frankft2000
Senior Member
- Location
- Maine
Now that arc faults are required for kitchens, and Square D has a combination AFCI/GFCI breaker (Model # HOM120PDFC), are you just installing this breaker, without the GFCI receptacle on the counter tops?
Now that arc faults are required for kitchens, and Square D has a combination AFCI/GFCI breaker (Model # HOM120PDFC), are you just installing this breaker, without the GFCI receptacle on the counter tops?
The DF breakers are less than $50 each...at my supply house they have Cutler Hammer BR series DF breakers now for $48...HD lists the price of Square D DF breakers at $45...I hear Siemens/Murray has a breaker tooo.
If you are going to install a non GFCI receptacle anyway, it kind of evens out labor wise.Siemens has a dual function breaker and I believe it is around $7 more than an arc fault breaker. How long does it take to wire up a GFCI Receptacle vs installing a breaker?
and sometimes it is nice to have the GFCI device local to the are where protection is required, especially in areas that seem to be more prone to trip events.
It is disappointing that to win a bid by using combo breakers (AFCI and GFCI) to wire a house you take all of the usability away from the home owner by putting combination breakers for the kitchen and the rest of the house in their panel instead of the area where they popped a GFI. And on the refrigerator? Really? If they go to bed and don't know it popped everything in their freezer is bad when they realize it!
They should have stickers made up to go on refrigerator receptacles that directs them to send all bills accrued by tripping to the Code making panel!
I used to think that way. But have seen enough failures over the years to know that the GFCI is usually tripping because there is a problem. The AFCI issue is another ball game and I don't want to go there, but I have no problems with the expanding of GFCI requirements that have happened since about 2002 NEC. Can't recall when they threw out the single receptacle exceptions, but I have run into freezers in garages and basements that were shocking people because of a failure within the unit and it was also either a case of missing equipment grounding pin on the cord cap, or one time the freezer was just so old it only had a two wire cord.It s been said before, That if your refrigerator in the kitchen or freezer in the basement trips the GFCI that you have a faulty appliance & should be repaired or replaced. I still believe that the single receptacle was an acceptable alternative for refrigerator, freezer, & sump pumps. In my opinion.
Well they probably have both thermal as well as instantaneous trip mechanisms for the standard OCPD function so maybe they are quadruple function breakersThese "Dual Function" breakers. Are they not also OCPDs? Would they not then be triple-function breakers? Hmmm... :huh:
I believe it is against the NEC to put the kitchen fridge on a gfci. At least, I know I've been called on it in the way past.