AFCI's installed in older homes?

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bjp_ne_elec

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Southern NH
This is kind of related to the active post titled "No ground in wiring system - metal boxes". Section 406 talks to labeling GFCI's "No Equipment Ground " on circuits where GFCI's have been installed, with no EGC in the particular circuit. I haven't been able to find a similar provion for AFCI's. How do you handle gettting these installed when doing upgrades in bedrooms that don't have EGC's in the branch circuits feeding them?

There's one to toss around.

Thanks,

Brett
 
Simple, you put in a afci breaker.Any receptacles that do not have a ground must remain as a 2 prong outlet.You could also install gfci receptacles if you like and label it and slaves with that sticker.
 
Jim W in Tampa said:
Simple, you put in a afci breaker.Any receptacles that do not have a ground must remain as a 2 prong outlet.You could also install gfci receptacles if you like and label it and slaves with that sticker.
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When using GFCI's to contend with no EGC, it's for the purpose of installing grounding receptacles in spite of not having the EGC; 2-wire receptacles don't need stickers.

You only need one GFCI if you use the feed-through terminals, but every grounding receptacle so supplied should have the "no equipment ground" sticker applied.
 
Greg,
Question....does the EGC have any function with the operation of an AFCI breaker?.....No...
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An AFCI only indirectly detects the heat from a poor connection which is, in my opinion, the most common type of fault to result in a fire. It detects this problem only when the poor connection progresses to a line to line fault or to a ground fault. If there is no EGC run with the circuit conductors it is hard for the fault to progress to a ground fault. But if you are saying that the AFCI does not need an EGC to function, you are correct. The lack of the EGC just makes it harder for the device to react to some types of faults.
Don
 
bjp_ne_elec said:
How do you handle gettting these installed when doing upgrades in bedrooms that don't have EGC's in the branch circuits feeding them?

There's one to toss around.

Thanks,

Brett
Click to expand...

If the scope of the upgrade forced you to install an AFCI to comply with a new code cycle, it would also force you to install new circuitry with an EGC to be compliant.

Roger
 
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