AFCI with Vacuum Problem

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shortcircuit2

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South of Bawstin
I have a customer who trips the AFCI breaker when using the Kenmore canister type vacuum which is less than 5 yrs old. The AFCI breakers are newly installed Nov. 2010 and only trip with the vacuum.

I called Eaton (cutler hammer) today and they have many documented problems in the field as many of you can attest to.

So the technician at Eaton informs me of a solution to the problem is to use a surge trap in line with the cord to receptacle connection.

They are mailing one directly to my customer!

Eaton Part #smicro1t

We will see if it works.

shortcircuit
 
Good to know something may help. Vacuum cleaners were some of the first things that brought out the headaches in the AFCI introduction.
 
It would be nice to know if the filter they suggested works. Will you be following up?

Here is a thread on a related issue:
http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=131452

Did Eaton refer to it as a "surge trap" or was that your term?
The filter they suggest has an EMI filter in addition to the surge suppressor MOVs.
 
Funny how they can make a part (the surge trap) to stop the nuisance tripping but they don't incorporate it into the breaker.
 
afci

afci

I had a customer with the same problem. It tripped the AFCI intermittently though. After running a new home run to the plug he likes to use for his vacuum, we found a tiny nick in his fairly new vacuum cord. When we bent the cord back and forth near the nick, it tripped the AFCI right away. I left 2hours of labor poorer and never heard from him again.
 
So does this filter also mask a "real" arc fault signature?...or just the signatures that the AFCI incorrectly responds to?
 
101201-0744 EST

By putting the filter at the vacuum sweeper one is mostly filtering the noise from the vacuum at that point and reducing its intensity going back to the AFCI.

Whether it is having an adverse effect on the operation of the AFCI for other loads or problems on the circuit would depend upon on the distance to the AFCI from the outlet for the vacuum where the filter is located, and the design of the filter.

If the filter were designed into the AFCI, then it would defeat the purpose of the AFCI because it would filter out the signals the AFCI is intended to detect.

Any universal motor, a brush type AC motor, is likely to be a problem to an AFCI. Thus, vacuum sweepers, blenders, electric drills, etc. are all potential problems.

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I have concern with this...so the end user will plug the adapter into a wall receptacle...one that most likely is accessible and not blocked by furniture...right...they will leave it installed so it is there for future use each time they need it. So there goes the tamper resistant protection from the wall receptacle...right?
 
shortcircuit2 said:
I have concern with this...so the end user will plug the adapter into a wall receptacle...one that most likely is accessible and not blocked by furniture...right...they will leave it installed so it is there for future use each time they need it. So there goes the tamper resistant protection from the wall receptacle...right?
Click to expand...

Good thought, I've been tempted to install a device type tvss just for that purpose. Doubt they make a TR one.
 
gar said:
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Any universal motor, a brush type AC motor, is likely to be a problem to an AFCI. Thus, vacuum sweepers, blenders, electric drills, etc. are all potential problems.

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Click to expand...
Then these devices should not be required by the code until the manufacturers can solve that problem. These were forced in the code so that the consumers would be the beta testers for the product. The AFCIs may be ready for the real world in another 5 or 10 years, but they are not ready for general use at this point in time.
 
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