AFCI protection on an extension lighting circuit

[J stavs]

Hello, I am an Electrical Contractor In Southern California


I have a question regarding AFC I protection on extension lighting circuits


If I am installing three recessed lights in an upstairs closet On a lighting branch circuit which cannot be AFC I protected from the circuit breaker what choices do I have to comply with NEC to 210.12 Aand 210.12 B without installing the three lights on a GFCI receptacle, (mixing the lights with the outlet circuits)

thanks
J Stavs

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Add a afci receptacle in the box where you are getting the power from. For instance, if there is a closet switch then make it a 2 gang and use the afci as the feed thru for the switch

 

[J stavs]

Ok
So if I have installed recessed lights in the kitchen, dining room,Hallway, three bedrooms, two closets,


I would need to Remove the existing switch boxes and increase the size of the switch boxes toinstall nine AFC I outlets next to every switch


That’s not going to look very attractive


But if that’s what it supposed to be and I’m going to obviously lose a lot of money on this job

Thanks again

 

[al hildenbrand]

So if I have installed recessed lights in the kitchen, dining room, Hallway, three bedrooms, two closets,I would need to Remove the existing switch boxes and increase the size of the switch boxes to install nine AFC I outlets next to every switch?

Welcome to the Forum.

And welcome to the wonderful world of Arc Fault protection. . . It requires another way of thinking about estimating the job.

The old way was figuring out how the new wire being added would connect to the existing wiring.

Now, when adding outlets (lighting, receptacles, smokes, what have you) in an area listed in 210.12, then, at a bare minimum, the new wiring added has to have AFCI protection. 210.12(B) allows us to use an Outlet Branch Circuit (OBC) AFCI at the point where the new wiring begins, or further upstream, when the branch circuit is extended.

The OBC AFCI is mounted in a single gang of a box (a wall case, but not a lighting outlet which is usually round.)

Like a GFCI receptacle, the TEST and RESET buttons have to be "accessible" for routine testing and resetting.

So, the estimate now has to include the material and effort to place the AFCI for the added outlets.

I well remember the first OMG that I had about this when I had bid the work the old non-AFCI way, and now had to eat the cost of doing it the "new" way.

 

[Sierrasparky]

They make a AFCI switch. looks same as the GFCI combo switch.

The big issue is if the outlet box is deep enough.

 

[JFletcher]

Ok
So if I have installed recessed lights in the kitchen, dining room,Hallway, three bedrooms, two closets,


I would need to Remove the existing switch boxes and increase the size of the switch boxes toinstall nine AFC I outlets next to every switch


That’s not going to look very attractive


But if that’s what it supposed to be and I’m going to obviously lose a lot of money on this job

Thanks again

Welcome to The Forum.

What make and model of panel do you have? I know you said you needed 9 switches, how many circuits are those on? If the original panel has no afci Breakers available for it, and the existing switch boxes are too shallow to get in an afci switch, you might come out better on labor and materials by putting in a small sub panel and the two or three afci Breakers there.

Running off of the receptacles will only work if they are combination arc fault ground-fault. GFCI protection is not a substitute for AFCI protection.