Arc Fault Circuit Breaker
Electrical Safety: A Simple Install That Could Save Your Life
Electricity - it is all around us. It provides light at the touch of a switch. It powers our televisions for our entertainment, and keeps our food fresh for our convenience. It provides us comfort through air conditioning, and protects us through security and fire systems. It powers our factories, our offices, and our homes. We could not imagine life without it.
Yet it is also the number one cause of residential fires in the United States. U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 50,900 reported U.S. home structure fires involving electrical failure or malfunction in 2003-2007. *
What can you do to protect yourself against fires? Several steps can be taken, depending on the age of your home. Some options include upgrading panels, adding smoke detectors in bedrooms, and having your house wiring inspected by a licensed electrical contractor. The most recent innovation in electrical home safety has been the introduction of the arc fault circuit breaker. The 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) requires all newly constructed homes to have combination type arc fault breakers installed in family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, or similar rooms or areas.
A standard breaker protects against two things. First, it reacts to overloads, such as too many appliances on one circuit. Second, the breaker will protect against short circuits, where two conductors come in contact with each other. However, these arcs will normally be sensed around 10 times the breaker's normal load. An example of this type of arc would be a knife cutting through a toaster cord in the kitchen. This direct short would trip a standard breaker. What could cause an undetected arc? One example would be loose wires in a receptacle from a poor connection. Though a standard breaker may not sense this fault, the temperature from this arc can exceed 10,000 degrees.
To alleviate this problem, arc fault breakers can be quickly installed in many electrical panels. It is one of the most economical and effective ways today to increase the electrical safety of your home. These breakers should be an essential upgrade for any electrical installation.
*Source: Home Electrical Fires, John R. Hall Jr., NFPA Fire Analysis & Research, Quincy, MA May 2010
Paige Spradling
Electricity - it is all around us. It provides light at the touch of a switch. It powers our televisions for our entertainment, and keeps our food fresh for our convenience. It provides us comfort through air conditioning, and protects us through security and fire systems. It powers our factories, our offices, and our homes. We could not imagine life without it.
Yet it is also the number one cause of residential fires in the United States. U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 50,900 reported U.S. home structure fires involving electrical failure or malfunction in 2003-2007. *
What can you do to protect yourself against fires? Several steps can be taken, depending on the age of your home. Some options include upgrading panels, adding smoke detectors in bedrooms, and having your house wiring inspected by a licensed electrical contractor. The most recent innovation in electrical home safety has been the introduction of the arc fault circuit breaker. The 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) requires all newly constructed homes to have combination type arc fault breakers installed in family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, or similar rooms or areas.
A standard breaker protects against two things. First, it reacts to overloads, such as too many appliances on one circuit. Second, the breaker will protect against short circuits, where two conductors come in contact with each other. However, these arcs will normally be sensed around 10 times the breaker's normal load. An example of this type of arc would be a knife cutting through a toaster cord in the kitchen. This direct short would trip a standard breaker. What could cause an undetected arc? One example would be loose wires in a receptacle from a poor connection. Though a standard breaker may not sense this fault, the temperature from this arc can exceed 10,000 degrees.
To alleviate this problem, arc fault breakers can be quickly installed in many electrical panels. It is one of the most economical and effective ways today to increase the electrical safety of your home. These breakers should be an essential upgrade for any electrical installation.
*Source: Home Electrical Fires, John R. Hall Jr., NFPA Fire Analysis & Research, Quincy, MA May 2010
Paige Spradling
