Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t understand the different components of their home electrical system, or how they affect their overall system’s operation and safety. Here, we’ll discuss what arc-fault circuit interrupters are and why they’re important for your home.
What Are AFCIs?
AFCI, known formally as an arc-fault circuit interrupter, is a specialized type of outlet or circuit breaker. It’s designed to detect whenever dangerous electrical arcs are present and shut off the power before a fire can start. Electrical arcing is when there are sparks of electricity being sent from your wires.
What Causes Electrical Arcs?
Electrical arcs can happen due to a variety of different circumstances. Some of the most common are the result of damaged, loose, and even frayed wiring. Pests can chew your wiring and leave the internal wires exposed. Worn-out outlets or poorly installed wiring can lead to unfortunate loose connections. Even aging wiring with corrosion can cause electrical arching.
These electrical arcs create an excessive amount of heat which can ignite the material surrounding your wire. For example, an electrical arc hidden in your wall could actually ignite the wooden studs and cause an electrical fire. It can also ignite other building materials like drywall and even insulation. If you happen to touch an arcing area, it can lead to burns and even deadly shock.
Arc faults are listed are one of the leading causes of home fires according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). It’s important to be proactive in protecting your home from this dangerous electrical problem.
What Are Signs of Electrical Arcing?
Because electrical arcs are very dangerous, it’s imperative to be able to successfully identify them and respond quickly by shutting off the power to that circuit. One of the most obvious indicators of arcing is visible sparks.
You may hear a buzzing, sizzling, or cracking noise coming from your light switches or outlets. You may also get a whiff of a burning smell near these locations. In some cases, your lights may flicker. You never want to let these issues go, as they can lead to a dangerous fire in your home.
How Do AFCIs Work?
AFCIs are specifically designed to detect the unique patterns of arcing. These include parallel arcs, series arcs, and ground arcs. When they detect an arcing pattern in the line, AFCIs will automatically shut off the power to the circuit. This will prevent electrical fires from happening.
AFCI Requirements
The National Electrical Code and other modern-day building codes require the use of AFCI protection for homes. While those specific requirements will vary depending on your local area and the state that you’re in, AFCIs are becoming the modern-day standard for new homes.
They’re typically required in bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, hallways, closets, and other habitable living areas in your home. AFCI protection is typically not necessary for outdoor circuits, bathrooms, and kitchens where GFCI protection is already in place.
Styles of AFCI Household Protection
AFCI protection comes in two different forms: circuit breakers and outlets. AFCI breakers simply replace your existing standard circuit breaker. The advantage of using an AFCI breaker is that it helps to protect the entire branch circuit from electrical fires.
Another option is to go with an AFCI outlet installation. This provides protection at the outlet itself and any other outlets down the same circuit line. One of our helpful electricians can assist you in determining what option is the best for your home and budget.
Routine Testing
As a necessary safety precaution to ensure that your AFCI electronics are working correctly, you should be testing them once a month. For your AFCI breakers, you’ll want to hit the test button on the surface of the breaker.
When you do, the breaker should trip to the middle or off position. This showcases that the breaker is working correctly. You can simply turn the breaker back to the on position to restore functionality to the circuit.
When it comes to AFCI outlets, you’ll also want to hit their test button. When you do, power to the outlet should be completely killed. You’ll hear a clicking noise and whatever you have plugged into the outlet, like a light, will shut off. Once you ensure the outlet is shutting off, you can hit the reset button to restore power to the items plugged into it.
If anytime you hit the test button on an AFCI breaker or outlet and it doesn’t kill the power to it, there’s a malfunction. It’s important to have one of our electricians further assess the root cause of the issue and repair it. You never want to keep using these damaged breakers or outlets, as they’re not providing you with arcing protection.
Other Tips for Preventing Electrical Arcing
There’s no doubt that every homeowner wants to avoid electrical arcing in their electrical system. Apart from installing AFCI equipment, there are some other things you can do to greatly reduce your risk of experiencing an unfortunate event. One of the first is ensuring that you’re not overloading your outlets. Avoid using multiplugs and power strips when necessary, as they may be drawing too much power from the circuit.
Make it a habit to get your household wiring inspected every 10 years. Our electricians will be able to identify any areas of damage, like frayed or loose wiring. This will allow us to repair the issue before it leads to a more dangerous problem. As a homeowner, it’s important to be mindful of the various electrical components in your home. If you notice that any of your outlets are loose or discolored, it’s best to replace them promptly.
AFCI vs. GFCI
When you first start doing research on AFCIs, one of the most common terms that you’ll run across is GFCIs. Understanding the difference between these two types of electrical devices can help you become a better-informed homeowner. As we discussed above, AFCI circuit breakers and outlets are designed to protect against electrical arcing and electrical fires.
GFCIs protect against ground faults. Ground faults happen when electricity transfers to an unintended path to get to the ground. For example, transferring from a wire or outlet through water or a person to reach the ground.
Ground faults can lead to electrical shocks. GFCIs are most commonly used for wet rooms of your home, like bathrooms and kitchens. Additionally, they’re necessary for outdoor outlets where weather is a big factor that hinders safety.
Having protection from electrical arcing and ground faults provides maximum safety for any household. There are both circuit breakers and outlets with both AFCI and GFCI technologies that offer optimal functionality for those who don’t mind paying a premium price for added household safety.
Reliable Electrical Installation Service
Absolute Electric provides reliable electrical service for the Sterling, VA area. We can also assist with all your electrical replacement, repair, and inspection needs. Call us today to schedule a consultation with one of our highly experienced electricians.
