[Amps] Ultimate safety for house wiring

[R.Measures]

On Nov 18, 2005, at 11:01 AM, N7HIY wrote:

>  http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/afci.html
> Consumer Product Safety Commission
> Preventing Home Fires: Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> ---------
>
> 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.

Good point, and c. a third of these fires are caused by rats munching  
on electrical wires.  However, domestic cats are way Way cheaper (as in  
free) than retrofitting high-tech breakers and replacing rodent-munched  
wires from time to time,
>
> 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.

AFCIs also have the advantage that they shut off Ham radio stations'  
power source and thereby reduce TVI.
>
> 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.

Amen
>
> 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.


Excellent.  For Ham radio operators, this will facilitate retrofitting   
circuit breakers which are not RF-sensitive.

> In the near future, other types of devices with AFCI protection will  
> be available.
>
> Should You Install AFCIs?

Surely, if your wife is spending too much time on her Ham radio.
>
> 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.

Not mine.  When the main breakers are off there is nothing, nada, zip.
> ...

Richard L. Measures, AG6K, 805.386.3734.  www.somis.org