AFCI nusiance tripping

[sandsnow]

Does anyone know if someone is compiling a list of common loads which will or could nusiance trip an AFCI?
Any of the manufacturers maybe?
I'm looking for something to give to our residential inspectors for reference in the field.

 

[templdl]

Re: AFCI nusiance tripping

I don't know if a combination of loads so much as it it is the posibility of an EGC in the curcuit commining into contact with a neutral. It has been of my experience that the most common cause of a nuisance trip on an AFCI is simply where a bare grounding conductor bends up against and touches the neutral of an duplex outlet. This unfortunately can happen when pushing the outlet back into the box when it's secured.
Noting that an AFCI has about a 30ma ground fault sensitivity (a GFCI has 5ma +-1ma) neutral current which may take a path back to the source through the EGC may trip the AFCI. Since you now have a parallel path for the neutral current the current traveling the EGC may vary depending upon the location of the EGC contact with the neutral and the loads on that branch circuit.