AFCI Breakers?

[alton]

So as part of our solar, we removed all the old panels, and installed a new Square D Homeline 8 breaker 200A pass through outside to a Square D Homeline with push on neutral bar 40 breaker 200A inside. Wiring had been redone. When we had the issue, square d did have me do as you mentioned with holding the test button, and we never found an issue. They were all 15A circuits. We tried a GE CAFCI out of curiosity, and never had an issue. The Square D tripped only when something was actually switched ON, but it felt like anything we tried tripped it. Same circuit with the GE, never tripped (except maybe vacuum).

Funny you mentioned GE. When I was teaching a night class I had my GE Rep. donate an AFCI, GFCI, and a regular 20 amp breaker. And we would then trip each breaker showing the benefits. I never could trip the AFCI breaker. I even plugged in a vacuum cleaner and jerked the cord out of the plug and it never tripped. My answer as a joke to the students was well if you do not want faulty tripping buy GE because it will never trip. I am sure it was just a faulty AFCI breaker.

 

[Brew12]

210-12D Exception will be your friend if you do not remove/replace all the old wiring. Just on the new wiring and new circuits.

I'm not sure this exception applies since it only applies to modifying feeders, not the main panel. The NEC is a little vague on requirements on what needs to be upgraded when a service panel is changed out but some jurisdictions require the entire home to be brought up to code. They can be treated as a new installation and require everything fed from the panel to be brought up to current code.
Absolutely critical to ask the local union hall or a city inspector on this imo.

 

[spsick]

thanks for all the inputs guys!

i did read on an electrical forum a post from the guy that wrote the rule working and exception and he explicitly said it was intended so you didn’t need put In AFCI if just replacing panels, hence the less than 6ft extension wording.

So I think we‘ll be only replacing the panel and no changes to circuits to start and will assess if any need updating once we actually see what the circuits look like.

 

[WilliamBowman]

Hi guys. Can I put a GFCI outlet on an AFCI circuit?

 

[Sleepydoc]

Hi guys. Can I put a GFCI outlet on an AFCI circuit?

Absolutely. In fact you can actually buy combined GFCI/AFCI breakers. The two perform distinct functions designed to protect against/prevent different problems and are in no way incompatible.