ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues AFCI on a furnace

They will figure out a regular breaker is a whole lot cheaper than a 100' extension cord

Yep , maybe they will get that new book Destroy-It-Yourself Book to help with putting it in


TOM L

This is actually really straight forward, code-wise. The mechanical code (all of them I've ever seen, from all the code making bodies) prohibit gas appliances in bedrooms, bathrooms, and closets/spaces accessed only from bedrooms.
Therefore, your furnace cannot be located anywhere AFCI is required.
If your AHJ approves of the location, then they cannot require AFCI.

Would the attic be considered a space accessed only from the bedroom if the only crawl hole is in the master bedroom closet?

Rereading what I just typed it sure looks like one would conclude yes.

The air handler in the attic is pretty much the norm around here and I can't count how many attics I've had to access from the master closet.

Another thing I've found puzzling about the current arc-fault rules is that your often protecting a circuit that serves a bedroom and not a circuit feeding the other side of the wall. Usually both circuits could just as easily be damaged by the same nail or screw, installed from either side no less. I guess when they have us installing $800 worth of arc fault breakers in every house that won't be an issue any longer.

I would think that the attic, being a separate level of the house, would automatically be considered separate from the bedroom. I'm assuming the "spaces accessed only from bedrooms" language is there to prevent someone from putting a furnace in a closet off the bedroom and trying to argue that it isn't a closet.

IMO, if the air handler is in the attic, there should be an easily-accessible pull-down ladder to the attic at a minimum. Try to make it somewhat easy for the homeowner to change the filter once in a while.

(That reminds me ... I need to change my furnace filter!)