Nebraska adopts the 2002 NEC, but without AFCI Protection!Effective, July 23, 2002, the State Electrical Division will begin enforcement of the amended 2002 National Electrical Code as found in State Electrical Board Rule 18. All permits issued on or after the effective date will be inspected to the requirements of the amended 2002 NEC. All permits issued prior to the effective date will be inspected to the requirements of the 1999 NEC. See
http://www.electrical.state.ne.us/notices.html 210-12. Delete the entire 2002 NEC Section 210.12, Arc-Fault
Mike Holt's Comment: I agree 100% with Nebraska. This requirement (AFCI protection) should not be in the NEC and I am considering proposing that this rule be deleted from the 2005 NEC.
I don't have the time right now to explain why I feel this way, but an AFCI protection device (as listed by UL in compliance with the NEC) is not listed to protect against fires from arcs from two wire NM cable, knob-and-tube wiring, nor is it designed to prevent fires from loose terminals!
Personally, I think the marketing of this product is misleading and the more I understand its limitations, the more I can't believe it's been adopted in the NEC. What really scares me is that the industry thinks that an AFCI device will protect against a fire from loose terminals. This is false security.
If you receive the IAEI News, read the George Washington Chapter Business meeting minutes on page 37.
Looks like someone in Nebraska is paying attention to what this device really does.
