- Reaction score
- 654
Have a look at the Hagar products...AFDD's with bluetooth capability to upgrade firmwareWhat happens when/if they develop a new and improved version? Will there be a way to update existing units (I suspect not).
Discuss AFDDs for single-socket circuits in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net
Have a look at the Hagar products...AFDD's with bluetooth capability to upgrade firmwareWhat happens when/if they develop a new and improved version? Will there be a way to update existing units (I suspect not).
In America you can actually but a double socket or as they call it a duplex receptacle which has built in AFCI capability.One issue I am concerned about with AFDDs is that they are effectively small computers.
That means firmware/software and with that comes issues of maintenance/errors/life expectancy due to heat/electronics.
What happens when/if they develop a new and improved version? Will there be a way to update existing units (I suspect not).
What will happen if a new appliance is released that just by coincidence produces a similar 'fingerprint' to the one looked for?
I know the idea is not new, particularly in the US, but I believe that our ones are rather different and therefore still fairly new and untested in wide usage (Are they widely used in other part of the 230V world?)
I doubt I will be fitting them anywhere other than I have to for some time to come, until the technology has proved its usefulness and the price has dropped significantly.
Surely if the belief is that a lot of the problems this will solve are within appliances, the better solution would be to include some sort of AFDD within every appliance. Wonder why the appliance makers and large companies who sit on the regs committee didn't consider that?
There can be a fire risk of some white goods having their power removed whilst part way through a program.One issue I am concerned about with AFDDs is that they are effectively small computers.
That means firmware/software and with that comes issues of maintenance/errors/life expectancy due to heat/electronics.
What happens when/if they develop a new and improved version? Will there be a way to update existing units (I suspect not).
What will happen if a new appliance is released that just by coincidence produces a similar 'fingerprint' to the one looked for?
I know the idea is not new, particularly in the US, but I believe that our ones are rather different and therefore still fairly new and untested in wide usage (Are they widely used in other part of the 230V world?)
I doubt I will be fitting them anywhere other than I have to for some time to come, until the technology has proved its usefulness and the price has dropped significantly.
Surely if the belief is that a lot of the problems this will solve are within appliances, the better solution would be to include some sort of AFDD within every appliance. Wonder why the appliance makers and large companies who sit on the regs committee didn't consider that?
This is one of the points I made in an earlier postOne issue I am concerned about with AFDDs is that they are effectively small computers.
That means firmware/software and with that comes issues of maintenance/errors/life expectancy due to heat/electronics.
I mentioned the programmable Hager AFDD's much earlier in this thread but having thought more about it I'm not sure about them, if you have a nuisance trip because an arc signature is detected then how do you evolve the programmed arc signature to eliminate the nuisance trip without missing a real arc fault but we also have the issue of is there an arc fault and how do we verify we haven't before going down the route of reprogramming the AFDDWhat happens when/if they develop a new and improved version? Will there be a way to update existing units (I suspect not).
That is anyones guess or is that for the PAT brigade to identify during inspectionsWhat will happen if a new appliance is released that just by coincidence produces a similar 'fingerprint' to the one looked for?
If all the reports from across the pond are to be believed the use of AFCI's is not that widespread with many taken out after installationI know the idea is not new, particularly in the US, but I believe that our ones are rather different and therefore still fairly new and untested in wide usage (Are they widely used in other part of the 230V world?)
As with a lot of stats in some circumstances it is difficult to prove, people will tell you the introduction of Part P saved lives but within 2 years the regs brought in RCD's on everything so what saved the lives, move on and how many lives has the RCD saved we will never know the true number as it trips it is reset and no one logs the fact it tripped or the circumstances why it tripped.I doubt I will be fitting them anywhere other than I have to for some time to come, until the technology has proved its usefulness and the price has dropped significantly.
And we come back around to cost and safety which is something that is lost on the appliance manufacturersSurely if the belief is that a lot of the problems this will solve are within appliances, the better solution would be to include some sort of AFDD within every appliance. Wonder why the appliance makers and large companies who sit on the regs committee didn't consider that?
The analytical team I managed until I retired from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were (and are) responsible amongst other things for publishing comparable fire statistics for Scotland.My conclusion for now - If 15% of fires are being caused by faulty appliances then maybe our advice should simply be that AFDDs are an attempt to bring down that number. The reality is that we won't know if it works for several years.
Reply to AFDDs for single-socket circuits in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net
We get it, advertisements are annoying!
Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.