ARC Fault Breakers. Your Experiences.

[Industrial Toys]

Thanks

I will.

They must have filters to keep from seeing the rest of the system. Otherwise you might guess that welding would shut off the lot of them.

 

[Travelover]

I had to install them when I replaced my service box. On circuit has X10 switches that send a tiny signal through the wires to operate remote switches. Every time I used one X10 switch it tripped the arc fault. Since I'd passed the inspection, I replaced it with a regular breaker. $50 paperweight.

 

[Industrial Toys]

VERY INTERESTING, X-10 (sundowner) has been turning the lights on and off here since the 80s. Maybe it tripped the ARKY thingamajigger. Strange though, since they don't use RF. I have all the technical nomenclature but I think they just put signals on the 60HZ wave.

I guess the old flourescent tube starters would trip those things too.

 

[buickanddeere]

Thanks. Still don't know why the 8 foot flourescent would trip it. Those 8 foot tubes only have single conductor ends. Maybe the contacts are arcing, because I don't believe there are any contacts inside the old magnetic ballast.

We just keep heading in a direction that makes life totally dysfunctional!

How about the possibility of the AFCI sensing 殿rcs from the 8 foot long spark inside the Flourecemt lamps.

 

[CobyRupert]

My understanding is AFCI breakers look for the frequency associated with arcing, usually around 100khz.
How wide of a range around 100kHz, and for how long, and the magnitude, probably determines how sensitive they are and how much nuisance trips you get. This is probably why they can trip if there's other noise in the area at this frequency. (RFI?) Or if your also imposing a high frequency communication signal onto the 60 hertz circuit.

My understanding is fluorescent lighting is just arcing in a special gas between two electrodes, and a high impedance transformer (ballast) that limits the current so that this "short circuit" arcing doesn't trip your breaker, while also boosting the voltage so you get the arcing. Maybe this arcing frequency in the gas gets transposed into the current being drawn on the line side of the ballast and is detected by the AFCI. That is, typically the ballast should smooth the current being drawn, but if the arc is drawing current (in a: "now I am, now I'm not" fashion) at 100 kHz, the line side of the ballast and AFCI may see some of that too, and trip.

Regarding a kinked wire tripping them, as mentioned above, there was either some arcing occurring where the kink caused the insulation to be stressed. Or perhaps it caused a reflected wave back to the AFCI that it saw the interference pattern that mimicked 100khz? Doubtful though, as probably any wire termination (boundary) could have this.
:2cents:

 

[skipmarcy]

Maybe it's something similar to what has happened in my industry - auto repair, where cheap quality parts are causing all kinds of problems. I built my house in 2006 and had to use arc faults on 3 circuits and not one of them has tripped in 13 years now. I have a GE service panel and all GE brand breakers. Although it wasn't required, I used GFI breakers in all the other 110v locations and they are all GE and haven't had to replace a single one. I personally did every bit of wiring myself in my house too, and know exactly each and every connection. I also drove every single nail, screw etc. so I know there's no damages to wiring from that. An electrician, no matter how skilled, cannot watch an apprentice or helper do every bit of their tasks.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Well, I got around to replacing a couple of magnetic ballasts on two eight foot T12-96 fixtures that were tripping my arc fault breaker. Changed the first to an electronic ballast and it again tripped within a few seconds. Changed the second and it stayed on. Noticed a bulb was not working on the first, so put it in the second and it also did not work, but did not trip out the breaker. Put the good bulb back in the first and the breaker held! So WTF? Maybe those lousy push in terminals on the bulb sockets?

Irritating! So now I either get rid of the arc fault breaker or have to install some kind of Emergency Lighting so I don't get caught in the dark on a second floor of the barn.

 

[grsthegreat]

Just lose the arkfault breakers. Lighting in outbuildings don’t need arkfault or GFCI protection. Only outlets in outbuildings need GFCI protection.

 

[Industrial Toys]

We have no insurance since 1975. So I try and do what I can to protect my assetts. Fortunately, the cats earn their keep and keep the rodent population in control.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Now that it's gotten cold, BOTH arc fault breakers are tripping with nothing running on them! Googled it and there appears something to this. Panel is not in a heated space. Some say, breakers can detect upstream arcing as well. I think they gotta go!