Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

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dduffee260

dduffee260

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Texas
It is my understanding that all outlets in a bedroom of a dwelling are required to be AFCI protected. This including light switches, fixtures and smoke detectors.
Wouldn't it be better to put the smoke detectors on a seperate circuit ? Seems like when you have a fault of some type that is when you would most want the smoke detectors to be in operation.
We do not wire a large amount of dwellings but this seems to be coming up some.
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

Putting the smokes on a seperate circut is a requirement in Delaware.

Now on wether or not they should be, that has been discussed many times in the AFCI forum. Do a search, there's plenty of reading.
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

Putting the smokes on a seperate circut is a requirement in Delaware.

Ok, but are the smokes on a seperate arc fault circuit? Also I looked in the AFCI section and did not see much on this.
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

If the smokes are in a bedroom, the entire circuit must have AFCI protection, whether or not they are on a separate circuit.

Do a word search (within the forum, not on the Internet at large) for ?smokes.?
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

In some areas it is a violation to put the smokes on a separate circuit. These areas require the smokes to be on a commonly used circuit. The thinking is that if the smoke detector only circuit is off for some reason that no one will notice, but if it is a commonly used circuit that is off, it will be checked out. Yes, I know that many detectors have battery back up, but when it starts chirping to indicate a low battery, the battery is often removed by the resident and now there is no operation smoke detection.
Don
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

Here are a few threads from the AFCI section ; 1 ,2, 3,4,5,6,7,
and 8

Roger
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

I personally think smoke alarms are better shared with one of the bedroom circuits. When they are on their own circuit, that circuit could fail and go unoticed for awhile, or least unitl the unit starts to "chirp" from the battery backup going dead.

I place the smokes on the master bedroom lighting circuit, that way the homeowner knows that if the lights aren't working, nor are the smokes.
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

Don, I agree that some places will not allow smokes to be on the AFCI circuit. But wouldn't this be lesser than NEC ??.....I thought a place could be more stringent than NEC, but not less.
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

Originally posted by dduffee260:
.....I thought a place could be more stringent than NEC, but not less.
Click to expand...
City law cannot cirrcumvent state law and state law cannot circumevent federal law.

The NEC is not adopted federally, therefore a state can hack it up however they wish. If the NEC is adopted as a city law, they can also hack it up however they wish.
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

I don't think Don was addressing smoke detectors not being allowed on AFCI's in his post. I think he was saying they should be on the same AFCI serving the other outlets, this is the same as Bryan is saying.

Roger
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

dduffee260,
I didn't say that the smokes can't be on the bedroom AFCI circuit. I said that in some areas they cannot be on a separate circuit.
Don
 
Re: Smoke Detectors on AFCI Circuits ?

Originally posted by dduffee260:
Putting the smokes on a seperate circut is a requirement in Delaware.

Ok, but are the smokes on a seperate arc fault circuit? Also I looked in the AFCI section and did not see much on this.
Click to expand...
As per DE State Fire Prevention Regulations
Part 1
Annex B
Additions, Deletions, and Changes to Codes and Standards Listed in Annex A
Page 47

Modify NFPA 70, 2002
Article 210
210.12 AFCI Protection

Ammend 210.12(B), by adding a second, third, and forth sentence to read:

(B) Dwelling Unit Bedrooms
All branch circuts that supply 125-volt, single phase, 15- and 20-ampere outlets installed in dwelling unit bedrooms shall be protected by an arc-fault circut interrupter listed to provide protection of the entire branch circut.
Smoke alarms shall not be placed on branch circuts protected by AFCI.
All smoke alarms shall be supplied by branch circuts dedicated to smoke alarm equipment.
The connection of the smoke alarm branch circut to the power service shall be mechanically protected by utilizing Lock-On devices.
 
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