Websters definition
Obsolete
adjective
ob·so·lete | \ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt, ˈäb-sə-ˌlēt\
Definition of obsolete
a: No longer in use or no longer useful // an obsolete word
b: Of a kind or style no longer current, old-fashioned // an obsolete technology

NPE’s definition
As relating to switchgear and circuit breakers… A product line not supported by the original manufacturer, but still commonly in use.

Why No Switchgear Parts are Really Obsolete

Many factories, government facilities, and large commercial buildings are operating on switchgear that is no longer supported by the OEM. The lights are still on, production is running, and everything is fine, until it comes to light that new parts are no longer available. What should you do?

Switchgear is one of those systems that represent a large financial investment. It’s physically large and often located in a basement, or on a rooftop or mezzanine. This makes it difficult to physically remove it if you decide to replace it and represents a large commitment of money, labor, and more importantly downtime for the building and systems. That’s time and money that could be better spent elsewhere. The solution to this problem is to find what you need on the secondary or used equipment market.

Where to Find Obsolete Circuit Breakers and Other Used Switchgear Parts

Used switchgear dealers are often looked at as the first responders of the electrical market. They are intimately familiar with the equipment that the OEMs have obsoleted and can supply you with quality circuit breakers and parts, reconditioned to the highest standards and often upgraded with the latest materials and technology. Best of all, equipment is available with little or no lead time keeping your facility and production up and running.

At NPE, we have a saying that “nothing is obsolete.” Not only do we have thousands of circuit breakers, switchgear, and parts in stock and available at a moment’s notice, we also offer solutions for over 300 of the most troublesome, hard-to-find parts. This gives you new aftermarket replacement parts with design and material upgrades to keep your switchgear up and running better than ever. Our inventory includes items that go back to the 1940s and our staff has the experience to provide cost effective solutions for repair, upgrade your equipment, and extend its useful lifespan almost indefinitely.

Need a solution for your switchgear problems? Submit information about what you need on our NPE on the Go mobile site or contact us today to talk about your needs and how NPE can help.

The DS line of air circuit breakers has been a tried and tested product line of low voltage air circuit breakers that have been proven to be both versatile and reliable for decades. Originally, it was sold as a Westinghouse product, then the line was later sold to Square D and then Eaton Cutler Hammer.

It is widely understood that all these breakers are interchangeable regardless of label, however the same does not hold true when replacing the switchgear parts. The switchgear cabinets have been manufactured in several locations around the country which resulted in six different lines of cabinets.  Care must be taken to properly identify which style of cabinet is in question to properly identify and acquire interchangeable parts.

The History of the DS Switchgear Line

The first vintage of DS switchgear was manufactured by Westinghouse in East Pittsburgh in 1969 and continued through 1973. This vintage can be identified as having “Shop Order” (SO) numbers that start with “24Y”. The second vintage was also made in East Pittsburgh through 1984 with SO numbers that started in “27Y” and concurrently with “WPA” switchgear made in St. Louis and was designated by a “General Order” (GO) number rather than a shop order number. The East Pittsburgh gear was generally marketed to heavy industrial users and the WPA gear for commercial applications.

Two more vintages came out of the St. Louis plant, designated as vintage III and IV. Vintage III was an attempt to merge the “27Y” product line with the WPA product line and it is usually designated with a prefix of “28Y”. It was a very short production run during 1984 from May through October.

Vintage IV was made in St. Louis form October 1984 through May of 1990. This vintage continued to use the GO number system and also the “28Y” SO numbers. In 1990, production was moved to Asheville, NC and although changes had been made to the design, the “28Y” SO number system was continued.

Finding Replacement Parts for DS Switchgears

If this sounds confusing, you have a lot of company. So how does someone go about finding replacement parts to maintain their DS switchgear? There are a few options:

• If you are fortunate enough to have the original product literature (see below) it will help to some degree.
• If you know the SO number, GO number and production dates it will help narrow the focus, but even within product lines things like bus size and length will change depending on the configuration and rating of the switchgear.
• Because much of it is no longer manufactured new, you will more than likely find yourself relying on a reputable used electrical equipment dealer like NPE.

Cutler Hammer DS and DSL Low Voltage Power Circuit Breaker Renewal Parts -  Manual RP.22B.01.T.E.

Westinghouse Instructions for Low Voltage Power Circuit Breakers Types DS and DSL – Manual  IB 33.-7901G

Instructions for Type DS Metal-Enclosed Low Voltage Power Circuit Breaker Switchgear Assemblies – Manual IB 32-690-E

The fastest and most reliable way to get the right part, at the right price, at the right time will be with photos and measurements using the NPE On the Go with your smartphone. NPE "On the Go" is very easy to use – just open it up and navigate to Switchgear/Switchgear Parts, answer the product driven questions and attach photos that you’ve taken with your mobile device. This RFQ will be sent to the NPE technical staff where it will receive TOP PRIORITY! Of course, you can still contact us with your requests and questions.      

Use NPE "On the Go" Today!

800-647-0815

info@npeinc.com

Whether an outage is caused by a natural or manmade disaster or a simple lack of regular maintenance and testing, an electrical outage means loss of production. A lack of production results in the loss of money and costly delays for customers. NPE specializes in being your go-to partner for expediting your equipment after an outage. NPE specializes in providing fast, cost-effective solutions no matter what the problem is. We deliver the right part, at the right price, right away.

Effects of Power Outages on Businesses

Electricity drives productivity in the modern world, and often production is run on switchgear and circuit breakers that have been off the market for years, if not decades. If you contact the original manufacturer and they tell you they no longer support your product line, your only option will be to replace your equipment with a newer model on the market. This will often entail reconfiguring your distribution system, paying upgrade costs, and waiting months for “the latest and greatest” product line – only to find out that it’s less reliable than what you previously had. 

In manufacturing, even seemingly small power flickers can cause significant impacts. Manufacturers are especially vulnerable to equipment damage during outages; electrical surges may occur when power is restored, resulting in costly damage to critical equipment that is difficult to repair.

For high-volume manufacturers, a power outage can mean disruption that ripples through the entire supply chain. Shipping and receiving can come to a standstill, causing truck drivers and other means of transportation to be delayed or rescheduled.
 
So, when disaster strikes and you’re faced with these obstacles, what do you do? Who do you call to restore production in the fastest and most economical way? That’s where National Power Equipment comes in to help. As a stocking distributor of used, remanufactured circuit breakers and switchgear parts and our ever-growing list of aftermarket parts, NPE can supply you with the right equipment, at the right price when you need it. 

How to Prevent Power Outages?

While you can’t always predict when a power outage is going to strike, you can work quickly to connect with our professional team to ensure your operation is up and running quickly. Our warehouses are stocked with low voltage (600 VAC or less) through medium voltage (15,000 volts or less) air and vacuum circuit breakers, switchgear, medium voltage motor starters, load break switches, and all the parts needed to go with it. Our inventory is stocked with equipment that dates from World War II to the present. Our services go beyond part replacement, our staff has the experience, knowledge, and expertise to get your operation back up and running in a fraction of the time compared to a full system replacement. Think of us as your “ELECTRICAL 911”. When disaster strikes, large or small, we can assess the problem, offer a variety of solutions, and start implementing them right away.

Case Study: Navigating the Aftermath of a Flood

Consider the case of a once-in-a-lifetime flood that incapacitated a technical center for a major automotive company. While the water was still receding, NPE was on-site – consulting with the contractor, assessing the damage, and formulating plans. We helped to ensure replacement parts and equipment began arriving the next day. NPE supplied medium voltage fuses and switch parts, low and medium voltage circuit breakers, relays, and a variety of additional parts. Our team worked tirelessly to help get over twenty load centers back online quickly. The first of the substations came on in a week, and within eight weeks 99% of production was restored.  Overall, NPE made seventy-nine separate shipments including one of sixty-seven circuit breakers that were reconditioned and ready to go.

What to Do When Your Business Loses Power

Unexpected outages, large or small, require two things to overcome them – experience and options. If you’re in the market for a knowledgeable, trusted partner in the switchgear and circuit breaker market, we can help. Contact us today or head to https://npeinc.com to find out how we can utilize our 40+ years of industry expertise to find the right solution for you. 

At National Power Equipment, Inc. our staff has been specifying breakers, parts and accesories for over 40 years. We specialize in Air and Vacuum Circuit Breakers from 600 v- 15 kv ac and from 1940's vintage through current production. this includes medium voltage (2.3kv -7.2 kv) motor starters and primary switches.  

Our hands-on experience starts with current production equipment and goes back to equipment dated in the 1940's!

 Suggestions when looking for a replacement breaker

- Get more information than you think you'll need. Details matter!

- Nameplates are great place to start, but often don't give us all of the information we nee. 

- Photo's really are worth 1000 words! From the front, back, bottom they all help!

- When in doubt go to our mobile ap NPE on the Go.  We'll walk you through the details and give you a place to attach some picture!

Find a Circuit Breaker Supplier That Asks the Right Questions

We realize we ask a lot of questions that's because we want you to get the right breaker or part, the first time.

Just think what you might be getting from somone who doesn't ask these questions!

When you have questions about your circuit breakers, contact us today. If we can’t help you with your specific problem, we’ll tell you and then direct you to someone who can. That’s what we are here for.

If your trying to find replacement circuit breakers and parts for you switchgear for your facility, lets go over a few facts. 

• Over 80%* of switchgear running commercial, inustrial facilities and hospitals and military installations is over twenty years old
• Original equipment manufacturers consider most of these obsolete and no longer support them with new components yet the with proper maintenance will remain reliable for many years to come.
• Used equipment dealers are your source for equipment and solutions to stay up and running:
  • Safely
  • Reliably
  • Economically

National Power Equipment Inc's (NPE) warehouses are filled with thousands of circuit breakers and switchgear cabinets, and tens of thousands of parts. These product lines date all the way back to World War II, and its staff is well versed in specifying equipment for them.

We also carry a private line of "Aftermarket Parts" designed and manufactured by NPE to replace many of these faulty parts with new and improved versions. These products are so good and with lead times that are measured in days, not months- many can even be shipped on the day they are ordered for next day delivery. You can find them here www.npeinc.com/parts.

National Power Equipment’s “Class One” process of reconditioning equipment brings equipment back to “like new” condition. The process includes:

• Breakers are disassembled to its smallest components and inspected for wear and damage.
• Parts re-plated, stripped, and painted to “like new” condition.
• Breaker reassembled with new sis wiring and upgrades and testing to modern industry standards.

Available Old, Obsolete, and Discontinued Circuit Breakers

NPE warehouses a wide variety of old, obsolete, re-manufactured, and refurbished circuit breakers, specializing in low voltage (600 Volt AC or less) through medium voltage (15KV) circuit breakers, switchgear, and parts. Our inventory includes equipment from the following circuit breaker brands:

• Allen Bradley Circuit Breakers
• Allis Chalmers / Siemens Allis Circuit Breakers
• Boltswitch Circuit Breakers
• Eaton / Cutler Hammer Circuit Breakers
• FPE Circuit Breakers
• General Electric Circuit Breakers
• GTE / Sylvania Circuit Breakers
• ITE / BBC / ABB Circuit Breakers
• Joslyn Clark Circuit Breakers
• Powell Industries Circuit Breakers
• Pringle Circuit Breakers
• Roller Smith Circuit Breakers
• Sace Circuit Breakers
• Square D Circuit Breakers
• Toshiba Circuit Breakers
• Westinghouse Circuit Breakers

Keep the Power Running with Replacement Parts

In order to maintain your equipment, you're going to need access to parts!  

These parts can include relays, transformers, trip devices, fuses, and switchgear and don't forget our Aftermarket Parts Store!

The Aftermarket Parts Store is loaded with the kind of hard-to-find parts that always seem to be needed. These parts are available as new copies of the original part, often complete with improvements that will help keep the part in service longer than the originals!

Hard-to-Find Circuit Breakers

If you’re unsure where to look for an older or obsolete circuit breaker, start with our circuit breaker equipment search or our mobile ap NPE on the GO to see if the product you’re looking for is in our inventory. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, there’s a good chance we know how to help. Contact us for those hard-to-find circuit breakers or equipment, and we’ll be happy to navigate you in the right direction. 

At NPE our motto is always, "The right equipment, at the right price, right now!"

 ED 12/22

*Based on informal survey of customers 1994-2024