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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,498
T
Member
Over on the German board the question arose, whether US breakers for residential use are typically equipped with both a thermal and an electromagnetic tripping device or only either of them.

In all countries that use DIN rail equipment they seem to alyways have both, is that true for the US too?

Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 2
Cat Servant
Member
The statement is true for breakers found in the typical panel.

There are some breakers used in motor control centers that lack the magnetic function.

Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,498
T
Member
Thanks a lot! For motor controls, omitting the magnetic trip makes sense since the short-circuit protection can be achieved by a much larger fuse upstream.

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 939
F
Member
Originally Posted by Texas_Ranger
Over on the German board the question arose, whether US breakers for residential use are typically equipped with both a thermal and an electromagnetic tripping device or only either of them.

In all countries that use DIN rail equipment they seem to alyways have both, is that true for the US too?


It the same in France we have both thermal and magatic breakers as well but few of the breakers may not have magatic at all I know I have ran into hydrallic breaker { kinda oddball item }

Merci.
Marc


Pas de problme,il marche n'est-ce pas?"(No problem, it works doesn't it?)

Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,498
T
Member
The hydraulic surely wasn't the typical 10, 16 or 20A household type, was it?

I'm interested in what you'd typically find in an apartment or single family home, as that was what the original discussion was concerned with.

Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,233
H
Member
Reno,


Are we talking about FPE breakers? smile

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 32
G
Member
This is a SqD QO GFCI I cut open to see what was inside.I was really interested in the GFCI part but you can see the breaker part too. It looks like it is thermal only.

[Linked Image from gfretwell.com]


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Jan 2005
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Cat Servant
Member
Harold, I cannot even attempt to explain the engineering miracle represented by FPE and their breakers.

Imagine ... a breaker that works so well in Canada that it's sold by Schneider Electric (alongside their competing Square D line), yet somehow fails to perform 'south of the border.'

Perhaps us hapless Yanks are simply not sophisticated enough to use these advanced devices laugh

Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,233
H
Member
Reno,

I believe the FPE breakers actually worked well with a thermal overload. It was those quick short circuit faults that they didn't seem to see.

Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 599
J
JBD Offline
Member
Originally Posted by renosteinke
There are some breakers used in motor control centers that lack the magnetic function.


Nope.

The "typical" breaker in a motor control center is Magnetic only. The thermal function is handled by the motor starter's overload relay.

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