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

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 production 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.

We can help, 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.

The Origins of I.T.E. Circuit Breaker Company

 I.T.E. actually stands for Inverse Time Element., which 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 creation of the inverse time element was a major stepping stone in the commercial use of electricity. The inverse time element  was a cost-effective alternative to replacing costly fuses that was adjustable for various applications, lending them to become 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. As I.T.E. continued to develop, it merged or was acquired by other companies and changed names several times. These changes included a switch from I.T.E., to I.T.E. Imperial, then later to BBC for the Brown Boveri Corporation, and later to ABB for Asea Brown Boveri following a merger with Asea.

The Different Air Circuit Breaker Lines Produced by ITE

The inverse time element is the heart of the first of many lines of air circuit breakers produced by ITE. The Company produced several lines over the decade, all of whose model numbers curiously started with the letter “K”. These include the following ITE lines.

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.

How to Replace Your ITE Circuit Breakers and Parts

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.

Ready to find viable replacement parts and breakers? Browse our ABB/BBC/ITE Aftermarket Parts List to see what we have available.

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

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!