bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
I picked up a Cutler-Hammer brochure today at a local supply house that is promoting their AFCI's. The brochure is titled, "Do The Right Thing! Install Fire-Guard AFCI's."
Inside, there is section that answers frequently asked questions about AFCI's. Two topics caught my attention and seemed a little misleading. Heres what it says.
Inside, there is section that answers frequently asked questions about AFCI's. Two topics caught my attention and seemed a little misleading. Heres what it says.
It seems to me that they are really trying hard to play down series arcing and glowing connections.High Resistance Series Faults - These faults generally occur at loose electrical connections. There is no increased current or arcing to detect. Today's branch/feeder AFCIs have been shown to mitigate these faults by responding to the resulting parallel arc or ground fault due to insulation failure caused by resistive heating.
Series Arc - These are the sparks that occur when one wire in a circuit is broken. The current flow is very low (limited to the current that the load is drawing), and the spark interrupts within a short time (typically less than 1/60th of a second) causing the current to stop flowing. Such sparks are highly unlikely to cause a fire, and actually occur every time a light is turned on at a switch. Series arcs happen hundreds of times in homes every day in switches and appliances.