[K3PZN-List] Problems with Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI's) (from W4TL)

[Peter Morton]

The following message was posted on the FTDx3000 Yahoo users group. 
Thought I would pass it along for your information.  I was not aware of 
AFCI's and the new 2014 National Electrical Code requirements for the 
use in new construction.

-Pete, W3GVX

*Message*


    1


    Problems With Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI's)
    <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Yaesu_FTdx3000_Users_Group/conversations/topics/4629;_ylc=X3oDMTJyaHRsNWk4BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzg0OTg4OTg2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MzEwOARtc2dJZAM0NjI5BHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzE0MDQ5ODE1Nzc->



        Wed Jul 9, 2014 3:35 pm (PDT) . Posted by:


      "Terry"
      <mailto:w4tl at bellsouth.net?subject=Re%3A%20Problems%20With%20Arc%20Fault%20Circuit%20Interrupters%20%28AFCI%27s%29>


This does not have anything to do with the performance of a FTDx3000 
unless you are trying to use this radio in an area where you have these 
things in your house or your neighbors house. I feel compelled to spread 
the word about these troublesome devices in hopes the manufacturers will 
fix the problems with them.

Up until around the first of April of this year I had not even heard of 
an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter or AFCI. It did not take me long to 
become acquainted with them and the problems that they can cause amateur 
radio operators and their neighbors can have with them.

Let me tell you my story with them and the problems I had. We built a 
new home last year in a 55 and older community not far from where our 
old QTH was and moved in late November 2013. We were busy getting 
situated and unpacking from the move and did not try to get any ham gear 
on the air until late March. We assembled a modest station with a small 
vertical antenna and went on the air around the first of April. In 
testing the antenna with RF my wife advised the power had gone off 
upstairs. I reset the breakers reduced power to say 40 watts and tried 
again with the same results. I then fired up my KX3 with just 10 watts 
and they tripped again. I was also tripping my neighbors AFCI's  I 
learned with just 10 watts. That is when I paid attention to the type of 
breakers I had in my electrical panel, they were Eaton (Cutler-Hammer) 
AFCI's. I began to do Google searches on line and found that they had 
problems with AFCI's and the ARRL Lab had helped them
identify the problem and work to a unit that would be immune from RF.

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-helps-manufacturer-to-resolve-arc-fault-circuit-interrupter-rfi-problems

I contacted Joe Fello with Eaton and left him a message he returned my 
call a few days later. They acknowledged they had a problem with several 
million of these breakers already installed in homes across the US . 
They sent an electrical contractor in on May 2 to change my and my 
neighbors AFCI's out to the new type (RF immune "ham" breakers). I had 
18 and my neighbor had 19. These breakers retail for $45 to $50. Well I 
thought my problems were over until I went back on the air and realized 
that I was still having 6 of the 18 breakers tripping and my neighbor 
had 1 still tripping. I tried all sorts of power levels and antenna 
configurations and even moved my equipment outside and powered it from a 
generator to insure that RF was not coming back into the shack through 
the power line or coax. The results were still the same breakers were 
still tripping. I called Eaton again and they agreed to send me and my 
neighbor another type of AFCI that had
additional filtering, etc. to make it more immune to RF. My neighbor and 
myself installed the "more immune" breakers when they arrived and so far 
no more problems in both houses.

The point I am trying to impress and get across to the amateur community 
is that this is a serious problem for amateur radio in general. The AFCI 
breakers are required by the NEC to be installed on almost every circuit 
inside all new residences when constructed. The 2014 NEC will also 
require that they be installed on ALL Interior circuits including 
appliances, refrigerators, freezers, etc. If you change the AFCI's out 
to a conventional breaker you are in violation of the NEC and if you 
have a fire your insurance will more than likely deny payment because of 
this. What happens if your neighbor is gone on vacation for say a couple 
of weeks and comes back home and finds his refrigerator/freezer is not 
working because his ham neighbor has tripped the refrigerator/freezer 
AFCI. To me this problem is very similar to the TVI problems we had to 
deal with in the 60's and 70's.  These problems are not just occurring 
in my neighborhood but are occurring in
neighborhoods all across the US . You can do a Google for problems with 
HF RF tripping AFCI's and find a lot of problems that are occurring with 
these devices.  Eaton has been very responsive in dealing with 
resolutions on the problems. I started a forum on E-Ham in late May 
regarding the problems with AFCI's. This forum has had over 31,000 hits. 
The links to the forum is:

http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/board,25.0.html


http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/topic,96949.0.html

My advice is if you are considering moving or building a new house, or 
remodeling your existing home take heed. As these troublesome devices as 
they will probably be in your next new home and you will have to deal 
with the manufacturer to resolve the problem(s).  Some of the devices 
are being tripped as far away as 400 feet.

73

Terry Jones, W4TL