http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/afci.html
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Preventing Home Fires: Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs)
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Problems in home wiring, like arcing and sparking, are associated with more
than 40,000 home fires each year. These fires claim over 350 lives and
injure 1,400 victims annually.
A new electrical safety device for homes, called an arc fault circuit
interrupter or AFCI, is expected to provide enhanced protection from fires
resulting from these unsafe home wiring conditions.
Typical household fuses and circuit breakers do not respond to early arcing
and sparking conditions in home wiring. By the time a fuse or circuit
breaker opens a circuit to defuse these conditions, a fire may already have
begun.
Several years ago, a CPSC study identified arc fault detection as a
promising new technology. Since then, CPSC electrical engineers have tested
the new AFCIs on the market and found these products to be effective.
Requiring AFCIs
AFCIs are already recognized for their effectiveness in preventing fires.
The most recent edition of the National Electrical Code, the widely-adopted
model code for electrical wiring, will require AFCIs for bedroom circuits in
new residential construction, effective January 2002.
Future editions of the code, which is updated every three years, could
expand coverage.
AFCIs vs. GFCIs
AFCIs should not be confused with ground fault circuit interrupters or
GFCIs. The popular GFCI devices are designed to provide protection from the
serious consequences of electric shock.
While both AFCIs and GFCIs are important safety devices, they have different
functions. AFCIs are intended to address fire hazards; GFCIs address shock
hazards. Combination devices that include both AFCI and GFCI protection in
one unit will become available soon.
AFCIs can be installed in any 15 or 20-ampere branch circuit in homes today
and are currently available as circuit breakers with built-in AFCI features.
In the near future, other types of devices with AFCI protection will be
available.
Should You Install AFCIs?
You may want to consider adding AFCI protection for both new and existing
homes. Older homes with ordinary circuit breakers especially may benefit
from the added protection against the arcing faults that can occur in aging
wiring systems.
For more information about AFCIs, contact an electrical supply store, an
electrician, or the manufacturer of the circuit breakers already installed
in your home. Sometimes these components can be replaced with AFCIs in the
existing electrical panel box.
Be sure to have a qualified electrician install AFCIs; do not attempt this
work yourself. The installation involves working within electrical panel
boxes that are usually electrically live, even with the main circuit
breakers turned off.
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This document is in the public domain. It may be reproduced without change
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is reproduced, however, the Commission would appreciate knowing how it is
used. Write the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of
Information and Public Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20207 or send an e-mail to
info@cpsc.gov.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the
public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than
15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths,
injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation
more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting
consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical,
or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the
safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette
lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30
percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer
products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's
hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or
visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email
subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can
obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at
www.cpsc.gov.
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