al hildenbrand
Senior Member
- Location
- Minnesota
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor, Electrical Consultant, Electrical Engineer
I've just come from the Upper Midwest Electrical Manufacturer's Trade Show in the Minneapolis Convention Center. I went with particular interest in the brand new entry into the residential load center market by Leviton. I got to handle the material.
The line card for this new Leviton hardware, which can be seen by clicking here, shows only two AFCI combination-type breakers, both single poles.
I was referred to Leviton Tech Support by the sales staff, which, after grabbing a cup of coffee and getting a seat, I did. Four transfers later, I learned that the Branch Circuit Neutral MUST be connected to the LOAD side of the AFCI breaker, but I also learned that the vanilla AFCI breaker does not sense for a ground fault along the branch circuit neutral.
I learned there is no provision for handle tie of two, or more, single pole breakers.
I learned that two pole AFCI combination-type breakers are in "the pipeline".
What these two facts, together, mean: Legacy MultiWire Branch Circuits that require AFCI cannot be supplied by the current hardware available.
Also, any Legacy MultiWire Branch Circuit, requiring AFCI, that has a 15 Amp and a 20 Amp OCPD, one on each leg, cannot be served by the available hardware.
The new Leviton Load Center has some strong and attractive features, however the above limitations seem to indicate that it is only suited for the New Construction market, not the existing dwelling market.
The line card for this new Leviton hardware, which can be seen by clicking here, shows only two AFCI combination-type breakers, both single poles.
I was referred to Leviton Tech Support by the sales staff, which, after grabbing a cup of coffee and getting a seat, I did. Four transfers later, I learned that the Branch Circuit Neutral MUST be connected to the LOAD side of the AFCI breaker, but I also learned that the vanilla AFCI breaker does not sense for a ground fault along the branch circuit neutral.
I learned there is no provision for handle tie of two, or more, single pole breakers.
I learned that two pole AFCI combination-type breakers are in "the pipeline".
What these two facts, together, mean: Legacy MultiWire Branch Circuits that require AFCI cannot be supplied by the current hardware available.
Also, any Legacy MultiWire Branch Circuit, requiring AFCI, that has a 15 Amp and a 20 Amp OCPD, one on each leg, cannot be served by the available hardware.
The new Leviton Load Center has some strong and attractive features, however the above limitations seem to indicate that it is only suited for the New Construction market, not the existing dwelling market.