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About Master Bob
Expertise
Master Electrician / Owner RKO Electric (USA Only) - can answer most of the typical residential, commercial and industrial electrical questions regarding new installations, wiring additions, lighting, switches and receptacle outlets and electrical upgrades of any nature.I will make every effort to respond to your questions as soon as possible at the end of the work day...very busy electrical company - your patience is appreciated. Stop by and see us at: www.rkoelectric.com
Experience
Licensed Master Electrician with over 32 years licensed experience - updated with the latest NEC Codes every 3 years. Over see the daily electrical operations of two electrical companies. Also serve as a judge (for Electrical Contracting Products Magazine) to help select which new products are fit and safe for electricians and the electrical market.
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You are here: Experts > Home/Garden > Home Improvement/Repair > Electrical Wiring in the Home > AFIC breakers trip once a week
Expert: Master Bob - 11/1/2009
Question
I recently purchased a home with aluminum wiring and am replacing it with copper. For the second floor I ran 6-3 from the main panel (50A breaker) to a new sub-panel on the second floor. The ground is isolated from the neutral. From there I ran 12-2 to each of the bedrooms and installed SquareD 20A AFIC breakers, model HOM120AFIC. All wiring, receptacles, fixtures, and switches are new and of quality name brands. These two circuits are completely independent of each other. Since instillation (about 3 months ago) by a certified electrician both of my AFIC breakers trip once a week, usually every six days, and usually between 6:25 and 6:45 AM but not always. At least on three occasions we have returned home to the tripped AFICs so I am positive human influence is not the issue. They both trip at the same time always) and one is for my 2 year olds room that has no load except an LED night light. I have had all the connections re-checked with no issues. I find it interesting that it has always tripped both circuits, and has usually been early morning when there is no demand change (we are sleeping). This is eventually going to lead to my wife or I sleeping in for work and is a huge annoyance. Please provide me with some guidance other than what my electrician did. He told me that AFIC's do this sort of thing and to just deal with it or replace them with normal breakers. I find both suggestions unacceptable for my families safety I do not want to go a step back in safety. Thank You in advance, Rich
Answer
Hi Rich,
I joined a very LARGE group of fellow Master's who were not impressed with the Code adopting AFCI's for use in Bedrooms back in 2002 - a move pushed hard by Square D - one of the largest backers for the product...and who also had the most to gain from sales..( the NEC has since modified in 2008 NEC to now include virtually all areas that are not already protected by a GFCI - so now we have to include living rooms, dens, dining area, etc...)...just about every other AFCI we installed back then was total junk - right out of the box....regardless of brand. It's highly possibly that a quality AFCI - that actually works correctly (if such a model will ever exist anytime soon)...may help save lives....but I've YET to see a quality unit...and we've tried ALL known brands. The Code clearly moved way too quickly (mostly because of non-stop pressure from the manufacturers....can you say ka-ching..? ) to require these products in 2002...
Over the 7 years since then...very little has changed...most AFCI's are STILL a total peice of junk. Please don't misunderstand me...after over 35 years of licensed work in the electrical field - I FULLY support electrical safety 100% (I'm also OSHA Certified)....you simply have to. BUT - there is very little evidence (if any) that supports how the Code's adoption of AFCI's have saved ANY life...and in fact - some AFCI's have actually been known to start fires when they malfunction ( which is very common...as is nuisance tripping ) *** see Square D RECALL copied below.
RECALL
CPSC, Schneider Electric North American Division (SquareD) Announce Recall of
AFCIs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announces the following recall in voluntary cooperation with the firms below.
Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of product: Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI)
Units: About 700,000
Manufacturer: Schneider Electric North American Division, of Palatine, Ill.
Hazard: An AFCI is an electrical circuit protection device (circuit breaker) that detects electrical arcs from cracked, broken or damaged electrical insulation and shuts off power to the circuit before the arcing leads to a fire. An electronic component failure inside the AFCIs can cause the devices to not detect an electrical arc. Although the AFCIs will function as regular circuit breakers, they may not detect an arc fault, posing a safety risk to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Schneider Electric is investigating one reported FIRE during a new home construction that may be related to this problem.
No injuries have been reported.
Description: The recalled Square D QO(r) and Homeline(r) Arc Fault Interrupter circuit breakers are used with 15- and 20-amp branch circuits. They are required to be installed in bedroom circuits in accordance with the 2002 National Electrical Code. The recalled units were manufactured after March 1, 2004, and have a blue test button. The AFCI circuit breakers have one of the following date codes - CN, DN, EN, FN, GN, HN, or JN - stamped in red on the breaker label located just above the wiring terminal. The recalled units also have one of the following catalog numbers printed on a label on the front of the breaker: QO115AFI, QO115AFIC, QO120AFI, QO120AFIC, QOB115AFI, QOB120AFI, HOM115AFI, HOM115AFIC, HOM120AFI, HOM120AFIC, QO115VHAFI, QO120VHAFI, QOB115VHAFI, or QOB120VHAFI.
Sold at: Electrical distributors and retailers sold the AFCIs between March 2004 and September 2004 for between $30 and $130.
Manufactured in: Mexico
Remedy: Installed AFCIs will be replaced free of charge through electrical contractors. Consumers can return uninstalled AFCIs to the retailers or distributor from whom the unit was purchased for a free replacement unit.
END RECALL NOTICE ***
Clearly - the Square D AFCI's you have appear to be malfunctioning (and you model is listed above).....and where all connections have been checked and re-checked with no known issues (we go thru the same thing here ALL the time...check over every inch of wire - all devices, every box, every single connection, etc on that circuit...and find absolutely NO problems...yet the AFCI still periodically trips with NO appparent cause..)
I realize you don't want to hear a repeat of what your certified electrician told you...but I can bring you in hundred of licensed Master Electrician's (myself included) that will tell you almost exactly the same thing...the mass majority of AFCI's currently on the market [ those sold in the past 8 years] are NOT worth the space they take up in the electrical panel.(However - we have found most GFCI's (the AFCI's older counterpart) to perform great - but they've been around much longer....so all the bugs have long been worked out in them by the manufacturers )
What do I recommend..? Replace the junk AFCI's with GFCI breakers (it's what I did here in my own personal home...and we are MUCH happier)...you certainly will have NOT gone backwards in safety...and until the quality finally improves on AFCI's ( we are STILL waiting for that)...you will have moved a BIG step forward on safety. Granted....that's my opinion (and it's shared by Master's all across the USA)- based on decades of hands-on direct electrical experience.
I understand that's not what you want to hear Rich...and I also fully understand why....but it's simply the raw facts....pure and simple. I treasure my family dearly as well...and I sleep much better at night since the AFCI's went in the circular file...
If you need more details...please follow-up by email (below) - I'll be away running a major electrical project for the next few weeks and will mark myself as away "on vacation" here at this site.
Best Wishes,
Bob Osgood
Master Electrician / Owner
RKO ELECTRIC
Bangor, Maine
www.rkoelectric.com
www.mainemasterelectrician.com
rkoelectric@myfairpoint.net
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