uh - oh No more AFCI !

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davedottcom

davedottcom

Senior Member
If you run an AFCI circuit through a Manual Transfer Switch you will "lose" the AFCI protection when you switch it to Generator mode, violating 210.12(B).

Be Careful when hooking up those Gen. Panels guys...No AFCI Circuits!

:roll:

Dave
 
Re: uh - oh No more AFCI !

I don?t follow your description. You have a normal source to the MTS, an alternate source to the MTS, and a load. At what point in this system is the AFCI device installed? Are you saying that the AFCI is near the normal source (before it connects to the MTS)? If so, then yes, when you switch the MTS the AFCI is no longer in the circuit. But that would not come as a surprise to anyone. But if the AFCI is downstream of the MTS, then I don?t understand what you are saying about it being no longer effective. Please explain.
 
Re: uh - oh No more AFCI !

I'm talking about the small transfer panels that plug into a portable generator. The ones that switch each circuit from utility to gen. individually. www.connecticut-electric.com

Switch in utilty position: Feed comes out of the breaker through the "3-way" switch in the transfer panel, returns to the panel where it is connected to the load. (The wire that was originally on the breaker)

If the breaker is an AFCI everything is still fine in the "Utility" position.

BUT

When you switch the transfer switch to the "Gen." position it disconnects the AFCI feed and now feeds the load from the generator and through a regular circuit breaker in the transfer switch.
No more AFCI protection.
This violates 210.12(B).

:(

Dave
 
Re: uh - oh No more AFCI !

It would be the same problem if it was a GFCI breaker also.
Different code violation though!

:)

Dave
 
Re: uh - oh No more AFCI !

Ok, now I see what you are talking about. Never used one, that's little stuff. :cool: I usually do a separate emergency panel fed through a MTS.

Good point though. The code doesn't address this issue which may affect the MTS's UL listing.

-Hal
 
Re: uh - oh No more AFCI !

This is not the case when you use a Transfer switch with a built in or seperate load center. You would simply install a second AFCI breaker in there to keep it code.
The small transfer switches I'm talking about only have a little "Push to reset" type breaker, and as far as I know they don't offer an AFCI version...not yet anyway! :roll:

Just something to remember if youz guyz are installing them.

Dave
 
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