Ok, here are the details....

Older home....New panel......New addition on the house. As required by code... a single 15amp AFCI breaker is placed on the circuit leading to the bedroom receptacles in the new bedroom in the new addition only....NOT the existing bedrooms of the older part of the house.

Here is the problem... no matter where the customer plugs something in any part of the house on OTHER circuits outside of the AFCI circuit (in the new section and the old section)....the AFCI trips!!

A bad AFCI breaker has been ruled out, as 5 have been replaced all with the same effect. I suspect a neutral back feed somewhere in the system. The Cutler-Hammer people have no answers....you guys have any ideas or seen/heard this problem before??


Sandro Parete www.santinoelectric.com

[This message has been edited by Sandro (edited 09-04-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Sandro (edited 09-04-2002).]

You might want to check to make sure a ground and nuetral arn't touching somwhere in the circuit. If they are touching the AFCI will trip as soon as something is plugged in.

Sandro, when you say "new panel" do you mean you installed a sub-panel for the new addition?
If so, did you bond the neutral to the new panel enclosure, or isolate it?

Ed

I know this is a stupid question but did you connect the neutral wire from the new circuit to the neutral terminal on the arc-fault breaker or the neutral bar in the panel? Did you run 14-2 or 14-3 for your home run?

Curt

EESPARX.......thanks for the input.

Problem solved!!

Cheers!

older BX circuitry folows suit many times.