What is an arc fault?
An arc-fault is an unitentional discharge of electricity in a circuit. Arcing exists in two basic varieties:
Natural, or normal occuring arcing
Occurs when a light is switched on or a vacuum cleaner or any motor driven appliance is turned on
Unsafe arc-faults
Occurs either as series or parallel faults in wire, electrical devices or connected loads.
What causes an arc fault?
Arc faults may occur anywhere in the home's electrical system in several ways:
Line-to-Neutral Arcs
- Damaged power supply cord
- Pushing furniture against cords plugged into outlets
Line-to-Ground Arcs
- Accidently piercing electrical cable behind drywalls with drill bit, nail, or screw
- Hammering electrical cable staples too tightly into studs during rough wiring
Series Arcs
- Screw terminal where a wire is connected to a receptable may become loose as it is pushed back into the work box
How do Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs) work?
Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs) detect arcing faults and open the circuit to stop the flow of electricity in as little as a fraction of a second. Arcing faults are an unintentional arcing condition in a circuit that conventional circuit breakers are unable to detect. Siemens AFCIs employ electronic circuitry to continuously monitor the circuit and detect the unique characteristics of hazardous arcing faults. Siemens accomplishes this while still distinguishing these arcing faults from connected loads that inherently arc by design, such as fluorescent lighting, motors, switches, etc.
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