Arc Fault Circuit Breaker Tripping

Another wiring problem is more of an incompatibility issue than a wiring issue and it has to do with multi wire.

Arc fault circuit breaker tripping.

With afci circuit breakers this improper wiring will cause the breaker to trip. After having been slowly phased in over the past 3 nec code cycles these new arc fault breakers are now required on almost every 120v circuit in the finished space of the house. Arc fault circuit interrupters are prone to nuisance tripping which is probably what you re experiencing. An arc fault circuit interrupter afci is a circuit breaker located in your electrical panel that serves the functions of a normal breaker but also senses hazardous arcing on its circuit and will trip off for this.

Afci breakers tripping for no obvious reason is known as nuisance tripping. It can be identified by the special colored test button near its handle. Afci circuit breaker troubleshooting. If this same device trips a different afci circuit breaker it s the result of incompatibility between the electronic device and the afci breaker or possibly a major problem with the device.

Because afci s are designed to detect an arc fault they can be very sensitive and easily tripped for a few common reasons including.