When someone who is unfamiliar with the electrical industry asks me what I do for a living, I generally tell them “I find round pegs to fit round holes”. This oversimplification generally generates more questions but in the end, that’s what a used electrical equipment dealer does. Let’s face it, unless you grew up with a family member in either the electrical power service industry or some other facet of our industry, you certainly didn’t say “when I grow up I want to buy and sell used circuit breakers!”, yet here we are serving the industry, helping to keep the lights and much, much more on.

So, what is a used electrical equipment dealer (UEED), what do we do and why should anyone care?

First, we are a recycler.

   UEED’s invest cold, hard cash on truckloads of used equipment that would otherwise be scrapped or trashed and then we store it for months, years or even longer in the hopes that one day we can sell it or part of it to someone who needs it. www.npeinc.com

Secondly, we are a vital part of keeping industrial and commercial production running nationwide.

   Most factories, large commercial and government facilities operate on switchgear that is no longer supported by the original manufacturer. While the switchgear is still safe and reliable with regular maintenance, it will require replacement components from time to time. When they can’t be purchased new, service companies rely on the UEED. www.npeinc.com/aftermarket-parts

Thirdly, we are a vital source of technical information.

   It is not uncommon for switchgear to still be in service 30 or 40 years after the factory stopped supporting it. Some of the oldest switchgear is over 70 years old and still in service! This means that the equipment is older than most of the people servicing it! Your UEED knows and understands that having the right information is vital to finding the right breaker or part for the right application, (round pegs and round holes). Much of this information is learned “hands-on” because it either wasn’t documented or the documentation is difficult to find. Think of your UEED like you would your mechanic, or that nice older guy at the hardware store. He’s there with a wealth of information and he’s there to help.

Last, but certainly not least, we are the electrical first responders in emergencies.

   Power outages are often unplanned and when they are you need a source with the right knowledge and the right equipment to get the power back on – right NOW.

As we like to say at NPE- that’s what we are here for. Contact us or reach out to us on our new mobile site, designed to easily use on your smartphone– m.npeinc.com. We would like to help “find you round pegs for your round holes!”

Allis Chalmers produced a very popular line of circuit breakers with model numbers that all started with “LA”. Like other manufacturers’, this product line was produced with various engineering changes and upgrades over the years. In order to ensure that the breaker you order will fit correctly in your application there are some guidelines that you need to follow.

 “LA” original series:  LA-25, -50, - 75 and -100

The 25, 50, 75 and 100 reflect the interrupting capacity of the breakers of 25,000, 50,000, 75,000 and 100,000 amps. The original “LA” series breaker is common in 600, 1600 and 3000 amp frame sizes, 4000 amp frames are fairly rare. LA-15 (15A), LA-25 (25A), LA 50 (50A) in 225, 600 and 1600 amp frames. They are offered as both manually and electrically operated breakers. Earlier versions of the electrically operated breakers had a solenoid operated mechanism, later versions had a hydraulic mechanism. There was a small production run of LA-50 (50A) breakers that had 12 backstabs in lieu of 6. Care must be taken while retrofitting LA-50 1600 amp breakers. A number of breakers were produced with 3 individual solenoids on each phase that acted as trip units and were driven by current transformers mounted in the cell and then fed to the breaker through a secondary disconnect. If present, the buss mounted current transformers must either be removed or have the secondary terminals shorted out to prevent a fire caused by the open current transformer secondary.

LA-75 (75A) and LA-100 (100A) -  these 3000 and 4000 amp frame sizes are commonly supplied as electrically operated but some manually operated breakers exist as well and a few that have both options. The LA-100 was a short production run breaker that is very hard to find. In the 3000 amp vintage, several vintages of internal parts were produced that require experience to identify for proper interchangeability.

"LA" second series: LA-600, LA-1600, LA-3000 and LA-4000:

The second series of “LA” breakers was produced in 600, 1600, 3000 and 4000 amp frame sizes. Their model numbers start with “LA” like their predecessor, but follow the frame sizes LA-600, LA -1600, LA-3000 and LA-4000. This series was offered as both manually operated and electrically operated and included an option for integral fuses to raise the interrupting capacity to 200,000 amps.This option adds an “F” to the end of the model number as in LA-600F, LA-1600F. The 3000 and 4000 amp versions do not have that option.These breakers feature spring charged mechanisms and a closed door draw out design for safety.

The first series, commonly known in the industry as “blue faced breakers” are identified by both the blue-grey plastic faceplates/mechanism covers and also by the fact that they do not have a letter designation (A, B or C) at the end of the model number.

Improvements to the design revolved mostly around parts upgrades, the most noticeable of which are the mechanism covers with the yellow zinc plating which replace the plastic covers that had a history of breaking and earned the nickname of, “gold faced”. The newer vintage also included a new 800 amp frame size, for example the LA-800A. The fused breaker model numbers moved the “F” from the end of the model number to beginning as in LAF-600A, LAF-800B, etc. The most noticeable change in the “B” line-up are the black plastic, non-asbestos arc chutes.

Interchangeability between the two product lines is limited to the larger frames for example,  LA-75 through LA-3200A are interchangeable. Although the LA-25 and the LA-50 are not, the factory did make a retro-fill breaker for the 600 and 1600 amp frames. However, they did not provide an indication on the nameplate/model number for these retro-fills. The sales team at NPE has that experienced eye for these issues as well as plenty of others.

All of these changes and upgrades and interchangeability issues can be very confusing when you just want to get a breaker or a part to restore or maintain service and keep productions up and running. That’s what we are here for. The NPE team has decades of experience dealing with these issues and will recommend the right part or breaker, at the right price and most importantly have it ready for you right now! Reconditioned breakers, parts, and an increasing line of new and improved aftermarket parts are here to be the solution to your switchgear saga.

So, contact us and we’ll take care of the rest.

I.T.E. has been an innovator in the area of low voltage power air circuit breakers since the dawn of the industrial use of electricity. The name I.T.E. in itself represents the origin of the modern, resettable circuit breaker. I.T.E. actually stands for Inverse Time Element. This is the heart of every overcurrent trip device. When a fault occurs, it causes the breaker to trip faster as the rise in current increases. In other words, the higher the current, the faster the trip, consequently they work inversely to each other.

The inverse time element was a major stepping stone in the commercial use of electricity. Not only was it a cost-effective alternative to replacing costly fuses, as it was developed it became adjustable for various applications and became an integral part of industrial and commercial safety programs. The element had been used for years by the original Cutter Electrical Manufacturing Company and later the Walker Switchboard Company and had become so synonymous with their products that in 1928 the name was changed to I.T.E. Along the way, as I.T.E. continued to develop, it merged or was acquired by other companies and changed names from I.T.E., to I.T.E. Imperial, then later to BBC for the Brown Boveri Corporation and later when merged with Asea to ABB for Asea Brown Boveri.

The inverse time element as the heart of the series overcurrent trip device is the heart of the first of many lines of air circuit breakers produced by ITE, curiously all of whose model numbers started with the letter “K”.

Slate Back Breakers

The first of these lines, commonly known as the “slate back” breaker, came totally enclosed in a metal frame with a handle on the exterior of the door to safely operate the enclosed air circuit breaker. The breaker line could either be produced with breakers bolted to the line and load side buss or equipped as “draw out elements” that once opened could be safely removed from the cubicles without need for a buss, and major production, shut down. The product line was broken into specific frame sizes equipped with trip devices ranging up to the maximum amperage capability of each design:

• KA - 225 amp frame
• KB - 600 amp frame
• KC - 800, 1200 or 1600 amp frame
• LX and LG 1600 amp through 8000 amp frames 

Steel Back Breakers

These breakers have been used extensively through the World War II era in both civil production and military applications. After the war, the “slate back” line was replaced with the “steel back” product line. These ITE circuit breakers feature individual insulated pole pieces mounted to a steel frame that is also housed within a steel cabinet and are operated with the individual doors closed for safety. Each breaker contains an individual series overcurrent trip, designated by either OD-1 or OD-2. The OD-1 has adjustable time band settings for both a long delay for moderate overloads or instantaneous for protection of more massive overloads. The OD-2 has time bands for both long-time and short-time bands and has found a use for protection of electric motors and their initial inrush of current on startup. The model numbers of this production line resemble the previous line in many ways.

• KA - 225 amp frame
• KB - 600 amp frame
• KC - 800 and 1600 amp frame
• KD-A  - 3000 amp frame
• KE-A - 4000 amp frame

Even though the two production lines have similar model numbers and they have some parts that are interchangeable, the breakers themselves are NOT interchangeable between lines. This requires operators and maintenance personnel to be familiar with these differences when ordering ITE replacement breakers and parts for their switchgear. The personnel at NPE have developed a variety of ways to recognize these vintage changes to help guide customers to identify what they need. Among the questions that you may be asked when looking for these breakers is: What is the serial number? It turns out that the slate back product line has 4 to 5-digit numerical serial numbers and the steel back line all have a letter prefix (A through G) preceding these numbers. Depending on your requirements, internal parts changed even within the letter designations of these steel backs.

K-Line Series Breakers

The next major change in the product lines was the official “K-Line” series of breakers. The primary change from previous versions was the downsizing of the overall frame size to conserve space. A spring charged mechanism provided for faster closing and opening and reduced arcing and the “closed door draw out” design that not only allowed the breaker to be operated with the door closed but also “racked out” (disconnected) from the line and load side buss with the door closed for operator safety. This first generation of K-Line breakers became known as K-Line Black, because of the black plastic used as insulation on the poles and arc chutes.

• K-225     225 amp max
• K-600     600 amp 
• K-1600   1600 amp

Large frame requirements still rely on the older KD-A and KE-A frames for mains and ties.

The product line continued to improve with options. For instance, an option for both fused and series overcurrent protection was offered in the K-DON series, designated as K-DON 600, K-DON 1600. The series fuses provided extra protection from massive faults and increased the ratings of the breakers to 200,000 AIC.

These breakers continued to evolve from the original breakers with black plastic moldings to a more compact version with red moldings. There was some interchangeability between some of these product lines, but it is limited. K-225, K-600 breakers enjoy some interchangeability, the K-1600 has a one-way interchangeability and the addition of K-3000 and K-4000 amp mains and ties replaced the KD-A and KE-A breakers. The K-DON series has some parts interchangeability but are not interchangeable as complete units.

Later improvements emerged with the introduction of the first solid-state overcurrent trip devices which offered more reliable time curves, more flexibility with trip ratings and better overall performance. These changes are designated with either a “S” or “M” suffix on the model number, for example, “K-600 S” for first peak sensing solid state trips or “K-600 M” for the first RMS sensing overcurrent trips.

Although many, if not most of these products have been out of production for years, they remain in service in various applications throughout the country today. While some technical details are limited and the models are easily confused, used equipment dealers like National Power Equipment have the experience and expertise to help guide you through the variations and provide you with quality parts to maintain your equipment and keep production going. In many cases, NPE is the only viable candidate for new parts for these ITE breakers with their ever-growing aftermarket product group. Click on this link to view these parts: ABB/BBC/ITE Aftermarket Parts List

Contact us and let NPE supply you with The Right Part, at the Right Price, Right Now!

Hurricanes, floods, lightning strikes or just a simple tree falling on a transmission line can trigger a catastrophe that shuts down power. Without power, there is no production and the cost of downtime can cost tens of thousands of dollars – per hour.

Electricity drives production in the modern world, and often times production is run on switchgear and circuit breakers that have been out of production for years, if not decades. If you call the original manufacturer and they tell you they no longer support your product line, their only option will be to replace your equipment with whatever they are currently producing. This will often entail reconfiguring your distribution system, paying big bills and waiting months for “the latest and greatest” product line only to find out that it’s less reliable than what you previously had and within a short amount of time will be obsolete as well.

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 what National Power Equipment is here for. 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 and most importantly, right now! 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 of the parts needed to go with it. Our inventory not only contains equipment that dates from the World War II era to current, but our staff has the experience, knowledge, and expertise to get you up and running in hours, days or weeks instead of months. 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.

For example, consider the case of a once in a 100 years 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. Parts and equipment began arriving the next day. NPE supplied medium voltage fuses and switch parts, low and medium voltage circuit breakers, relays and tons of parts, literally anything that was needed to get over twenty load centers back online.  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.

Unexpected outages, large or small, require two things to overcome them – experience and options. Contact us we have both.

Are you rebuilding your equipment? Let NPE supply you with new replacement labels to bring them back to “like new” condition. NPE replaces worn labels with new labels when doing our “Class One” reconditioning procedure.

We have a database full of common labels that are available with same day shipping. If we do not have the particular label you need, no problem, in most cases we can design your label from scratch. Just provide us with a picture and dimensions.

It is important to communicate with safety labels the electrical hazards like voltage and shock hazards. We have some of these common warning/danger labels and we can also customize these labels for your specific needs.

We offer our labels on both silver and white adhesive paper which are then laminated for extra durability. No minimum quantity required. Contact us online, give us a call or send us an email for a quote!