# AFCI Breaker Nuisance Tripping



## Joeygibbs23 (Sep 16, 2011)

I have having a nuisance problem with a 15a cb it keeps tripping randomly when there is barely any load at all. This breaker protects a bedroom that has one incadesent fixture and four receptacles. The only thing that is really used in this room is a computer and printer. I heard that some times electronics can cause tripping or combined loads. Any suggestion on making this stop besides changing to a regular cb. And yes I know that violates code but it's very annoying. I'm an industrial electrician and rarely mess with AFCIs. Thanks


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

An afci can be troublesome. Is this a new one? Does it trip when certain things are plugged in or just totally random- middle of the night type thing? I would seriously look at the printer or computer. I had the same issue years ago with a Siemens older version of the AFCI. People cmplained that the computer room would randomly go out. I changed it to a new version afci and all was better- no issues.


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## Joeygibbs23 (Sep 16, 2011)

Dennis Alwon said:


> An afci can be troublesome. Is this a new one? Does it trip when certain things are plugged in or just totally random- middle of the night type thing? I would seriously look at the printer or computer. I had the same issue years ago with a Siemens older version of the AFCI. People cmplained that the computer room would randomly go out. I changed it to a new version afci and all was better- no issues.


Yes it is a newer GE only about 2 years old. And it is a middle of the night type thing. Or just randomly throughout the day. It is the only AFCI in the panel that does this. Others have larger loads like ceiling fans and tvs. So I'm guessing it's just a reject!


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## Joeygibbs23 (Sep 16, 2011)

It is a newer GE AFCI. It is a middle of the night type thing. All the other AFCIs in the house don't do this so I'm assuming it a reject!! Thanks.


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## SEREMan2000 (Aug 29, 2011)

check your receps in the room. i have had them trip because the ground is a little too close to the neutral screw.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

afci's have been the bane of my existence since 1999, the year my state went hook line & sinker for them

~CS~


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

I called the ge rep who got me in touch with the afci engineers in ge. They sent me 6 older generation afci's because I had trouble with fan's in a new home. The older generation work perfectly.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

Check continuity between ground and neutral. May have to megger between the two if you have a staple driven too tightly. If all is good, then it's in the breaker as Dennis mentioned, or the equipment being plugged into the receptacles.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Oh the horror stories........Customer paid me in cash today to avoid those evil breakers.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

yeah, what are we up to now ? version 3?, and UL1699 still doesn't specifically detail what they can and cannot do.....~CS~


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## SEREMan2000 (Aug 29, 2011)

for an item that was supposed to be used for fire protection for the use of ext cords inside a home they have become a cash cow for big biz, and a curse for us


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

we've never been privy to any technical jargon that would explain mitigation of _series _arcs 5 or 500 feet _(as the wire runs)_ from these devices

as a contractor, i would refrain from _selling _afci's as being able to do so

methinks the George Washington IAEI chapter addressed this best a decade ago, although we never saw it in trade mag print, and the one serious trade mag writer in said chapter hung his asci cap up over it all

~CS~


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

chicken steve said:


> we've never been privy to any technical jargon that would explain mitigation of _series _arcs 5 or 500 feet _(as the wire runs)_ from these devices


 
It's called an arc signature. It's not like they made it up or something. We install many with no problem. If your wiring won't run on arc fault breakers consistantly, please consider it could be your wiring practices.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

mcclary's electrical said:


> It's called an arc signature. It's not like they made it up or something..


_noooo_, it's called UL1699, and it's not specific 

conversley, should any EC introduce an electrical widget under similar claims, an inspector could ask for said specifics to be clarified pertinent to usage

ergo the _double_ standard




> We install many with no problem. If your wiring won't run on arc fault breakers consistantly, please consider it could be your wiring practices


many are installed w/o problems

of course, the efficay of devices placed across the line which clearly sates no meggers is, given mother nature's penchant to muddy the voltage for us all, questionable as time marches on


so......who does the onus of performance, dare i say _liability_ rest upon?

do you feel lucky

.........well _do _ya?









~CS~


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## redseal (Sep 22, 2010)

Is their a power strip were everything is plugged into ? (comp,monitor,printer, etc)


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

If you haven't taken megger readings of the branch circuit yet, you haven't even done step #1. Megger the branch circuit before you even start to speculate on the breaker or any attached loads.


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## catfishjack (Sep 4, 2011)

cheap lightbulbs


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