I'm doing work on a pre-fab home that was delivered to the foundation after Jan 1. In addition to the basement, garage, HVAC and gameroom wiring, I had to replace three regular breakers with 15A AFCI breakers.
The circuits that the breakers feed are not strictly bedroom circuits but a bedroom along with a bathroom or a utility room (laundry) or the living room. Evidently, the home designers weren't thinking AFCI or 2002 NEC when they built this home.
I've had two problems so far. The first was an AFCI that tripped whenever an under-cabinet fluorescent light fixture mounted in a bedroom clothes closet was switch on. I took the fixture apart and made sure that none of the solid conductors inside the fixture were near sharp metal edges. I also found that one of the lamp sockets was broken with the plastic missing from part of the socket. This was the side of the socket that was near the metal case. I applied strips of Scotch 88 to the case to prevent arcing from the socket and the breaker no longer trips.
Another AFCI breaker trips apparently for no reason and will not usually reset. I swapped circuits with an adjacent AFCI breaker and that one did not trip. I suspect the breaker is defective and will attempt to return it to Cutler Hammer.
