[RFI] Arc-fault breakers

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 21 Feb 2020 at 23:31, Dennis Monticelli wrote:

> I am remodeling kitchen and bath.  The new electrical code here in CA
> requires a number of things that are potentially harmful to our hobby.  For
> example the use of arc-fault breakers.  I know that one of the techniques
> for identifying arcs involves detecting broadband RF.  Does anyone have any
> experience with transmissions false triggering these devices?

Yes. I have. 

When we had an addition added to our home, I (and our youngest son) did all the wiring. 
We were "required" by city code to have arc-fault breakers in our bedroom circuits. 

I bought and installed the damned things (I cannot now remember the brand, but if it is 
important, I'll go look at them.). They were very expensive, something like $70.00 each.

(The city electrical inspector complimented me on the quality of our work, BTW.)

My main antenna, a 55' vertical, is only about 10 feet from our bedroom window.

Every time I was on 40 meters, the stupid things would trip off, and I would have to go reset 
them.

After calling the maker and talking with their tech support for some time, I was told that they 
should not trip on RF.

Wrong.

After putting up with them for about a month, I decided that since this was our home, and I 
did the wiring, I could do what I darned well wanted to and yanked the stupid pieces of junk 
out and replaced them with standard breakers, leaving the AFCIs lying in the box.

Also, some years prior to this, I had also replaced our original 100 amp panel with a new 
200 amp panel and had rewired almost the entire house.

After I had done this, for some time, whenever I was on 40 meters CW with an amp, an 
SB-200 (600 watts output), one of the breakers involved with the basement washing 
machine would trip.

Eventually, I found that the original incompetent people who had added some circuts to the 
OLD panel, had run a #8 ground wire from the panel, exactly 33' long (1/4 wave on 40) clear 
around the basement to a clamp.....on a PLASTIC cold water pipe!!!

I then drove three 8' copper-clad steel ground rods, 8" apart, outside the house where the 
panel was located, tied them all together, shortened up the #8 ground wire to about 10 feet, 
and clamped it securely to those ground rods.

No more problem.

Ken W7EKB