geochurchi
Senior Member
- Location
- Concord,NH
- Occupation
- Retired electrician
Hi all, what is a combination AFCI? Some people I have been talking with think it is a GFCI/AFCI.
Geo
Geo
Hi all, what is a combination AFCI? Some people I have been talking with think it is a GFCI/AFCI.
Geo
Breakers that do afci and class A GFCI protection by definition are called Dual Function not combination.
As siemens part number has a DF at the end to denote dual function. Ex. Q120DF
IIRC 1999 NEC was the first to require AFCI protection ever. This was the miracle product that would save many lives, then they find out it didn't do everything they claimed it would do. 2002 NEC required a modified version (the combination type), but they were not developed yet so they put a date in there as to what date they would become a requirement (I believe it was Jan 1 2005). It created a lot of confusion for some back then as many thought "combination type" meant it provided both AFCI and GFCI protection, though no such beast has existed until more recently, and the confusion will come about again I'm sure.Well that is a type of combination but I believe when you ask what is a combination afci you are talking about an afci that means the unit can detect both a series and parallel arc. All afci breakers sold today are combination type. I can't remember when the first combo unit came out.
At the time the code started using the term"combination" type AFCI, there was at least on manufacturer that had branch circuit/feeder type AFCI that also had GFCI protection. This was not the GFP protection that was in all of the branch circuit/feeder types AFCIs but an actual 5mA people protection GFCI. This device was called a combination device. The choice to use that term for the AFCI that is designed to detect both series and parallel arc faults was a poor choice.... It created a lot of confusion for some back then as many thought "combination type" meant it provided both AFCI and GFCI protection, though no such beast has existed until more recently, and the confusion will come about again I'm sure. ...
Are you sure? I thought Square D just recently was the first to introduce a breaker with both GFCI (class A GFCI) and AFCI features.At the time the code started using the term"combination" type AFCI, there was at least on manufacturer that had branch circuit/feeder type AFCI that also had GFCI protection. This was not the GFP protection that was in all of the branch circuit/feeder types AFCIs but an actual 5mA people protection GFCI. This device was called a combination device. The choice to use that term for the AFCI that is designed to detect both series and parallel arc faults was a poor choice.
Very sure. I had that very discussion with Tom Domitrovich of Eaton yesterday. He is one of the engineers who helped Eaton create their original AFCI device.Are you sure? I thought Square D just recently was the first to introduce a breaker with both GFCI (class A GFCI) and AFCI features.
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At the time the code started using the term"combination" type AFCI, there was at least on manufacturer that had branch circuit/feeder type AFCI that also had GFCI protection. This was not the GFP protection that was in all of the branch circuit/feeder types AFCIs but an actual 5mA people protection GFCI. This device was called a combination device. The choice to use that term for the AFCI that is designed to detect both series and parallel arc faults was a poor choice.