MEM Memera 2000 - ALB161 - 16a Type B Single Pole MCB

Product Information

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.

Qwikline II -This range superseded the original Qwikline but the range was not as broad with only types B & C available and a breaking capacity of 6kA.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. 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. 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. 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.Memera 2000AD – These have a narrow terminal and only fit boards specifically marked Memera 2000AD. They won't fit in older boards. 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. 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. For the person who asked about Smartmeter, yes one fitted in last year and quite close to CU (2 meters?). Though similar episode of nuisance tripping preceded its installation and went away of its own. What are you thinking about this?

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. Otherwise, I'm not quibbling the need for proper spur to garage, which will separate off two freezers from kitchen, but how do you people feel about this diagnosis? My own insulation tests with mega meter to each unplugged appliance have found no resistance issues, which given he found no wiring issues, leaves no obvious cause except as he thinks maybe too much total freezer earth leakage. Intermittent faults like tripping can send you mad as we all know, is this a good course of action? but mounted above the old Wylex fuse boxes, however done before the rules changed as to electrical equipment in the control of an ordinary person. But still today we have isolators before the CU to comply with HSE rules an live working, so not sure if we can still mount SPD or RCD in separate box before or after main CU? So question one does it pass when tested with a RCD tester? If so what makes you think it is faulty? I am sure the one in my old house was tripping due to surges when a neighbour was welding. Two identical RCD's would hold for 18 months without a problem, then trip for seeming no reason for couple of weeks, then again two years no tripping.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. 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? 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.

The older RCD does seem to be affected by spikes, so likely a SPD would stop it, but a consumer unit is a type tested distribution unit, and to retain the type testing only items recommended by the manufacturer can be used, even if they seem to fit.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. Memera 2000 – There are several different styles of MCB's in this range but all will fit any Memera 2000 board. 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. 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:

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. 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.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.