Hot information about AFCI's

from
electrician2.com

This is a copy of a post from alt.engineering.electrical newsgroup:

The real problem with rushing all of this into the code is this is an evolving technology that still can't detect a series arc (the one from a loose plug, cracked wire and all of those "aluminium" problems). They already have millions of obsolete AFCIs out there mandated in the 1999 code and enforced in the 2002 code that can't detect the bad power cord they scared us with when these were first proposed. The original AFCI only detects shorts in the wall. Finding a short in a power cord is what the "combination" unit is supposed to do. None can find a loose connection or partially broken wire. Then you have a bunch of Square D units that don't work at all and have been recalled but there is no tracking on this recall so most still remain in the customer's home. The technology is so proprietary that the industry can't agree on what a tester should inject in the line to see if the product works. An arcing short that trips a Square D might not be seen by a Cutler Hammer and vice versa. It is clear this is a product that is not ready for the public yet but has been jammed down our throat by NFPA and Cutler Hammer, the inventor and who proposed in in 1997. It is being tested in our homes, by force of law and the customer is paying for it.
by
gfretwell@aol.com