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Obsolete Crabtree Polestar Breakers

In the late 1980's Crabtree were looking to replace the outdated (but still widely used) C50 range. What they came up with was the Polestar range and it was a great success in commercial and industrial applications.

The Polestar range of breakers was unique because they had a higher than usual fault rating of 16kA where standard breakers at the time were 6kA and 9kA. What this meant was that Polestar could be used in areas where a high kA was required without having to use Moulded Case Breakers (MCCB's) or HRC fuse carriers. Crabtree Polestar breakers are also unique in that they are much wider (25mm) than a standard mcb (18mm). This extra width was needed for the bigger arc splitter to allow for a higher kA rating.

Initially the range was made to BS3871 standards so Types 2 & 3 were available from 6A up to 63A in single and triple pole. RCBO's were also available but they were initially referred to as MCB/RCD units as the term RCBO was not really established as yet.

After 1994 the British Standard of BS60898 came into effect and the range was changed to Types B, C & D and now included double pole mcb's as well. RCBO's were now being widely used and theses were available in Types B & C although it's rare to see Type B in use as most installations were commercial.

Crabtree manufactured the range until around the early 2000's then it was phased out. They did hold quite a bit of stock but this was largely held for TFL (Transport for London) as part of an agreement to hold stocks for spares and ongoing developments etc.

A new range of Polestar was launched in 2012 and called Polestar Compact. Although the new range was 16kA rated due to advances in technology it was significantly slimmer and is not interchangeable with the older style.

Crabtree Polestar is still widely used today and we have plenty of stock available from our website.

MEM Memshield 2 RCBO POD

MEM Memshield 2 RCBO PODThe MEM Memshield 2 rcbo pod was a fantastic device that clipped onto an existing Memshield 2 MCB and basically converted it into a rcbo. The pods are not actually obsolete and are available from Eaton (who bought out MEM) but expect to pay around £70+ VAT at your local wholesaler. Eaton have mentioned discontinuing the item but I don't see that happening any time soon as there is still a lot of old breakers in use and I would imagine they are making good money on the item. Basically they have you over a barrel, unless you know where to get them cheap and that's where we come in 🙂

Not all pods are the same, some have long leads for triple pole boards and some have short leads for use in domestic boards. Also worth mentioning that the pods will fit the Memera 2000 range of MCB's as well but only the part numbers that start ALB or ALC.

Pods on their own as usually referred to as ‘Field Fit' which basically means you have to fit the pod to the mcb on site. Not a hard task but worth taking a look at the instructions of you have not done one before as they can be fragile and easily broken if you're not careful.

You can also buy MCB's pre-fitted with a pod in both the Memshield 2 and Memera 2000 ranges. These are usually just the 30mA size but field fit versions are availble is the following sizes:

MR10 – 10mA
MR30 – 30mA
MR100 – 100mA
MR300 – 300mA

Fitting instruction for pods can be downloaded form our Technical & Catalogue page.

Stock sells out really fast on the MEM Memshield 2 rcbo pod but to see our current range please click here.

 

 

 

 

Obsolete Square D Circuit Breakers

obsolete square D circuit breakersIf you're looking for obsolete square D circuit breakers then we usually have something in stock to help. Square D was initially an American company founded in 1902 in Detroit. It's best known in the UK for it's range of plug-in or push-fit circuit breakers.

Square D was bought out by Schneider in 1991 and although they changed the appearance of the circuit breakers the later versions will still fit the older boards.

Qwikline – This is the most common Square D breaker and the part numbers will always start QO. Available in types 2,3 & 4 with M6 or M9 breaking capacities for early BS3871 breakers or types B,C & D with 6kA or 10kA breaking capacities. These styles have the push-fit electrical connection and push-fit mechanical connection. These are available in single, double and triple pole.

Qwikline II -This range superseded the original Qwikline but the range was not as broad with only types B & C available and a breaking capacity of 6kA. These only come as single pole. Later versions were branded as Schneider but are identical to the Square D. They will also fit Loadcentre boards.

Loadcentre – This was a new range introduced by Schneider but using the brand name of Square D. This is more of a commercial range with types B,C & D available (B type only in single pole). They have a breaking capacity of 10kA and. Later versions were branded as Schneider but are identical to the Square D. These will also fit the Qwikline II boards.

Domae – This was the final range of MCB's branded as Square D. Unusually they are not the push-fit type which was what Square D was really known for. This range just uses a standard din-rail clips and was a ‘competitive' product aimed purely for the domestic market. Later versions were branded Schneider but are identical to the Square D.

As well as stocking a range of obsolete square D circuit breakers we also keep main switches, RCD's and RCBO's.

Obsolete MEM Circuit Breakers

Obsolete MEM Circuit Breakers

MEM first started manufacturing circuit breakers in 1965 and were one of the UK's biggest names in circuit protection. Now they go under the trade name of Eaton but still use the MEM name on some products.

Some ranges of MEM are still available to buy new from Eaton but most wholesalers don't stock these products and Eaton have for some reason chosen to charge silly money. Expect to pay around £400 + VAT for a 32A m9 triple pole breaker! That's probably why MEM is our best seller.

We keep in the stock the following ranges of obsolete MEM circuit breakers :

Memera 21 – These are M6 Type 1 MCB's. Usually used in domestic installations.
Memera 2000 – There are several different styles of MCB's in this range but all will fit any Memera 2000 board.
Memera 2000AD – These have a narrow terminal and only fit boards specifically marked Memera 2000AD. They won't fit in older boards.
Memshield 1 – These are a commercial breaker and come in various types (Type 2,3,B,C & D) depending upon the age. Most are M9 rated.
Memshield 2 – These are also a commercial breaker and come in types B,C & D. These also will fit into all Memera 2000 range boards.

As well as keeping a range of MCB's we also stock RCD's, Main Switches and RCBO's.

Obsolete Bill, MEM and Delta Circuit Breakers

mem-eaton-billBill Switchgear was probably one the oldest British electrical brands and was especially known for bigger switching devices like triple pole fuse switches and switch fuses and LV panelboards. The company was aquired by Delta in 1973 who also owned another well known brand, MEM.

Delta decided to keep the brands MEM and Bill separate until 1998 when they finally phased out the Bill brand. What most people don't realise is that all the products that were manufactured were identical in both brands. Delta manufactured the products and either labelled them MEM or Bill.

However, just to add a little confusion, some MCB's were discontinued whilst under the MEM brand but due to complaints from customers, specifiers and electrical wholesalers the company had to start manufacturing again. Some of these products are branded Delta and from 2003 some of these products are branded Eaton when they company was bought out yet again.

Confused? Well it gets worse because by the time that Delta/Eaton decided that they needed to manufacturer some of the older products to keep the peace with customers the British Standard BS3871 had changed. Previously all MCB's had been marked with a ‘Type' (either 1,2,3 or 4) but BS3871 had changed so that Type 1 MCB's were no longer used and Types 2,3 & 4 were now Types B,C & D.

So now you have a range of circuit breakers that are either branded MEM,Delta,Bill or Eaton. They may me marked either Type 2,3,4 or Type B,C,D. Some have a printed wrap around label and some have silk screen printing direct on the MCB.

Long and short of it is this. All brands, no matter what Type, colour or creed are interchangeable with each other. So if you are stuck for a Bill MCB, then a MEM, Eaton or Delta will still fit. Likewise if you can't find a particular MEM version then Bill MCB will be a direct replacement.

Moulded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCB's)

Fortunately the situation with Bill and MEM MCCB's is not as confusing. Firstly MCCB's are made to a different standard to MCB's, BS60947-2. Whilst that standard has been updated to allow for new technologies it still remains as the current British Standard.

As with MCB's all MCCB's were manufactured by Delta and either branded MEM or Bill. They are identical apart from the logo and and a slight difference in the part number. You won't find any branded Delta, they never used that branding on any moulded case breakers.

 

All MCCB's in MEM's Memshield 2 range or Bill's Talisman Plus range are branded as such. Even though Eaton bought out Delta in 2003 they maintained the old branding until they came out with the latest range, Memshield 3. Even though they are using the Memshield brand all breakers are now marked as Eaton.

Still Confused?

If you are still stuck for an obsolete Bill or MEM circuit breaker and this has just confused you even more then please get in touch via our contact page and we will be only too glad to help out.