Well.. Its a new month and its time you have heard from us, Arc-Faults Breakers are fairly new and not everyone knows about them. They ARE REQUIRED for any new house, any new Device, and any modification of wiring over 6ft in length. They cost 8-10 times what normal breakers cost, and the reason is because they are looking for arcs in your wiring. These devices are proven to prevent house fires. If you leave your space heater on and it starts melting the power strip it is plugged into, this type of breaker will trip before it burns your house down.
ARC FAULT 101- 2014/2017 Code
Not many Electricians know, but its time that you start increasing your service bids if you don’t want to loose money. 2017 Code, which is enforced in most Maryland Counties, is now in full force and says that anytime you work on any device (changing out receptacles to make them look new) that device must now be ARC Fault Protected! If you are just doing a bathroom or a basement, make sure to add that $45 cost in for the new Arc Fault Breaker. For a new service, pretty much every breaker is now Arc Fault… Smoke Detectors, Dishwashers and more require Arc-Faults, please refer to the National Electrical Code, section 210.12 for a detailed list of where Arc-Faults are required. As of 2017, Arc-Faults are even required in Commercial Buildings; Waiting Rooms, Locker Rooms, Daycare Facilities, Anywhere a little kid can stick something into the socket.
There are Single and Double Pole Arc Fault Breakers, Singles Poles cost about half of what Double Pole Breakers Arc-Fault Breakers cost. They are not used very often, but Double Poles Arc-Fault Breakers are needed mostly in older houses where you may have a shared neutral, usually the kitchen small appliance circuits. If you have a situation where you cannot use a Double pole breaker and for some reason the Neutrals are crossed, you can use 2 Arc Fault Receptacles after the split, one for each branch of the circuit. Some Electricians also do not realize that it is possible to have a GFCI Receptacle on an Arc Fault Breaker, using this combination of devices can be cheaper than a dual-function breaker that preforms both types of testing. This is no safety concerns in doing this, the Code allows for different configurations and it mostly depends on costs and accessibility. In a Kitchen, if you trip a GFI, you really do not want to run all the way down to the basement to reset it. It addition, is also possible to have an Arc Fault Breaker on an Ungrounded Circuit (Old BX or Knob and Tube). The Arc-Fault does not test the ground but it will find any surge in current caused by older wiring. If you are changing out devices with this type of older wiring, those devices still have to satisfy the requirements of NEC 406.4 (D) concerning replacements, you may still need GFCI Protection or grounding depending on what type of device you are replacing. If you are an Electrician, remember to tell your customers, the reason this Arc Fault requirement is so harsh is to prevent fires, if you have bad wiring or splices in your home, these breakers will trip before a fire breaks out.
I do realize that it can be confusing, but remember, an Arc-Fault tests for surges of electricity between wiring. That surge is sometimes visible, like if you have a vacuum cleaner running and you pull the cord out and see that blue flash, THAT is an ARC of electricity. In Older houses these types of arcs can be small and inside your wall. If you moved into a newly renovated house, and the flipper who did the renovation didnt pull permits and used his carpenter to do his electrical work, you could have this type of arc inside the newly installed junction boxes. I have seen melted receptacles, and melted/twisted boxes in ceilings from installs like this, its no joke.. ALWAYS HIRE LICENSED CONTRACTORS!
As for the difference between Arc-Faults and Ground Faults, The breakers and Receptacles DO look similar. However, they preform entirely different tests. A ground fault is looking for a sudden short in the circuit. That short can be between the Power Wire and Neutral, or Power wire and Ground. Like when something gets wet and the water carries the current next to your sink or bathtub. That Live Water is there, just waiting for a path to ground and if you touch it, you become that path. GFI Devices were designed to trip fast enough to save your life. Normal Breakers are NOT designed for this, they trip to protect property, not your life.
Recap- Arc-Faults test for a surge of electricity, Ground Faults are looking for shorts in a circuit. Sometimes they are BOTH required in the same circuit.
Types of Arc Fault Breakers- (Color is the Test Button) This applies for Square D and Eaton. Siemens have their own colors.
Blue – 1st Generation – those are recalled! DO NOT USE
Green – 2nd Generation type – they test only in one mode, either Series or Parallel, not both. If you use one of these, you MUST have the first ARC Fault Receptacle in line, not more than 50 CONTINUOUS FEET (no splices) from the panel that is testing for the other condition. They work in conjunction.
Yellow – 3rd Generation – This type of Arc-Fault can only test in 1 Mode, Either Series OR Parallel. You MUST use another device, usually an Arc-Fault Receptacle, in conjunction with this breaker to test the opposite condition to satisfy the requirements of the code.
White – 3rd Generation – Standard Combination Arc Fault Breaker, these will be the main go to Breaker and they cost about $42, about $5 more than the greens.
Purple – also 3rd Generation – Dual Function Breaker, (type DF) this Breaker is GFCI/ARC Fault and is what is required for the Dishwasher/Garbage Disposal Circuit where the devices are hardwired but also located in the Kitchen. ($46 per one)
SqD has come out with a new style QO and Homeline Panels that have a Plug-In Neutral Rails. These Rails are what the back of the breaker clips too. It saves a lot of time and makes your jobs look that much better because it eliminates the Pig Tails on the rear of these Breakers.
Arc-Faults are fairly complex in their design, they have a circuit board INSIDE the breaker that preforms all the necessary functions..
An Arc-fault Device is supposed to be able to selectively distinguish between a harmless arc that is incidental to the normal operation of switches and plugs, versus a potentially dangerous arc that can occur, such as in a lamp cord with a broken conductor. Despite the fact that Arc-Fault Breakers were introduced and written into electrical codes in the late 1990s (more on this later), several myths still surround Arc-Faults —myths often believed by homeowners, state legislators, building commissions, and even some electricians.
“The Following Myths are copied from and corrected as need be from the Electrical Contractors Article discussing such Myths” – https://www.ecmag.com/section/systems/debunking-six-afci-myths
