AFCI vs home inspection

[megloff11x]

The problem isn't new properly wired homes with new listed appliances - they don't need AFCI. The problem is 100yr old do it yourselfer basket case homes with grandma using a 60yr old sparky vacuum cleaner and an 18AWG extension cord from the kitchen to her 30yr old electric blanket.

A suggestion: After a fire, neighbors and churches will often raise money to help the family. How about being proactive? Raise some money before the fire, have your local electricians go out and inspect these older homes and give an estimate, and then use the funds raised, and some competent volunteer help to pay for the upgrades?

The electricians can write off on their taxes for reduced labor rates. The suppliers can do likewise. The increased business more than offsets.

Further, you can offer trade ins - old appliances for new less sparky ones.

It would probably cost less and save more than making everyone use the latest & greatest widget.

Matt

 

[peter d]

It sounds good in a perfect world, and I like the idea. The only problem is that in my area there is so much old housing stock that I could live to be 1000 and still not be done with 1/3 of the houses.

And we'll never be able to eliminate DIY hack work. That will always exist. That is proven time and time again where I live, where we have all the things in place that are supposed to stop it - apprenticeship, licensing, permits, inspections and continuing education. Old appliances eliminate themselves when they finally die and go to the junkyard.

There is no "magic box" or magic solution to stop "electrical" fires. The AFCI certainly has proven to be more of a disaster than anything else, 13 years after it was first proposed. Life goes on......

 

[allenwayne]

A disaster yes but if the 08 cycle is implemented then it will be more like a catastrophe.

 

[jeff43222]

And we'll never be able to eliminate DIY hack work. That will always exist. That is proven time and time again where I live, where we have all the things in place that are supposed to stop it - apprenticeship, licensing, permits, inspections and continuing education.

The only thing I've seen so far that makes a dent is "truth in housing" inspections required when a house is put up for sale. An AHJ inspector goes through the house and tags anything that was done without a permit. All tagged items must then be fixed by a licensed contractor; the homeowner doesn't have the option to pull his own permit at that point. I bet most homeowners who have been cited either pull permits the next time they do DIY work or hire pros.