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#175047 02/20/08 06:51 PM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 49
T
Member
have a attic fan in bedroom, need arc-fault? tried a cutler hammer breaker keeps tripping. attic fan about 30 years old. any suggestions inspector wants arc fault

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tomselectrc #175048 02/20/08 07:32 PM
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 853
L
Member
120V 15-20A, in a bedroom, Yes AFCI.
New fan.
Howed the inspector get involved? Remodel?

leland #175049 02/20/08 07:41 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,044
Tom Offline
Member
Maybe it is time for a new fan. AFCI's include ground fault protection which trips at about 30ma. The fan that old could have defective insulation which would trip the AFCI. Another thing to investigate, if you haven't already, is the possibility of a grounded neutral conductor which will also cause a trip.


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Tom #175050 02/20/08 07:44 PM
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 558
R
Member
"attic fan" as in "in attic, mounted ON the roof" or one of them "whole house fans"??
I didnt think an attic fan needed AFCI

tomselectrc #175052 02/20/08 09:39 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 2
Cat Servant
Member
Unless the fan is actually located IN the bedroom ... I don't see where the requirement for the AFCI exists. The code is pretty clear ... every "outlet" ... and a switch is not an outlet.

In a like manner, simply having the fan pull air from the bedroom does not place it 'in' the room. I suppose a bath fan, where the fan is directly mounted to a hole in the ceiling, could be considered 'in' the bedroom. Let there be even a foot of duct, though, and it's not in the bedroom.

Otherwise, I agree that the fan is likely in need of replacement.

renosteinke #175053 02/20/08 10:04 PM
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,335
S
Member
Put the fan on a different circuit that is not feeding the rooms


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sparkyinak #175054 02/21/08 08:38 AM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 49
T
Member
the fan is on it's own curcit,it is in the stairway that is in the bedroom. it is not in the attic.it is a 2 speed fan . check out all connection. next step is to see if breaker is bad.are there any exceptions to the arc-fault rule that i have missed?

tomselectrc #175065 02/21/08 04:11 PM
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 139
B
Member
Exchanging the breaker to see if it is defective is a quick and easy way to eliminate that from the equation.

However, I agree with several of the above statements regarding the age of the equipment and it being the likely problem. 30 year old equipment will simply not be compatable with AFCI technology.

While it may not be practical or economically feasible to replace the entire fan assembly, you may be able to simply replace the motor and controller components.


Bryan P. Holland, ECO.
Secretary - IAEI Florida Chapter
BPHgravity #175068 02/21/08 05:45 PM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 32
G
Member
Since this is an individual circuit it should be pretty easy to diagnose. At the panel (with the breaker off) check for continuity between the ground and neutral when disconnected from the bus. If it is anything but infinity that is probably the trouble (ground neutral short). Work your way back to the motor until you find it. Next step would be to temporarily hook it up to a regular breaker and hang your clamp on across the ground. It should stay zero. If you have something, I would suspect an intermittent grounded motor winding (real ground fault).


Greg Fretwell
gfretwell #175092 02/22/08 09:37 AM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 49
T
Member
thanks for the feedback i'm going to see if i can move the switch on the stairway landing hopefully he will except that instead of changeing the motor

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