If you maintain low-voltage switch-gear built around GE AK, AKR, Power Break, or WavePro breakers, you've likely hit the problem this guide solves: the breakers are obsolete, spare trip devices are scarce, and a single failure can put a critical lineup at risk. This GE AKR breaker replacement guide lays out your real options — upgrade the trip unit in place, retrofill a modern breaker into the existing gear, or replace the switchgear outright — plus how to keep the lineup running with original breakers and parts while you plan. We supply both the modern ABB solutions and the obsolete GE circuit breakers, so you're never boxed into a single path.
Why GE AK, AKR, Power Break, and WavePro breakers are obsolete
GE's low-voltage power breakers have a long lineage. The AK line dates to 1946 and the AKR series to 1977; WavePro followed as GE's advanced air circuit breaker, and Power Break I and II covered the insulated-case range. GE's low-voltage business is now part of ABB, which continues to support these legacy families and supplies their modern successors.
"Obsolete" here rarely means the breaker has stopped working. More often, the electromechanical or early solid-state trip devices are no longer manufactured, calibration and parts are hard to source, and the protection falls short of what today's arc-flash and coordination requirements expect. Sound iron, unsupported brains — that combination is exactly what the options below address.
GE power breaker to ABB modernization options
Because these are power breakers in engineered switchgear — not molded-case breakers you swap into a panel — modernization is usually a solution, not a single part number. ABB provides three broad paths for each legacy family:
Legacy GE power breaker | Type | Typical amp range | ABB modernization options |
AK / AKR | Drawout air circuit breaker | ~225–4000 A | EntelliGuard TU trip-unit upgrade; ABB retrofill (EntelliGuard R / Emax 2); new Emax 2 switchgear |
WavePro | Drawout air circuit breaker | ~800–5000 A | EntelliGuard TU trip-unit upgrade; Emax 2 retrofill; new Emax 2 switchgear |
Power Break I / II | Insulated-case circuit breaker | ~800–3200 A | EntelliGuard TU (especially Power Break II); retrofill; new Emax 2 switchgear |
Amp ranges are typical and vary by frame; the right solution depends on your exact ratings and switch-gear. Confirm the specifics with ABB, or send us your breaker and gear details and we'll scope it.
Which path: trip-unit upgrade, retrofill, or replace?
The decision comes down to the condition of the breaker versus the condition of the switch-gear around it.
Path | Best when | Cost & downtime |
Trip-unit upgrade (EntelliGuard TU) | The breaker is mechanically sound, but the trip device is obsolete or failing — or you want modern protection, metering, arc-flash reduction, or communications. | Lowest — keeps the existing breaker and switchgear in place. |
Retrofill (EntelliGuard R / Emax 2) | The breakers are worn or at end of life, but the switchgear structure, bus, and enclosure are still serviceable. | Moderate — engineered to your exact cubicle, so lead time is longer. |
Full replacement (new Emax 2 switchgear) | The gear is at end of life, damaged or corroded, or you need higher ratings, more capacity, or a fundamentally safer lineup. | Highest and longest — but a clean multi-decade baseline. |
"Why teams modernize: A current EntelliGuard trip unit can add arc-flash reduction (a maintenance-mode setting that speeds tripping), zone-selective interlocking, and built-in metering — often lowering incident energy on gear that predates today's arc-flash requirements. For many facilities, the safety upgrade is the reason to act, and the parts relief is a bonus. "
Before you specify a retrofill or replacement, confirm these
A power-breaker solution is engineered to your equipment. Before anyone quotes a part, pin down:
- Frame and continuous ampere rating.
- Interrupting rating (kAIC) and short-time withstand at your system voltage — match or exceed the available fault current.
- System voltage and number of poles.
- Breaker construction: drawout vs. fixed — and for a retrofill, the exact switch-gear make, type, and cubicle dimensions, because the solution is built to the existing cell.
- Trip-unit functions you need: long/short/instantaneous/ground-fault (LSIG), zone-selective interlocking, arc-flash reduction, metering, and communications.
- Accessories: shunt trip, under voltage release, spring-charging motor, auxiliary and bell-alarm switches, and key interlocks.
" A retrofill or trip-unit upgrade changes your protective device. Treat it as an engineered modification: confirm ratings, coordination, and installation against the equipment nameplate and your local Authority Having Jurisdiction, and have a short-circuit and coordination study updated where required, before energizing. "
Three practical routes for a discontinued GE power breaker
- Modernize with ABB. Use the tables above to choose a trip-unit upgrade, a retrofill, or new Emax 2 gear. We supply EntelliGuard TU trip units, retrofill breakers, and Emax 2 — matched to your ratings.
- Keep it running with originals. New-surplus, obsolete, and reconditioned GE AK, AKR, Power Break, and WavePro breakers — plus spare parts such as contacts, arc chutes, and trip devices — from stock, so a critical lineup stays energized while a larger project is planned or budgeted.
- Phase it. Upgrade trip units now for immediate protection and parts relief, then retrofill or replace on your own schedule. This spreads cost and downtime across budget cycles.
We can put a modern ABB solution in front of you or a reconditioned GE original on the shelf — often both, so you can bridge the gap now and modernize on your timeline.
Get your GE switchgear scoped
Working an obsolete GE lineup? Send us the breaker nameplate, the switchgear make and type, and a single-line diagram if you have one, and we'll come back with the right path — an EntelliGuard TU trip unit, an ABB retrofill or Emax 2, or an original AK/AKR/Power Break/WavePro breaker from stock. Orders placed before 12 PM EST ship the same day. Browse circuit breakers in stock or send your details for a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. GE's AK and AKR air circuit breakers are obsolete legacy products. GE's low-voltage business is now part of ABB, which supports these families and supplies their modern successors. Original AK and AKR breakers and parts remain available through new-surplus, obsolete, and reconditioned inventory.
There's no single drop-in part. Modernization is handled through ABB: an EntelliGuard TU trip-unit upgrade on the existing breaker, an engineered retrofill into the existing switchgear, or new SACE Emax 2 breakers and switchgear. The AKR's air-breaker lineage runs through WavePro to Emax 2.
Yes. An EntelliGuard TU upgrades the trip unit in place, and a retrofill installs a modern breaker element into the existing cubicle. Full switch-gear replacement isn't required in most cases — it's reserved for gear that's at end of life or needs higher ratings.
Yes. An EntelliGuard TU upgrades the trip unit in place, and a retrofill installs a modern breaker element into the existing cubicle. Full switch-gear replacement isn't required in most cases — it's reserved for gear that's at end of life or needs higher ratings.
A retrofill installs a modern circuit breaker into existing switch-gear cubicles using an engineered adapter or cassette, keeping the structure and bus. It's the middle path between an in-place trip-unit upgrade and a full switch-gear replacement.
Yes. New-surplus, obsolete, and reconditioned original GE AK, AKR, Power Break, and WavePro breakers and spare parts are available from distributors such as JW Electrical Supply, which lets you keep a critical lineup energized while you plan a larger project.
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