New Home Construction with Tripping Arc Fault Breakers

[Geewiz]

Greetings All:
I am new to this forum and hope I am in the correct sub-group.

We are nearly completed with our new home construction...just a couple weeks from moving in. The 200Amp service panel has 4, sometimes 5 arc fault breakers that repeatedly trip at random times.

There are NO appliances yet installed other than the septic system and related pumps, but these never trip. LED lighting and standard Leviton switches and plugs everywhere.

When I brought this to the builders attention he said this is a common problem with these highly sensitive breakers and that, usually, they will wait till we get past the occupancy/final inspection and they will replace the breakers with standard ones.

In my mind, they are tripping because something is not right. Do I run any risk in doing what the builder is suggesting? If they replace the breakers and something happens, will my insurance be voided?

Greatly appreciate any thoughts and insight into this...thank you!

 

[westward10]

Moved to US forum.

 

[Megawatt]

Greetings All:
I am new to this forum and hope I am in the correct sub-group.

We are nearly completed with our new home construction...just a couple weeks from moving in. The 200Amp service panel has 4, sometimes 5 arc fault breakers that repeatedly trip at random times.

There are NO appliances yet installed other than the septic system and related pumps, but these never trip. LED lighting and standard Leviton switches and plugs everywhere.

When I brought this to the builders attention he said this is a common problem with these highly sensitive breakers and that, usually, they will wait till we get past the occupancy/final inspection and they will replace the breakers with standard ones.

In my mind, they are tripping because something is not right. Do I run any risk in doing what the builder is suggesting? If they replace the breakers and something happens, will my insurance be voided?

Greatly appreciate any thoughts and insight into this...thank you!

Geewiz welcome to the forum and the builder is correct. Ever since they come out with AFCI breakers they will trip all the time for no apparent reason. You really only have 2 choices keep resetting the breakers or change them out to regular breakers. We have gotten by for years using regular breakers. If it’s not broke don’t fix it

 

[Geewiz]

Geewiz welcome to the forum and the builder is correct. Ever since they come out with AFCI breakers they will trip all the time for no apparent reason. You really only have 2 choices keep resetting the breakers or change them out to regular breakers. We have gotten by for years using regular breakers. If it’s not broke don’t fix it

Thank you so much for the reply. We are closing this Monday. Do I understand that there is no issue regarding retrofitting circuits that will not meet code? I am particularly concerned with insurance issues. What if a fire results from installing circuit breakers that do not meet code?

Perhaps I am obsessing over this?

Thank you so much!

 

[Megawatt]

Thank you so much for the reply. We are closing this Monday. Do I understand that there is no issue regarding retrofitting circuits that will not meet code? I am particularly concerned with insurance issues. What if a fire results from installing circuit breakers that do not meet code?

Perhaps I am obsessing over this?

Thank you so much!

You are not going to have problems with your insurance company, nor are you doing anything that bad. You even have AFCI breakers feeding GFCI receptacles which doesn’t make no since. Just replace the breaker that you are having trouble with

 

[brianmoooore]

So it's common practice in the US to install electrics to the regs (code to you), and then, after it's been signed off, to deliberately remove compulsory safety devices?

 

[Megawatt]

So it's common practice in the US to install electrics to the regs (code to you), and then, after it's been signed off, to deliberately remove compulsory safety devices?

The AFCI breakers are not reliable enough yet. They trip apparently for no reason so if you was the electrician that wired a house and we also give a 1 year warranty every time one trips you have to get out of bed in the middle of the night just to reset a breaker. That could cost you a lot of money and time. When the company fixes the flaws in the AFCI breakers then I won’t replace it. So @brianmoooore I still sleep good at night knowing that there is not going to be any problems and safety is of most important tome

 

[brianmoooore]

That's all as may be, and as I suspected, BUT, playing devil's advocate, it is true that you are deliberately removing compulsorily installed safety devices after the final inspection, so leaving installations in what is officially an unsafe condition. Yes or no?

 

[GBDamo]

That's all as may be, and as I suspected, BUT, playing devil's advocate, it is true that you are deliberately removing compulsorily installed safety devices after the final inspection, so leaving installations in what is officially an unsafe condition. Yes or no?

I don think there was any ambiguity in his comment, having comprehension issues?

 

[brianmoooore]

I don think there was any ambiguity in his comment, having comprehension issues?

No ambiguity at all, but no straightforward yes/no answer to a simple question, either.

 

[Megawatt]

No ambiguity at all, but no straightforward yes/no answer to a simple question, either.

@brianmoooore I stated in the original post that BUILDERS will get a final inspection and then replace them with regular breakers. I’m an independent person who doesn’t work for any company but if I get more than 1 call from an individual who has a AFCI breaker tripping repeatedly and again it trips for no apparent reason. Yes I will replace it with a regular breaker. I still have my overload protection and short circuit protection. We have used regular breakers for decades and I’m not aware of any problems resulting from the breakers. Yes they are required in the 2020 edition of the NEC but you have a lot of states still working out of the 2014 edition of the NEC which AFCI breakers are not required

 

[brianmoooore]

@Megawatt . My comments aren't aimed at you personally, but at what appears to be a common and dubious practice in the US that you have highlighted.

 

[Geewiz]

Greetings all:

We are now in our new home and the circuit tripping activity continues throughout the day and night. Now that construction activity has ceased, and it is quiet, I can often (but not always) hear a buzz/hum from within the service panel. It fluctuates in volume and intensity, from a soft level to a very pronounced one.

The log sheet shows over 50 times in two weeks I've gone out to reset breakers. Sometimes one breaker, sometimes two, or three. There are nine breakers that trip randomly, sometime accompanied with a hum/buzz, sometimes not.

Could there be some kind of earth ground fault coming in from outside the panel?

Thanks to all...your comments are extremely helpful and interesting!