My Arc-fault circuit breaker keeps tripping and the pain in my neck troubleshooting the fault.
Here’s how to clear a fault when your arc fault circuit breaker keeps tripping:
Unplug everything on the tripped circuit, then try the arc-fault breaker to see if it trips. If it does not trip, systematically plug everything in again and operate each item before moving on to the next to find the culprit.
If everything is unplugged and the arc-fault breaker still trips, check for any hardwired items on the electrical circuit, such as light fixtures and appliances such as garbage disposals, dishwashers, etc. Ensure all these items are turned off, and try the arc-fault circuit breaker and see if it trips.
If everything on the circuit has been disconnected and the arc-fault circuit breaker still trips, there are only two other possibilities.
FAULTY ARC-FAULTY CIRCUIT BREAKER
- Replace your arc fault circuit breaker.
If not your circuit breaker then…
SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR ELECTRICAL WIRING
- Check all electrical boxes for a loose electrical connection.
More helpful tips are below:
Arc-Fault Circuit Breaker Safety
The main reason for arc-fault protection is so residential structures can prioritize electrical safety to stop electrical fires from faulty wiring and improper installations.
So, they have developed the Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI). The National Electrical Code (NEC), which initially only needed AFCIs for bedroom circuits, now mandates them for most electrical circuits within residential homes.
Although AFCIs provide a lot of safety advantages, they can also be a pain in the neck for electricians and homeowners. Arc-fault circuit breakers have been known to trip when appliances and electronic gadgets get plugged into an arc-fault-protected circuit.
In this blog post, l look at the benefits of AFCIs and some of the problems that frequently arise with them.
Arc-Fault Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping – An Overview
In residential electrical systems, arc-fault circuit breakers play an essential role in safety. AFCIs add an additional layer of safety by detecting and reducing the risks associated with arc faults by detecting a current change within the wiring from loose connections or the flow of electricity through the wire.
While arc-fault circuit breakers protect against loose connections and faulty wiring, the standard circuit breakers only protect against electrical overloads and short circuits; thus, the AFCI adds additional protection and peace of mind to your electrical system.
Erratic electrical current that causes unusual signals through your home’s conductors, which can be caused by malfunctioning appliances, broken wiring, or loose connections, will trip an arc fault circuit device. These arc faults could produce a lot of heat, light up neighboring combustibles, and start electrical fires.
It is not only frustrating, but it’s also costly when an electrical appliance or electronic device trips an arc-fault circuit. Sometimes the device is over-sensitive, and sometimes the appliance or electronic gismo omits unusual signals the arc-fault device does not like and trips.
Sometimes the electrician can check with the local authority having jurisdiction, like the electrician inspector or board of electricians, for an administrative procedure to allow a circuit without an arc-fault circuit breaker. And some manufacturers have a notification process on the appliance, equipment, or electronic gadget to adjust the settings on future products.
AFCIs and Why They’re Importance
Well, I’ve been an electrician for many moons, and the electrical codebook has gone from a state electrical code handbook to the national electrical code with big-time manufacturers such as Square D, and Siemens on the board, so you can imagine how these folks are peddling new products.
I remember when you had to upgrade your electrical fuse box to circuit breakers when you renewed your homeowner’s insurance. That sure created a lot of business and sold a lot of circuit breaker boxes.
The funny thing is that fuses will blow when overloaded, and circuit breakers can fail. And yes, you had to have the right-sized fuse in its spot, which some people cheated by inserting a higher-rated fuse which would definitely cause trouble at some point. So, there you go, a reason to mandate a change, which the insurance company did because they were trying to prevent electrical fires.
So, keeping with the theme of safety, electrical safety in the home, to be precise, electrical circuit breaker manufacturers developed and introduced the AFCIs (arc-fault circuit interrupter.
These devices help prevent electrical fires and protect lives and property by quickly sensing an issue with your wiring and interrupting any arc fault.
The NEC (National Electrical Code) has broadened the scope of home electrical circuits with AFCIs to prioritize safety, moving the need from just bedroom circuits to almost every circuit within your house.
The risk of electrical fires is greatly reduced, but the possibility of headaches increases significantly.
Challenges Associated with AFCIs
Despite AFCIs’ safety advantages, installation and troubleshooting can be difficult. Both electricians and homeowners have experienced instances where AFCIs abruptly trip or reveal to be sensitive to particular electrical circumstances. This sensitivity can cause annoyance and costly situations because it can be challenging to determine what triggers an arc-fault circuit breaker to trip. Especially if it trips on an important circuit, such as your refrigerator circuit, causing food to spoil.
Faults on New Wiring
Even with brand-new wiring installations, AFCI can trip and cause problems. This can be unclear because one would think that new wiring will be safe and adhere to all electrical regulations but something like incorrect wiring, loose connections, or even new appliances might cause AFCIs to trip. Just a pain…
Ability to Work with Older Wiring
Using arch fault circuit breakers in older homes with old electrical wiring presents another issue altogether. Arc faults are more likely to occur in outdated wiring because of wire defects, common grounded conductors, multi-circuit feeders, or just loose connections.
Although AFCIs are intended to address these problems, their sensitivity can result in false trips, needing careful investigation and troubleshooting to locate the source of the problem.
Finding the Problem
Finding the cause of the arc fault when it trips can be difficult to say the least.
The best way to identify the problem is to follow a step-by-step process of elimination to narrow your search down to a few items. And you guessed it, this process can be time-consuming and expensive, especially if you hire an electrician.
As a homeowner, here are a few things to try before calling an electrician.
This process can be time-consuming, but you may find the problem and avoid the cost of an electrician to troubleshoot the circuit.
Unplug everything on the tripped circuit, then try the arc-faulty breaker to see if it trips. If it does not trip, systematically plug everything in again and operate each item before moving on to the next to find the culprit.
If everything is unplugged and the arc-fault breaker still trips, check for any hardwired items on the electrical circuit, such as light fixtures and appliances such as garbage disposals, dishwashers, etc. Ensure all these items are turned off, and try the arc-fault circuit breaker and see if it trips.
If everything on the circuit has been disconnected and the arc-fault circuit breaker still trips, there are only two other possibilities.
FAULTY ARC-FAULTY CIRCUIT BREAKER
Check the neutral and hot wires to ensure those connections are tight.
Replace the circuit breaker first to see if that is the problem
Or disconnect the circuit breaker and try it on a different electrical circuit
SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR ELECTRICAL WIRING
Well, if it is not the circuit breaker, then unfortunately, there is something wrong with your wiring.
Start at either the first electrical box from the panel or at the furthest or approximately the most distant electrical box from the electrical panel, disconnect the wiring and isolate each one from the other, then try the arc-fault circuit breaker again, and repeat this process on each electrical box on the problem circuit until you clear the circuit of any arc-faults tripping the circuit breaker.
NOTE: If you find your electrical plugs are back-wired, and the wires are not terminated under the screw, you will want to change each one so they are all terminated under the screw. The back-wired connections are notorious for causing arc faults over time because the electrical connection loosens up when there is a good load on the connection frm things such as appliances, space heaters, vacuums, and air conditioners.
Arc-Fault Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping Summary
Electrical safety in the home has surely been revolutionized and complicated by arc-fault circuit breakers, which provide improved peace of mind from the risk of fire brought on by arc faults.
Although, we don’t have much of an option other than accept the current generation of AFCIs, recognizing their contribution to electrical safety while anticipating the day when they add a dash of fun to our daily life.
Until then, let’s stay connected, be careful, and keep in mind to always have a backup supply of humor on ready for those sporadic electrical outages!
Checkout this post on Leviton Load Centers.
