler-Hammer (Eaton) is also a well-known circuit breakermanufacturer. Perhaps one of the most innovative technologies tocome from this company in recent years is the fireguard circuitbreaker. Cutler-Hammer's FireGuard provides protection from firehazards that result from arcing faults. FireGuard circuitbreakers will likely become the standard circuit breakers usedin 21st century homes because they provide advanced protectionagainst some of the most common causes
of house fires.
The reliability of Federal Pacific, an established circuitbreaker manufacturer, is questionable at best. These breakershave a notorious reputation for failure to trip when hit with apower surge. Some experts claim the rate to be upwards of 25%.Failure to trip during a power surge can cause structural fires.Rumors have circulated that the company was "de-listed" from theUL, although the company states they simply "went out ofbusiness". Regardless of the actual reason for this, mostelectrical experts recommend discontinuing the use of thesecircuit breakers since most tests show an unacceptable failurerate.
Another circuit breaker manufacturer, Square D, has a longhistory in the circuit breaker business. This company was thefirst to offer plug-in type circuit breakers in 1951, which wasthen highly innovative technology. Since that time, Square Dcontinues to be a leader in circuit breaker technology andoffers a wide variety of products for both home and industry.
According to product reviews, ETA is the leading manufacturer ofcircuit breakers around the world. Their circuit breakers arecrafted with precision and are used for a variety of circuitprotection technologies. Thermal, magnetic, high-performance andelectronic are just a few of ETA's specialties. They continue tostrive to create and produce the best circuit protection on themarket.
Since 1947, Westinghouse circuit breakers have been among themost durable and reliable on the market. In tests, thesebreakers continue to deliver high performance to industries andtheir electrical needs. It is likely that Westinghouse willcontinue to be a leader in this field because they continuallystrive to meet the needs of advancing technologies.
About the author:Circuit BreakersInfo provides detailed information about circuit breakerpanels, circuit breaker manufacturers, plus advice on how toreplace and install circuit breakers and where to buy used andsurplus circuit breakers. Circuit Breakers Info is the sistersite of ElectriciansWeb.
