Hi All, GC. Part-time electrician. What is the difference between an AFCI and a GFCI and are they at all interchangeable in a residential kitchen?
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Six letters.
An AFCI is an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter, and a GFCI isa Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter.
A GFCI trips if there's even a slight current flow between "hot" and "ground" (slightly oversimplified), providing protection against electrocution, and also some protection against certain types of wiring failures that might cause fires.
An AFCI trips if it detects an intermittent current flow suggestive of an electrical short, providing protection against fires (in particular the extension cord under the rocking chair sort of short). It does contain a GFCI function, but not nearly as sensitive as a true GFCI, and not sufficiently sensitive to protect against electrocution.
So they're not interchangeable.
Another way to explain GFCI
Just to explain GFCI another way, the current flowing on the hot side should always be exactly equal to the current flowing on the neutral side. If the difference is not zero then current has leaked somewhere it's not supposed to be, like into a person. A GFCI measures the difference between the two currents and breaks the circuit if it exceeds about 5 milliamps.
"GC. Part-time
"GC. Part-time electrician"
Kinda scary about the 'electrician' part and you need to ask about afci and gfci......
BTW, the only afci or gfci in my own house are the ones still in their cardboard boxes on the supply shelf.
Experiment: Go ahead and install an afci in a kitchen, then see if the electric mixer or blender will trip it...........
>>>Kinda scary about the
>>>Kinda scary about the 'electrician' part
Guessin' he means *REALLY* part time...
>>>ones still in their cardboard boxes on the supply shelf.
Yeah, I get some nuisance trips with afci. Laptop power supplies seem to be the worst, for some reason. Never had any hassles with gfci.
I hear alot about nuisance trips with ACFI... what brand are you using? I put in a Murrey (Siemens) panel about 4 years ago and I've never had a nuisance trip - and ALL my indoor lines that aren't GCFI are ACFI.
Motors
I have a Square-D AFCI and tripped it by turning a vacuum cleaner on and off quickly. I think vacuum cleaners are a top source of nuisance trips.
We have house cleaners who come through with their own vacumes, and they use ours as well. Still no problems with my AFCI breakers!