Arc fault tripping...I'm out of ideas

[Steviechia2]

I am an arc fault hater as well. We have found some televisions, fan speed controls and treadmills are the worst offenders tripping them.
I had a fan speed control not only tripping multiple breakers in the sub panel but also tripping breakers in the main panel at the same time.
I solved the problem by keeping the conductors away from all other conductors in the panel (including the neutral from the afci breaker)

 

[Dennis Alwon]

What is the problem with using them on dimmer circuits?
I can see problems with circuits that carry RF signals piggybacked on the AC.

Tapatalk!

When GE sent them to me they said they could not be used on circuits with dimmers. That is the best I can offer- I took it as fact.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

That's some good info to know!
Hey Denny could you check my post "anything really wrong with this?" Tell me what you think.

I have no idea what post you mean.

Go to the post and click the post number on the upper right had side of the post. This will make the post the first post and then copy that url at the top and paste it in the thread. That would take me right to the post in question

 

[TG43]

Aloha,
This is my first post, I saw this thread searching for something else and it made me remember what made me hate AFCI breakers. I went thru the trouble calls just like the OP, every time, the customer would reset the breaker, and it would be fine for a few days. finally I asked them to quit resetting the breaker, and to call me immediately when it happens. It turned out it was a new dirt devil vacuum charger.

 

[Peteschmidt]

I don't see how the range could trip a AFCI breaker.

I just replaced an oven element that was cracked. The conductor in the element had burned back inside the cal rod about 3 inches on either side of the break... seems like that would have caused an AFCI to trip!

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I just replaced an oven element that was cracked. The conductor in the element had burned back inside the cal rod about 3 inches on either side of the break... seems like that would have caused an AFCI to trip!

Yes but a range is not generally on an afci breaker. It is not required and I have never seen a dp 40 afci-- they may make one but it is not required

 

[mbrooke]

I just replaced an oven element that was cracked. The conductor in the element had burned back inside the cal rod about 3 inches on either side of the break... seems like that would have caused an AFCI to trip!

GFP would have caught that.

As for the NEC they should be tried for fraud. AFCIs are a deceptive scam.

 

[Vmadden]

Seimens makes a ground fault tester that works really well. It has LEDs that will light up to tell you if the breaker is getting close to tripping. you can walk around the house with the wireless hand held device while you turn equipment and lights on to narrow it down. we had an issue where a customer supplied a few LED light fixtures that were not FCC compatible and were causing the breakers to trip. They would not trip by themselves, only when there was a few mores amps of load on the circuit. the frequencies emitted by these lights were causing the breakers to trip. Seimens told me this is not that uncommon. It can even cause an arc fault on another circuit to trip by traveling back to the panel through the neutral. I was also told that ham radios can also cause a problem.