Electricians in Hudson, NH are able to help you find out a lot about your home. Certain things that you may not think of, like if you are up to code, is one of the things that we need to check every time we go to your home. While we have talked about the GFCI outlets that are required by the NEC in wet areas, there is another outlet that is useful for the rest of your home.
AFCI outlets are another type of outlet that is becoming required in many other places in the home. Bedrooms, living rooms, hallways, pretty much all major rooms in your home should have an AFCI outlet in them. These outlets are specifically designed to help protect against electrical fire that can occur at any point throughout the circuitry of your home.
Standing for Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter, AFCI outlets are designed to detect any electrical faults in the home to help minimize the chances of electrical fire at any point. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association refers to an Arc fault as an “unintended arc created by current flowing through an unplanned path”. These faults can occur anywhere in the wiring where there at loose connections or within electrical cords that have been damaged.
Often related to Arcing, Arc Faults can be detected. It is important to remember that arcing itself can be intended or unintended. Arc welders will create intended arcing, while a tree falling and tearing down power lines will create an unintended one. What happens during arcing is that there is heating at the point of the arc that can result in burning particles. These particles can reach 10,000 degrees F and can very well ignite the material around it, including wood.
Many conventional devices to detect currents cannot detect the low level of hazardous arcing currents that still have the chance to ignite. That is where the AFCI comes in. They will help“protect the circuit in a manner that will reduce the chances of being a source of an electrical fire”. These outlets can actually detect the varying arcing conditions throughout your home on a regular basis. Things such as turning on a light or the vacuum will be what is considered a normal arc. Where the damage of a conductor’s insulation will be the dangerous arc that the switch detects and “de-energizes” as soon as it can.
Where these outlets are a part of NEC requirements and while a variety of manufacturers create them, they need
to be evaluated to meet the national standards to be considered safe. While a GFCI outlet protects the individual from shock and potential electrocution, AFCI outlets protect the whole home from the risk of electrical fire. It is recommended that both outlets be used inside the home as they can coexist within the same circuit.
While they should be used in the recommended locations no home is complete without having both outlets. These new outlets increase the safety of your home and will allow your home to be up to code. Our electricians in Hudson, NH can help you install these new outlets and inspect the rest of your home. Call Chamberlin Electric at 603-595-9473 today.
