ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area ITE AFCI breakers NFG

I'm a little confused here...the inspectors in my area test these AFCI breakers with a tester that is suppose to be an AFCI tester and will not sign off on the job unless they trip with the hand held tester. So if all they have to do is push the test button on the breaker, how come they are not testing them this way???

Don't inspectors receive info on test procedures for AFCI breakers...from IAEI or UL???

Thanx for the feedback guys.

shortcircuit

The button on the breaker will tell the inspector that the breaker is installed and working, it won't tell the inspector that a particular outlet is protected by that outlet.

Shortcircuit, unfortunately not all inspectors try keep up with this type of information and are content in thinking they are doing things right.

The real problem lyes with those who aren't receptive to having there wrong ways pointed out.

BTW, Did Etcon say why they attached a bogus UL label to their first testers?

Roger

The inspector can press the test button on the breaker then verify the outlets have been de-energized with a standard 3-light tester. How do your inspectors test ceiling light and smoke detector outlets?

My Knopp tester (wiggy) will not trip current Square D AFCI's so ther is no way a 10ma load will. Etcon should stop making these tester and recall all of them that have been sold.

Curt

The Etcon guy said that they were useing GFCI tester cases for the AFCI testers when they first started manurfacturing the AFCI testers back in 2002.(Etcon AF120)
Sounds a little shaky to me.I have one of those testers which I bought for 30 bucs back in 2002 and it was the only one available.Think they were trying to get something out on the market to sell before anyone else and tried to avoid proper UL listing procedure? If so why wasn't there a safty recall posted at the supply houses?

shortcircuit

Last Thirsday I went to A Down East Acc. meeting in Ellesworth ME. and one of the members said he had some AFCI breakers trip every time he pushed in the test button. Only problem is that the service had not been connected up yet!

Bill;
I printed the UL warning on the etcon tester and posted it at my supply house. There was a case in which I mentioned in an earlier post of an inspector who used an etcon AFCI tester and flunked him three times till we proved his tester in adequate.