A load-break elbow can be pulled from a load bushing with a live-line tool to interrupt a _____ amp load current.

• A. 600
• B. 200
• C. 900
• D. 1200

Answer: (B)

Live-line switching with a load-break elbow is built to interrupt only a modest amount of current. When you pull the elbow from the load bushing with a live-line tool, the arc energy and contact stress are limited by the device’s design, so it can safely quench the arc and protect the operator only up to a relatively small load current. That rating is about 200 amperes. Higher currents—like 600, 900, or 1200 A—would produce far more arc energy and heat, risking damaged contacts, insulator damage, and unsafe arcing, which the elbow and tool aren’t designed to withstand. So 200 amperes is the practical, safe interrupting level for use with a live-line tool.