GFCI needs replaced

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kwired

kwired

Electron manager
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NE Nebraska
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EC
Thread was closed for GFCI needs replaced every year so I couldn't reply there.

I had an idea for if moisture maybe is causing problems with a GFCI breaker located in outdoor enclosures - how about a "panel heater" to lessen condensation issues?
 
suemarkp said:
I think panel heaters are called AFCI breakers...
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OK. Do they contribute any significant heat other than when loaded? And when loaded is likely from the thermal mag portion of the breaker and probably about the same amount of heat as a regular thermal mag breaker would produce.
 
My home panel is full of them (at least 20, and it is a subpanel) and there is typically about 10 amps of load on that panel on average (5A per leg). That panel is significantly warmer than the main panel which has the same load plus a bit more (the feeder breaker is in that main, but only 1 or 2 AFCI's in the main panel). Day and night difference in heat when you open the panel doors. I used a remote IR thermometer to check the breaker body temperatures and they were about 90F whereas the non-AFCI's were about 65F. This was in a garage that was about 60-65F.
 
I don't have any AFCI's in my house. Never really checked out heating in any the new residential installs I have done though. Never had situation I could feel any warmth just with my hand from the AFCI's in general. Have noticed warmth on something that is running fairly continuously like breaker supplying things like HVAC loads or in non dwelling panels where maybe several loads are running pretty continuously.
 
suemarkp said:
they were about 90F whereas the non-AFCI's were about 65F. This was in a garage that was about 60-65F.
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104F / 40C is calibration ambient for listed breakers. Max operating temperature can be higher.

129F / 54C is equivalent operating temperature at 40C ambient

140F / 60C is Eaton's max operating temp
suemarkp said:
I think panel heaters are called AFCI breakers...
Click to expand...
Cover sub-panel door with heat sinks, and electricians can advertise All-In-One appliance
 
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