Steve Courtney
Member
Arc Fault problem:
Infrastructure:
Master bedroom: Single circuit wired with 14/2 Romex that connects (6) 15A TR decora receptacles and (2) master bath light fixtures (1) wall sconce, (1) recessed light fixture. All devices are tied to one new QO 15A AFCI breaker. This is not a MWBC.
Refrigerator Circuit: Single outlet wired with a 12/2 Romex cable. Terminated on a 20A QO breaker. This is not part of a MWBC
Conditions:
1. Arc Fault trips (intermittently) with both bath lights energized, oddly there is not aproblem with either one on independently of the other
2. The same Arc Fault breaker is tripping when we were utilizing the kitchen's refrigerator outlet to connect a grinder (to cut some tile on the back splash area). When the grinder was engaged the Arc fault breaker for the bedroom tripped
a. The only physical connection between the two is where they both penetrate the top plate through the same bored hole prior to their entry into the load center.
b. They do not share the same entry KO into the load center.
c. Neutrals are separated as per design.
3. In a troubleshooting effort we ran a separate 14/2 cable from the load center to the originating outlet in the master bedroom (eliminating the HR cable in its entirety) then we began to go device to device in series from the HR outlet to the end device, trying to determine what and where the problem was. We plugged in a saw to present a load thereby verifying the circuits operation. Then we went down stream from the functioning outlet and disconnected all of the branch circuit wiring connected to the operational outlet, where the saw was working. We would then begin to connect the Hot to see if that had an impact (it did not) and then we connected the neutral wire (to the remaining downstream devices) and this is where the problem is being indicated. The odd problem, in this scenario, is that there are no current carrying conditions (to support an arc) when we make the neutral connection of the downstream outlets because there are no loads connected to them.
4. We ran short of time last evening to finish up all of the outlets in the bedroom, will return to today to once again be amazed at how the condition is intermittent and shares a problem with other conductors, from other circuits, that have no physical connection to the problem… Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated? Except for the removal of the Arc Fault breaker.
I have swapped the breaker out with a known working device and still have the same conditions.
Infrastructure:
Master bedroom: Single circuit wired with 14/2 Romex that connects (6) 15A TR decora receptacles and (2) master bath light fixtures (1) wall sconce, (1) recessed light fixture. All devices are tied to one new QO 15A AFCI breaker. This is not a MWBC.
Refrigerator Circuit: Single outlet wired with a 12/2 Romex cable. Terminated on a 20A QO breaker. This is not part of a MWBC
Conditions:
1. Arc Fault trips (intermittently) with both bath lights energized, oddly there is not aproblem with either one on independently of the other
2. The same Arc Fault breaker is tripping when we were utilizing the kitchen's refrigerator outlet to connect a grinder (to cut some tile on the back splash area). When the grinder was engaged the Arc fault breaker for the bedroom tripped
a. The only physical connection between the two is where they both penetrate the top plate through the same bored hole prior to their entry into the load center.
b. They do not share the same entry KO into the load center.
c. Neutrals are separated as per design.
3. In a troubleshooting effort we ran a separate 14/2 cable from the load center to the originating outlet in the master bedroom (eliminating the HR cable in its entirety) then we began to go device to device in series from the HR outlet to the end device, trying to determine what and where the problem was. We plugged in a saw to present a load thereby verifying the circuits operation. Then we went down stream from the functioning outlet and disconnected all of the branch circuit wiring connected to the operational outlet, where the saw was working. We would then begin to connect the Hot to see if that had an impact (it did not) and then we connected the neutral wire (to the remaining downstream devices) and this is where the problem is being indicated. The odd problem, in this scenario, is that there are no current carrying conditions (to support an arc) when we make the neutral connection of the downstream outlets because there are no loads connected to them.
4. We ran short of time last evening to finish up all of the outlets in the bedroom, will return to today to once again be amazed at how the condition is intermittent and shares a problem with other conductors, from other circuits, that have no physical connection to the problem… Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated? Except for the removal of the Arc Fault breaker.
I have swapped the breaker out with a known working device and still have the same conditions.
