interrupters in that they are intended to protect people against a particular electrical hazard. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters are intended to protect people against electric shock. Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters are intended to protect people from fire. An arc-fault is a plasma flame that can develop temperatures in excess of 6,000 °C or 10,832 °F. An arc-fault occurs when an intermittent connection between two conductors or a conductor and ground permits current to “jump” between two conductive surfaces.
There are two types of arc-faults, parallel and series.
Parallel arc-faults occur when the insulation of a lamp cord or extension cord becomes damaged and permits the two conductors to short together. The current in a parallel arc-fault is limited by the resistance of the conductors. This generally produces a current much greater than the rating of the circuit protective device such as a fuse or circuit breaker. A continuous arc-fault will generally cause the circuit breaker to trip or the fuse to open. An intermittent arc-fault, however, can continue long enough to create a serious heat source and cause a fire. Series Arc-Faults are generally caused by loose connections. Loose screws on a terminal connection or an improperly made wire nut connection are prime examples of this condition. They are called series arc-faults because the circuit contains some type of current limiting load connected in series with the arc. Although the amount of electrical energy that is converted into heat is less than a parallel arc-fault, the series arc-fault can be more dangerous. Since the current is limited by the load it generally remains below the trip rating of a circuit breaker or fuse. This permits the arc to continue over a long period of time. Destroyed or damaged electrical equipment is the general result of a series arc-fault. Arc-fault protection is provided by an arc-fault circuit breaker. These circuit breakers contain a micro-processor that detects the presents of an arc fault and opens the circuit. There are conditions where arcing in an electrical circuit is normal such as: Turning a light switch on or off Switching of a motor relay Plugging in an appliance that is already turned on Changing a light bulb with the power turned on Arcs caused by motors that contains a commutator and brushes Arcs that are normally produced by turning lights on or off generally cause a current spike similar to the one shown. A typical arc-fault produces a waveform similar to the one shown. The microprocessor of the AFCI circuit breaker contains a nonvolitle memory (retains its information when power is turned off). The microprocessor continually monitors the current for a similar current pattern. The AFCI circuit breaker contains a white pigtail and two connection screws instead of one. The neutral conductor of the circuit is connected to the silver screw, and the ungrounded or hot conductor is connected to the brass colored screw. Both the hot and neutral circuit conductors must be connected to the AFCI circuit breaker. The grounding conductor of the circuit is connected to the neutral bus bar. The white pigtail located on the AFCI circuit breaker completes the circuit to the neutral bus bar.