AFCI Tester Info

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Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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Retired Electrical Contractor
Today I met a fellow EC at the supply company who was having trouble passing inspection because the County had just bought a $300.00 tester from Ideal and it would not trip one circuit in the house.

Here is the deal. The homerun was about 75-100 feet and from the first receptacle the arc fault tester would trip but not from any others on the circuit. He added a short cord and plug, about 5 foot long, to the first outlet and the arc fault tester would not trip the breaker. Breakers were changed out, etc and all other circuits were fine. Apparently this is a VD issue????? Any ideas.

Here is some interesting info from ideal and I do understand the only true tester is the button on the breaker.

As of June 2008 (serial# 08260001 or higher), the IDEAL AFCI Branch Circuit Testers' firmware has been modified to test Siemens?/Murray?/GE? CAFCI protected branch circuits. Our testing has found that if the branch circuit has greater than 5% voltage drop as tested by our SureTest? (61-165) with a 15A load, the Siemens?/Murray?/GE? breakers may not trip with our test tool. So, please refer to the testing methodology titled "GUIDE FOR TESTING AFCI PROTECTED CIRCUITS" posted on our website on the 61-059 and 61-165 product pages at www.testersandmeters.com .
IDEAL is offering an AFCI tester upgrade program for the SureTest? Circuit Testers and Circuit Analyzers as outlined below:
Send in a 61-056 plus $90 and receive a 61-059 Send in a 61-058 plus $75 and receive a 61-059
Send in a 61-059, serial # 08260001 or lower and receive a free firmware upgrade
Send in a 61-155 plus $125 and receive a 61-165
Send in a 61-165, serial # 08260001 or lower and receive a free firmware upgrade
To receive your upgrade:
1) Obtain and complete a Return Goods Authorization (RGA) from our Tester Technical Hotline at 877 201-9005.
2) Package the product, attach the RGA # and a check for the appropriate amount.
3) For timely delivery, ensure to use a trackable shipping method with pre-paid postage, insurance and provide a return address. Send the package to the address listed below:
IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC.
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wonder what tester they were using. My 61-056 will seldom work on a house running off "temporary" power, I'm sure due to the voltage drop.
Since the only "true test" in the breaker button, I don't see spending $90 for an upgrade.
 
I ran into the same issue with the Ideal AFCI tester when I used to use it as part of my inspections. I found that circuits with a relatively high voltage drop would not trip the AFCI breaker when the Ideal tester was used. I never failed an installation for not tripping when using this tester, and since this issue came to light I have not used the tester.

This is more proof that the only way to test of an AFCI breaker is with the test button on the breaker.

Chris
 
augie47 said:
wonder what tester they were using. My 61-056 will seldom work on a house running off "temporary" power, I'm sure due to the voltage drop.
Since the only "true test" in the breaker button, I don't see spending $90 for an upgrade.
Click to expand...
According to Ideal the breaker button only tests the breaker itself and not the branch circuit.
 
I only use mine to save me steps. If the tester trips the afci great if it doesn't then I use the test button on the breaker. On the end of long runs it usually won't work. I like mine because I check all the bedroom receptacles (2005 NEC) first then use my tester to trip circuit. If circuit trips I can test receptacles and outlets without going to panel to trip breaker then walk back to test outlets. Then I can reset breakers when I inspect panel.
 
augie47 said:
Huh? If the breaker works then isn't the branch circuit protected ????
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I am sure you are all aware of the letter Ryan sent to ideal in 2005. You can find this here along with ideals response

Here is one paragraph from it. Of course we must remember the source.:smile:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As the leader in branch circuit testing, IDEAL has a few concerns with this testing methodology. First, the "test button" on the AFCI device does not have the ability to check the entire branch circuit for proper installation and protection. An AFCI tester does give Installers, Service personnel, and Inspectors the ability to test a branch circuit for proper wiring and that each device on the circuit is properly protected. Second, each AFCI device manufacturer has its own "test button" and test routine on the device; hence, no testing consistency is present across manufacturers. Third, arc fault protection is an evolving technology with significant changes still ahead. AFCI devices currently on the market detect parallel arcing faults. By 2008, the NEC is to require Combination devices that detect parallel and series arcing faults. So, an independent field verification through an established, objective test standard that device manufacturers must comply with is important to assure consistency in arcing protection across manufacturers and installations. [/FONT]
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augie47 said:
wonder what tester they were using. My 61-056 will seldom work on a house running off "temporary" power, I'm sure due to the voltage drop.
Since the only "true test" in the breaker button, I don't see spending $90 for an upgrade.
Click to expand...
It was FREE unless one waited too long!
 
raider1 said:
I ran into the same issue with the Ideal AFCI tester when I used to use it as part of my inspections. I found that circuits with a relatively high voltage drop would not trip the AFCI breaker when the Ideal tester was used. I never failed an installation for not tripping when using this tester, and since this issue came to light I have not used the tester.

This is more proof that the only way to test of an AFCI breaker is with the test button on the breaker.

Chris
Click to expand...
Does it really? Well, sort-of. Read this thread: http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=111163&highlight=afci
 
Dennis Alwon said:
According to Ideal the breaker button only tests the breaker itself and not the branch circuit.
Click to expand...


I was not aware that the Code required a more extensive inspection, beyound manually exercising the NRTL (UL) Standards prescribed method???
 
cpal said:
I was not aware that the Code required a more extensive inspection, beyound manually exercising the NRTL (UL) Standards prescribed method???
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Is that sarcasm???:smile: I never said the code did require more and I am quite content never owning a $300 arc fault tester. I just thought I would pass on some info for those that cared. Obviously ideal is trying to keep up with the technology but they ought to give the upgrade away. :D
 
Dennis,
It looks like Ideal is giving the firmware upgrade away for free. It apprears you pay more when you want a hardware upgrade as well.

I am a proponent of an external tester and applaud Ideal for their attempts to provide electricians with an external diagnostic tool (not an attempt to overrule the arc fault breakers internal test switch).

Pierre,
As far as an agenda - what company does not have one? Sure Ideal wants to sell product.

What I question is UL and the Arc Fault manufacturers reluctance to recognize the need for a standard for external testability of arc fault circuits.
 
ELA said:
Dennis,
It looks like Ideal is giving the firmware upgrade away for free. It apprears you pay more when you want a hardware upgrade as well.
Click to expand...

ELA:

The AFCI and the Esimated Load on Line(ELL) feature upgrade were both free up to 3/31/09, I think which was extended from a earlier date.
 
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