philsmith22
New User
- Location
- Oregon
My question is about using an AFCI breaker (not a dual AFCI/GFCI breaker) on a refrigerator individual branch circuit.
I've read over and over that it's a bad idea to put a refrigerator on a GFCI-protected circuit due to the likelihood of nuisance tripping and resulting food spoilage. The 2014 NEC requires AFCI for (new/updated) refrigerator circuits. My understanding is that AFCI breakers (Siemens, in my case) have built in GFCI protection, but at a higher ground-fault-current threshold (30mA) than GFCI breakers (class A, 4-6mA), since AFCI is intended only to mitigate fire risk, not protect personnel from shocks.
The question: all else equal, under normal wiring conditions, is an AFCI breaker less likely to nuisance-trip a refrigerator circuit than a GFCI breaker, due to that higher ground-fault-current threshold? Does that make it "safe" (in terms of avoiding food spoilage) to use AFCI protection on a refrigerator circuit?
(I'm trying to avoid any consideration here of wiring faults - arc faults, ground faults, loose connections, whatever. Just focusing on nuisance-tripping, meaning tripping that's not the result of or indicative of any wiring issues.)
I've read over and over that it's a bad idea to put a refrigerator on a GFCI-protected circuit due to the likelihood of nuisance tripping and resulting food spoilage. The 2014 NEC requires AFCI for (new/updated) refrigerator circuits. My understanding is that AFCI breakers (Siemens, in my case) have built in GFCI protection, but at a higher ground-fault-current threshold (30mA) than GFCI breakers (class A, 4-6mA), since AFCI is intended only to mitigate fire risk, not protect personnel from shocks.
The question: all else equal, under normal wiring conditions, is an AFCI breaker less likely to nuisance-trip a refrigerator circuit than a GFCI breaker, due to that higher ground-fault-current threshold? Does that make it "safe" (in terms of avoiding food spoilage) to use AFCI protection on a refrigerator circuit?
(I'm trying to avoid any consideration here of wiring faults - arc faults, ground faults, loose connections, whatever. Just focusing on nuisance-tripping, meaning tripping that's not the result of or indicative of any wiring issues.)
