Because kids do the darndest things and most household fires start in bedrooms, arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) breakers have been required on all newly constructed residential properties as of 2002 and all residential properties where the wiring system and panel have been updated. These devices are required for the bedroom areas of the property and some building jurisdictions require them on smoke the alarm system.
Many people purchasing newly constructed homes opt not to have a home inspection. We all know the drill - the property has been inspected by codes and the onsite building super and the property is in "perfect" condition. Yeah! Right! In my 7+ years of inspecting commercial and residential properties, I have seen several safety issues with these devices.
About 10% of the properties that we inspect have issues with Arc-Fault devices or the wiring circuits. Some of the more common ones are as follows:
1. About 1 out of 20 of the breakers fail to reset after manual testing. As part of the panel inspection, inspectors are required to test all safety devices including AFCI and GFCI devices.
2. Down stream wiring may not be correct. When an AFCI circuit has been interrupted, all the outlets AND the lighting for that branch must be de-energized. It is not uncommon to see lighting circuits or even some of the outlets in the room still energized. I have seen circuits that are not supposed to be on AFCI circuits go out!
If you are purchasing a newly constructed property, get it inspected by a professional with a few miles under his belt. If you decide not get the property inspected, at least purchase a hand-held tester available at most home improvement stores for about $10.00. These devices will not trip the AFCI device! There are testers on the market that will do this, but they cost about $300 and up.
Push the test button which is normally located in the center of the breaker. Check to see if the lights and all the outlets go off. See if there are any other circuits that may also be affected. If deficiencies are found, this circuit MUST be addressed by a licensed electrician.
If you find this information helpful, feel free to pass it on to a friend.
This comment has been brought to you by Michael Thornton Tennessee's Favorite Home Inspector. Michael is an ASHI certified inspector and president of Complete Home Inspections, Inc. We are serving Davidson and Williamson Counties one customer one house at a time.
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