ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues AFCI

Has anyone thought about this AFCI thing, earlier someone queried about new home and cheap switches, arching when switched, hence a possible tripping of the AFCI in the bedrooms, so if the Smokes are tied to the BR BC and the batts are never changed now there no power to the smoke.
In my area we are required to put smokes on each floor, One in the basement and on each floor outside the bedrooms and they must be interconnected and have AC from a ' NON-switched source '.

bordew, That's exactly what I was talking about in my original post. Here in Indiana we are required to have a dual source smoke detector in each sleeping room as well as on each floor and they have to be interconnected.

Bordew,

It sounds like you'd be alright leaving them off the AFCI if smokies are not required inside the bedrooms in your area. We need 'em inside and outside the bedrooms here. (LI) (battery backups are not required yet though)

Bill

Out in Southampton we are required to have both. Line & Batt backup..

New homes here are required to have at least one smoke detector on each floor, interlinked, and line-powered.

That's in our building regs. though, not electrical.

As per CABO in Lewisburg. Every bedroom, between the bedrooms, top of stairs, in basement (usually with CO detector), and one for each story of the house which may be represented by another already listed.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm going from memory here... (and note the time of post...)

The NFPA figures smokes on a GFI to be undesirable, unless it is an unescapable consequense of whole house protection.
It is a 'survivability' issue, much like fire pumps.
When they pursued the 11th hr 210.12 change from 'receptacles' to 'outlets' the 30ma AFCI function was not considered.
My state may reverse this, due to this very issue at hand.
30ma is really the skinny, this 'waveform' baloney is quickly becomming an NFPA X-file.
I asked , at an IAEI seminar with some nationally acclaimed speakers ( the dudes with thier names inside 70) if an AFCI mitigates a series arc, none answered in the affirmative........ all agreed that it needed to be looked at, and i suspect ( by the number of AHJ Q's then) that the ROP's for 210.12 will be extensive.....


NFPA 72, 2-3.2.4 ( 96') :
AC primary (main) power shall be supplied either from a dedicated branch circuit or the unswitched portion of a branch circuit also used for power and lighting. Operation of a switch (other than a circuit breaker) or a GFI shall not cause loss of (main) primary power.

EX No 2~ where the GFI serves all electrical circuits within the household

210.8(A)(5) EX No 3~
Exception No. 3: A receptacle supplying only a permanently installed fire alarm or burglar alarm system shall not be required to have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection.

During the 2002 code process, a proposal was entered to remove smoke detectors from the requirement of 210-12. CMP-2 voted on the proposal, and it was defeated 12-0. The Code Panel was clear in its intent to have smoke detectors in bedrooms protected by AFCI.

consider the more likely scenario of the AFCI not being able to recognize or mitigate a series arc.....

Also consider an AFCI's listing for 'beyond the device'......