On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 23:39:08 -0500, "NoSpamFANatic"
wrote:

Because they have deminished/questionable value and most new homes in canada
only have one arc fault circuit which protects the bedrooms due to high
levels of combustable contents (ie clothing).

I think it's not the combustable contents that warrent the need, since
my basement grossly beats out most of all my bedrooms. :-P

But your later comment about paranoia, might be very accruate why the
bedrooms and no where else. But I have a funny feeling that they are
the rooms we spend 1/3 of our lives in and have no heavy switchable
loads like the kitchen or bathrooms. So limiations on the breaker's
false positives might cause the oppsite thinking, not to be required
in all bedrooms, but to be requered in all rooms, but limited to only
bedrooms. That make sense?

FYI cutler hammer has been producingnothing but residential arc fault type
of breakers for 20 years and where did it get them? Nowhere.
I would suspect that the number of bedroom fires caused by arc faulting in
the entire world amounts to a handfull a year. This is marketing based on
paranoia, not need.

Not saying you are wrong about the afci's effectivness, but the
'handful' is very questionable. I've seen insurance agencies come up
with many, many fires that were electrical in origin. Now how many
were from overloaded circuits, verse damaged conductors arcing, I
haven't found a reliable source for that. But..... If you can spend
120 bucks on these breakers, and you later find one saved your house
from going up in flames, pretty cheap cost for saving your house.

Side note: I replaced all my 10 year old ac wired smoke detectors with
new ones, and battery backup versions. No one told me to do so, but
from what I know, it was a good thing. Was it worth the money? I
hope to never find out. Just like if I retro my house with afci's.

BTW, thanks for your reply, more information I get, better decision I
can make with the afci's.


later,




tom @ www.ChopURL.com





wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 17:25:34 -0700, "SQLit"
wrote:


"Robert11" wrote in message
...
Hello:

Anyone replacing circuit breakers in their "older" homes
with these new arc-fault types ?

Any problems with inadvertent tripping, etc. ?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

B.

arc faults are required in bedrooms only with new constuction. My home
was
made in 1999 and does not have them nor would I spend the money to put
them
in.



Can you explain why?

I mean, my house was built in 93, and I plane in the future to replace
most of my bkrs with afci's. So, since I haven't committed the money
yet, I am still evaluating information about the breakers.


later,


tom @ www.Love-Calculators.com