ABB EntelliGuard E low-voltage power circuit breaker
Manufacturer: ABB
GE-heritage EntelliGuard E power breakers, the Entellisys-only frames ABB still services on a 2023 manual
This model is part of SecondWatt’s switchgear research catalogue. Specifications and price observations are included where supported by sources. Equipment availability and commercial terms require confirmation.
ABB EntelliGuard E dossier: GE-heritage Entellisys-only power breakers, 50-100 kA ratings, used units priced 6,500-10,000 USD, inspection checklist, tips.
EntelliGuard E is a low-voltage power circuit breaker rather than a switchgear line. It is a GE Energy Industrial Solutions design, ABB-owned since the 2018 GE Industrial Solutions acquisition, and ABB's own manual DEH-41526 states it is designed to protect low-voltage circuits when used with Entellisys low-voltage switchgear only. That single-platform dependence defines the asset: the breaker has no life outside an Entellisys lineup.
Ratings run 240/480/600 V AC per ANSI/UL 1066 with interrupting classes of 50-100 kA across breaker types S, N, H, P, E, and M in two envelope sizes, with observed frames from 800 A sensors to 3,200 A. Standards coverage spans ANSI C37.13/.16/.17/.50 and CSA 22.2 No. 5.1. ABB maintains the manual (revised March 2023) and Entellisys renewal parts, making this a legacy-supported rather than orphaned platform.
The used market is real and priced: a 3,200 A unit sold used-tested at 10,000 USD and a 2,000 A frame with 800 A sensor at 6,500 USD, both with test reports, while Bullock stocks matching frames quote-only. Buyers are Entellisys owners keeping spare breakers against 54-week LV switchgear leads.
Why it matters
Platform-captive breakers are the sharpest scarcity play in the used LV market: the Entellisys fleet runs critical facilities, ABB ships renewal parts but new-build economics favor its Emax line, and every retired lineup that gets parted out feeds a spares pool buyers compete for. At 2-3 USD per frame-amp observed, tested spares cost a fraction of a lineup outage.
Who buys it
Entellisys switchgear owners are the entire market: data centers, hospitals, and plants that standardized on the platform in the 2005-2018 GE era and need spare or replacement breakers. Dealers stock the frames because a failed breaker in an Entellisys lineup has exactly one fix. Buyers outside the Entellisys installed base have no use for these units.
Role in the data center
Spare and replacement main and feeder breakers inside Entellisys low-voltage switchgear lineups in data centers, hospitals and industrial plants built during the 2005-2018 GE era. It is a spares-pool asset rather than a new-design choice: ABB directs new low-voltage switchgear work to its Emax platform, so the EntelliGuard E population is fixed and shrinking.
Key specifications
| Voltage ratings | 240 / 480 / 600 V AC |
|---|---|
| Interrupting range | 50-100 kA |
| Platform restriction | Entellisys LV switchgear only |
| Listing standard | ANSI/UL 1066; CSA 22.2 No. 5.1 |
| Breaker types | S, N, H, P, E, M |
| Manual revision | DEH-41526, March 2023 |
| Ownership chain | GE Industrial Solutions to ABB (2018) |
| Observed used 3,200 A | 10,000 USD (tested) |
| Observed used 2,000 A frame | 6,500 USD (tested) |
| ANSI standards coverage | C37.13, C37.16, C37.17, C37.50 |
| Envelope sizes | 1 and 2 |
Technical summary
Type: LV power circuit breaker for Entellisys switchgear only. Voltage: 240 / 480 / 600 V AC. Standard: ANSI/UL 1066; CSA 22.2 No. 5.1. Interrupting: 50-100 kA by voltage and breaker type. Breaker types: S, N, H, P, E, M. Envelopes: 1 and 2; observed frames 800 A sensor to 3,200 A. ANSI coverage: C37.13, C37.16, C37.17, C37.50. Support: ABB manual DEH-41526 revised March 2023. Heritage: GE Energy Industrial Solutions; ABB-owned since 2018.
Major variations
Two envelope sizes across six interrupting types (S, N, H, P, E and M), electrically or manually operated, in draw-out construction, with observed frames running from a 2,000 A body carrying an 800 A sensor up to a 3,200 A frame. The EntelliGuard TU trip unit and the EntelliGuard G breaker are separate products that share the family name, and a cell built for one will not accept the others. ABB's EntelliGuard R Retrofill is a different product again: a replacement breaker built to drop into legacy GE AK and AKD cubicles.
Configurations and options
Order variables that move price are the breaker type letter, S, N, H, P, E or M, which sets interrupting capability across the 50-100 kA band at 240/480/600 V; envelope size 1 or 2; the frame ampere rating and its separately specified sensor rating, so a 2,000 A frame carrying an 800 A sensor is a different part and a different price from a 2,000 A sensor in the same frame; electrical or manual operation; and draw-out construction. On a used unit the nameplate items to confirm together are frame rating, sensor rating, type letter and envelope size, then that the cradle matches the Entellisys cell it will occupy. ABB manual DEH-41526, revised March 2023, carries the rating tables.
Compatibility and dependencies
This breaker is defined by its host: ABB manual DEH-41526 states it is designed to protect low-voltage circuits when used with Entellisys low-voltage switchgear only. Entellisys places protection, metering and zone-selective interlocking in redundant central processing units rather than in a breaker-mounted trip unit, per ABB application guide DET447, so a working unit needs its Entellisys cell, sensors, Messenger electronics and control wiring, not just a matching cradle. Entellisys reports upward over Modbus TCP to SCADA and building systems. The switchgear is 600 V nominal, 635 V maximum, bus to 5,000 A, 200 kA. EntelliGuard G and the EntelliGuard R Retrofill are separate products with no cell interchange.
Pricing and availability
Comparable secondary-market band: 6500–10000 $ per breaker. Trend: rising Electrical Trader's price-trend review published 2026-04-01 puts circuit breakers up 47% since 2021 across the category, which is the backdrop rather than this nameplate's own history. Two dated model-level observations exist, both tested with reports and both logged 2026-08-18: an EE32N2 3,200 A at 10,000 USD and an EE08N1 2,000 A frame with 800 A sensor at 6,500 USD. Supply comes from parted-out Entellisys lineups rather than production, so availability tracks decommissioning events and 54-week new low-voltage switchgear queues. Lead time, new: Renewal-parts channel only (legacy product). Lead time, used or refurbished: 1-4 weeks (dealer stock). Warranty, used: 1-year typical from reconditioning dealers.
Lifecycle and maintenance
LV power circuit breakers serve 30-40 years on 3-5 year maintenance cycles per ANSI/NETA MTS and NFPA 70B, with mechanism lubrication and injection testing the critical items. A deep reconditioning ecosystem (Relectric, NAS, Bay Power, Bullock) tests to NETA specifications and warrants units for 1 year. OEM trip-unit retrofit programs (Eaton PXR, ABB EntelliGuard R, Siemens 3WA retrofit) extend installed platforms past electronics obsolescence, which sustains used-breaker values.
Thermal and emissions profile
Switchgear produces no combustion emissions; the regulatory profile is electrical safety and materials. NFPA 70B became a standard in its 2023 edition, making maintenance programs mandatory rather than recommended, and arc-flash rules (NFPA 70E) govern work practices. LV air-insulated gear carries no F-gas exposure, and construction standards (UL 891, UL 1558, IEEE C37.20.1) plus arc-resistant options under IEEE C37.20.7 define the safety envelope buyers should verify.
Common failure points
- Mechanism springs and lubrication — Slow trips, trip-free on close, failure to latch on aged units
- Trip unit electronics — Nuisance trips or no-trip from aged or obsolete electronics
- Contacts and arc chutes — Overheating and interruption failure from eroded contacts or cracked chutes
- Secondary wiring — Control faults from damaged secondary disconnects and aux switches
- Provenance and counterfeits — Counterfeit or mis-labeled breakers fail catastrophically under fault
- Cassette and racking wear — Misalignment and cluster contact damage on worn cradles
Inspection checklist
Mechanism: exercise open/close 10+ cycles; verify the charge/close/trip sequence completes and the mechanism latches on every close; treat any failure to latch on close as a finding and check it against the OEM acceptance procedure. Trip curve: primary injection test; NETA field data shows 22% of LV power breakers off their published curves. Secondary injection: verify all 4 protection functions (LSIG) against settings; record as-found/as-left values. Contact resistance: micro-ohm test each pole; investigate readings above 1.5x sister poles. Insulation resistance: megger at 1,000 V per ANSI/NETA MTS acceptance tables. Contact wear: inspect arcing contacts and wear indicators against the OEM replacement limit. Arc chutes: remove and inspect for cracks, erosion, and metal splatter; replace damaged chutes. Lubrication: verify mechanism grease condition; dried lubricant is the leading slow-trip cause on 20+ year units. Racking: exercise draw-out mechanism through connect/test/disconnect; verify shutter operation.
Procurement channels
EMSCO lists tested units with test reports at published prices; Bullock Breakers holds matching 3,200 A frames on a quote-only basis; ABB supplies Entellisys renewal parts and replacement breakers through its own channel. Supply comes from parted-out lineups and project surplus rather than production, so availability tracks decommissioning events rather than factory lead times.
Regional notes
North American product listed to ANSI/UL 1066 with CSA 22.2 No. 5.1, covering ANSI C37.13, C37.16, C37.17 and C37.50, at 240, 480 and 600 V AC. It is a GE Energy Industrial Solutions design that came to ABB with the 2018 acquisition of GE Industrial Solutions, and the installed base is concentrated in the United States and Canada. There is no IEC equivalent to import, because an EntelliGuard E only fits an Entellisys lineup: cross-market sourcing means finding another Entellisys owner rather than another market.