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    janet63's Avatar
    janet63 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Oct 8, 2008, 08:58 AM
    Arc fault breaker NEC requirements
    I would like someone to clarify if all rooms of a renovated or upgraded electrical system (changed from a fuse panel to a breaker panel)has to be arc protected or just the bedrooms

    Thanks
    stanfortyman's Avatar
    stanfortyman Posts: 5,598, Reputation: 279
    Electrical & Lighting Expert
    		  
    #2

    Oct 8, 2008, 02:37 PM
    1) Depends on what code cycle you are under and if any amendments exist.

    2) "Chang<ing> from a fuse panel to a breaker panel" is NOT upgrading the electrical system. It is simply a service upgrade. This does NOT affect the branch circuits in the house.
    The arc fault requirements do not apply to service changes.

    Arc faults are required for "branch circuits supplying outlets" in certain areas. The devil is in the details of how this code is written.

    By doing a service upgrade you are not installing or modifying the branch circuits.




    Renovating is another thing entirely.
    EPMiller's Avatar
    EPMiller Posts: 624, Reputation: 37
    Senior Member
    		  
    #3

    Oct 8, 2008, 04:42 PM

    We got hung that way once. When replacing a sub panel during a remodel we had to upgrade to AFCI breakers on the bedrooms. Just a jurisdiction issue I guess. Wouldn't hurt to check.

    Side note: ran into one heck of a problem on that job. The one AFCI would trip out at random times. After many of hours of troubleshooting it turned out to be a neutral stripped back 2 inches beyond the outlet and just brushing the metal box when the house got above a certain temperature. Tripped the breaker without showing any continuity from neutral to ground. Probably was the most frustrating problem I have had in my electrical work.
    EPMiller's Avatar
    EPMiller Posts: 624, Reputation: 37
    Senior Member
    		  
    #4

    Oct 8, 2008, 05:21 PM

    We got hung that way once. When replacing a sub panel during a remodel we had to upgrade to AFCI breakers on the bedrooms. Just a jurisdiction issue I guess. Wouldn't hurt to check.

    Side note: ran into one heck of a problem on that job. The one AFCI would trip out at random times. After many of hours of troubleshooting it turned out to be a neutral stripped back 2 inches beyond the outlet and just brushing the metal box when the house got above a certain temperature. Tripped the breaker without showing any continuity from neutral to ground. Probably was the most frustrating problem I have had in my electrical work.
    hedlok's Avatar
    hedlok Posts: 32, Reputation: 2
    Junior Member
    		  
    #5

    Oct 9, 2008, 05:36 PM

    If you live in New Jersey, the arc fault portion of the NEC is deleted so in New Jersey, for now, arc faults are never required.
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