Arc fault + GFI breakers.....

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chevyx92

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VA BCH, VA
Has anyone ever heard or read in the instructions for Arc fault and GFI breakers that you can't cut the neutral pigtail at all? My helper was told this by his instructor in class the other night and I don't agree. This instructor just so happens to be a local electrical inspector too. I personally haven't read that in the instructions but then again I never read all of it. I think he was blowing smoke up his alley.
 
chevyx92 said:
Has anyone ever heard or read in the instructions for Arc fault and GFI breakers that you can't cut the neutral pigtail at all? My helper was told this by his instructor in class the other night and I don't agree. This instructor just so happens to be a local electrical inspector too. I personally haven't read that in the instructions but then again I never read all of it. I think he was blowing smoke up his alley.
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I have installed plenty but have never cut the neutral. Why would you need to cut it?
 
I just quickly looked over the installation instructions for homeline and QO AFCI breakers and there was nothing in the installation instructions that prohibited cutting the neutral pigtail shorter.

Chris
 
I have cut them to square them off in the panel, and have never had a problem. Don't know of any reason the breaker would care if the tail was shorter or longer. (have had to lengthen them also in older panels that have the neutral bar on one side only)
 
hillbilly1 said:
I have cut them to square them off in the panel, and have never had a problem. Don't know of any reason the breaker would care if the tail was shorter or longer. (have had to lengthen them also in older panels that have the neutral bar on one side only)
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I agree. I was just curious of this since this instructor(also an EI) is teaching his class that you can't cut that pigtail, that it is says that in the instructions. I don't agree with this guy at all.
 
hillbilly1 said:
I'm thinking he may have been talking about cutting it off and not using it? Since I was not there, I couldn't say for sure.
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From what my helper said, the instructor said you can't cut/trim it at all because of its design and impedance. Like I said I this instructor is blowing smoke up the students alley.
 
The instructor could be confused, I had one that taught a continuing education class for my Georgia Masters who swore up and down that using #2 CU for a residential stove would payoff in a couple of years by reducing power loss due to voltage drop.
 
chevyx92 said:
From what my helper said, the instructor said you can't cut/trim it at all because of its design and impedance. Like I said I this instructor is blowing smoke up the students alley.
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If that was true then you couldn't take the curl out of it either as this would also have an effect on impedance. Silly that is all it is.
Easy to prove him wrong just give him the instructions that come with one and say "show me".
 
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