In the spirit of Alan's request that we comment on the code proposals that we have problems with, I'd like to start a couple threads here in the General Forum, where they will be more visible, for people to share ideas for comments to the CMPs.
I have the following major issue with the proposed residential AFCI requirement: If what I read is correct, there are no exceptions--ALL 15 & 20 amp circuits will have to be AFCIed. There are a number of places where there are very good reasons NOT to have AFCIs, because of the risks that devolve from spurious tripping:
1. Grandma's ventilator. (I'm talking about the medical variety, that keeps her breathing.)
2. The sump pump.
3. The freezer.
4. Furnace circuits in Fargo, North Dakota.
5. There are reports of various properly-operating equipment that trips AFCIs, such as treadmills.
6. As a business, I do engineering development in an office in my home. Some of my commercial equipment, and designs under test, may be incompatible with AFCIs.
7. I have business computing equipment that I don't want to have tripping out. (Although I recognize that "the rats nest of 'surge-strips' at the computer" may be exactly what the proposal is intend to protect against. There appears to be a fundamental conflict here.)
I will leave it to others to argue about the cost and "nanny-state" aspects. Cost I can tolerate; tripping out the sump pump when I'm away is something I can't tolerate.
[This message has been edited by SolarPowered (edited 08-04-2006).]
