HACR Breaker vs Regular Breaker: What Makes Them Different?

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You have just completed building your property and it is time to install the electricity. Or, you want to upgrade your current electricity infrastructure into a better one. Safety will always be a priority when setting up electric installations and this is where you will think about either HACR or a regular circuit breaker. Even though the two are different products, both are used for safety-related applications. Regular circuit breakers are quite common in most households. They are perfectly used for managing the flow of electric current and protecting devices from the dangers of overcurrent and overvoltage. However, HACRs are equally good at executing the same tasks, especially in an HVAC environment.

So, which one is better between HACR and regular circuit breakers? In this article, we are going to break down the differences between HACR vs regular circuit breakers. At the end, we will advise which is suitable for your application and how you can choose the best solution.

Table of Contents

What is a HACR breaker?

First things first, what does HACR mean? The acronym stands for Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. The name alone suggests that this is a circuit breaker that is mainly used for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration applications. These breakers are commonly used with the combinations of multi-motor and loads that are inside HVAC units. These loads include motors, compressors, and fans.

The main function of HACR is to prevent incidences of overcurrent in their respective applications. We all know that high currents can cause serious damage to components that run various devices.

But, where does the overcurrent come from? Most components under the HACR require a high starting current. This current is likely to cause a brief surge of electric current. This surge ensures that the key components in the devices can start and run safely.

HACR breakers come in different sizes and this is done to ensure that they match with their respective application areas. Before you install a HACR device, it will be prudent to do thorough research so that you can end up with the perfect solution for your application, whether it is heating, ventilation, or refrigeration.

What is a regular circuit breaker?

Probably you know the function of a regular circuit breaker. It is designed to protect devices and appliances from various forms of electric mishaps such as overcurrent, overvoltage, and short circuits among others. They are called circuit breakers because they break or interrupt the flow of current in the circuit hence turning the device off. Once the condition has reverted to normalcy, circuit breakers can be set back to their original conditions. Regular circuit breakers are used in both domestic and commercial applications. They are more common than the HACR breakers.

Analyzing differences between HACR circuit breakers vs. regular circuit breakers

At this point, we can proceed to have a deep analysis between HACR-rated circuit breakers vs. regular circuit breakers. We will point out key areas that tend to separate the two devices.

Functions

While both are designed to protect devices, there is a slight difference in their functions. The main function of a HACR-rated breaker is to provide protection against a momentary surge of electric current. This is usually important when the device is turned on and tends to draw more current than when it is in a running state. HCAR will then provide various protection measures without necessarily tripping the circuit. For instance, it can correct the inconsistency in the circuit.

On the other hand, the primary function of a regular circuit breaker is to cut off the circuit so as to protect electric devices and components from being damaged.

Current and voltage ratings

The difference between the two is also based on their power ratings. Since both are designed to provide protection against some forms of power abnormality, they come in rated current and voltage.

Circuit breakers have standard current ratings that vary depending on the devices that they protect. Some breakers have high current ratings while others have low ratings. The current ratings in most household applications vary between 10 amps to 400 amps. To give you a better perspective, the current rating of a regular breaker that is connected to a light bulb will be lower than that connected to an electric cooker.

What about the HACR? Well, their current ratings seem to be higher than that of regular breakers. The main reason why HACR breakers have higher current is because they are designed to handle inrush current, which in most applications is always on a higher end.

However, take note that this does not generally mean that all HACR breakers have higher current ratings than HACR. It will all depend on the application areas. Some regular circuit breakers have higher current ratings than HACR-based breakers.

Price

HACR breakers and regular circuit breakers also differ in terms of cost. Since HACR circuit breakers are used for specialized applications, they are likely to attract higher costs. Their prices usually range between $110 to $500 for each piece.

The fact that regular circuit breakers are widely used makes them cheaper. Their prices range between $10-$100.

However, the price of both will always depend on where you buy. Buying from reputable electronic components suppliers will always guarantee the best prices and quality.

Tripping characteristics

Both HACR breakers and regular circuit breakers are built to trip in case of high electric current. HACR circuit breakers are designed to trip only when there is an inrush electric current flowing through the circuits. This happens right after turning on the device. Otherwise, they don’t trip frequently.

Regular circuit breakers, on the other hand, will trip as long as the current flowing through the circuit is higher than the rated current. This also implies that regular circuit breakers are likely to trip frequently.

Summary

In conclusion, the difference between regular circuit breakers and HACR breakers is, that one is used for general applications while the other is for special applications. Ensure that you use each type of breaker for its special purpose and application area.