210.12 Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection. 2020 NEC

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jot30

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Regarding:
210.12 (5) "If metal raceway, metal wireways, metal auxiliary gutters, or Type MC, or Type AC cable meeting the applicable requirements of 250.118, with metal boxes, metal conduit bodies, and metal enclosures are installed for the portion of the branch circuit between the branch-circuit overcurrent device and the first outlet, it shall be permitted to install a listed outlet branch-circuit-type AFCI at the first outlet to provide protection for the remaining portion of the branch circuit."

If an all EMT run to the first receptacle is installed and then loaded off to other receptacles - is that by itself code compliant or does it need to be combined with a "Listed" OCPD - Which I don't believe exists. (a listed combination device to be used with the listed branch outlet AFCI)

In other areas of this code it indicates "A listed outlet branch-circuit-type arc-fault circuit interrupter" "in combination with a listed branch-circuit overcurrent protective device" Is that also required with the EMT run explained above?
 
Are you asking if the OCPD and the AFCI receptacle need to be listed together? No they are fine to be different brands.
 
acrwc10 said:
Are you asking if the OCPD and the AFCI receptacle need to be listed together? No they are fine to be different brands.
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Yes...the code appears to indicate "in combination with a listed branch-circuit overcurrent protective device" in other sections of 210.12
 
jot30 said:
OK researching this I did find a listed combo
Is that same combo required when in EMT
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Try to buy it somewhere. That is a product whose only purpose was to prevent the deletion of 210.12(A)(4)(d) so that breakers can maintain a competitive advantage over device type AFCI devices.

If you go back to the 2017, a proposal to delete that rule was accepted by CMP 2, but voted down on a floor vote at the NFPA annual meeting. That motion got about twice as many votes as any other motion voted on that day. It seems that a number of people related to the breaker industry voted on only that motion.

Seemed like shades of IndianHead V Allied Tube many years ago when the steel tube people paid employees to join the NFPA, go to the annual meeting and vote down the acceptance of Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing. That court case resulted in a rule that says you have to be an NFPA member for at least 6 months before you can vote on anything.

The device required in 210.12(A)(5) is simply the original AFCI device....not sure you can buy them either, as they have not been permitted for use since 1/1/2008. That was the effective date requiring the use of the combination type (not to be confused with a dual-purpose type) AFCI
 
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