Neis NECA 169, Installing And Maintaining

Page 1: ...ing Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters AFCIs and Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters GFCIs Industry Review Draft Date TBD National Electrical Installation Standards NEIS and the NEIS logo are trademarks of the National Electrical Contractors Association ...

Page 2: ...8 National Electrical Code 4 Installing AFCIs and GFCIs 4 1 General 4 2 Electrical Safety 4 3 Installing Circuit Breaker Type AFCIs and GFCIs in a De Energized Panelboard 4 4 Installing Circuit Breaker Type AFCIs and GFCIs in an Energized Panelboard 4 5 Installing AFCI and GFCI Receptacles 5 Testing AFCIs and GFCIs 5 1 General 5 2 Testing AFCI and GFCI Circuit Breakers 5 3 Testing AFCI and GFCI Re...

Page 3: ...ed by applicable regulations This publication is intended to comply with the National Electrical Code NEC Because they are quality standards NEIS may in some instances go beyond the minimum safety requirements of the NEC It is the responsibility of users of this publication to comply with state and local electrical codes when installing electrical products and systems Suggestions for revisions and...

Page 4: ...mobile homes manufactured homes or mobile home parks d AFCIs required in cord and plug connected air conditioning units e GFCIs required for Fixed outdoor electric deicing or snow melting equipment Fixed electric heating equipment for pipelines or vessels Carnivals circuses fairs or similar events Park trailers recreational vehicles or recreational vehicle parks Marinas or boatyards natural or art...

Page 5: ...nnecting the circuit for arc faults overloads and short circuits Circuit Breaker Type GFCI A GFCI that is integrated into a circuit breaker that is designed for installation in a panelboard A circuit breaker type GFCI protects the circuit by disconnecting the circuit for overloads and short circuits and protects personnel by disconnecting the circuit for ground faults occurring anywhere on the cir...

Page 6: ...tor insulation due to natural aging Overheated conductors from exposure to sunlight or sources of heat Overloaded conductors Loose or improper connections and terminations Damaged conductor insulation from fasteners such as staples nails and screws driven into the conductor Damaged conductors at stress points such as cords caught under doors or furniture or objects pushed against plugs in an outle...

Page 7: ...r circuits in dwellings 1 Single phase and three phase 208 and 240 Volt branch circuits 2 Small appliance branch circuits 3 Bathroom branch circuits 4 Kitchen branch circuits 5 Laundry branch circuits 6 Branch circuits that supply only outlets in unfinished areas of basements and attics 7 Branch circuits that supply only outlets in attached structures such as garages 8 Branch circuits that supply ...

Page 8: ...ction for personnel is required for all 120 Volt single phase receptacles rated 15 A and 20 A located in the following locations NEC 210 8 1 Bathrooms 2 Garages and accessory buildings that have a floor located at or below grade level not intended as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas work areas and areas of similar use 3 Outdoors 4 Crawl spaces at or below grade level 5 Unfinished basem...

Page 9: ...g equipment are to be used must have GFCI protection for personnel NEC 511 12 and 513 12 E Healthcare Facilities All receptacles and fixed equipment within the area of a wet procedure location of healthcare facilities such as operating rooms must have GFCI protection for personnel or be served by an isolated power system NEC 517 20 A F Agricultural Buildings All 120 Volt single phase 15 A and 20 A...

Page 10: ... receptacles installed within 6 feet of the outside edge of a sink that are used to supply equipment where removal of power would introduce a greater hazard is permitted to be installed without GFCI protection Exception Number 1 to 5 3 For receptacles installed within 6 feet of the outside edge of a sink located in patient care areas of health care facilities other than those sinks in bathrooms GF...

Page 11: ...se control dimmers protected by AFCIs may cause nuisance tripping when switched on Ensure that the wattage of lamps connected to dimmers protected by AFCIs is 1000 watts or less and that the total load does not exceed NEC permitted limits D GFCI receptacles do not typically interfered with branch feeder or combination AFCIs protecting the circuit E AFCIs are also well suited for retrofit applicati...

Page 12: ... and actions must conform to the requirements of NFPA 70E 2004 Electrical Safety in the Workplace B Do not work on energized equipment Do not enter equipment enclosures with components are energized Electrically isolate conductors and equipment in accordance with established procedures and manufacturer s instructions and recommendations Guard energized conductors and equipment in close proximity t...

Page 13: ...rcuit breaker neutral conductor pigtail to the neutral bus bar of the panelboard in a dedicated terminal in the bus bar Do not connect the circuit breaker neutral conductor pigtail to a terminal with another conductor equipment grounding conductor or neutral conductor NEC 110 14 A and NEC 408 41 D Identify the phase neutral and equipment grounding conductors of the circuit requiring AFCI or GFCI p...

Page 14: ...rd Follow the manufacturer s recommendations when installing AFCI and GFCI circuit breakers These instructions provide general guidance for installing or replacing AFCIs and GFCIs in a panelboard after power has been turned on to a panelboard A Identify the circuit breaker to be replaced if any and turn OFF all loads on the branch circuit protected by that circuit breaker B De energize the panelbo...

Page 15: ...lor coded conductors to use as pigtails for connecting receptacles to fixed branch circuit wiring Strip away approximately about inch of the insulation from each end of each conductor Bend one end of each conductor into a U shape for connection to the terminals of the receptacle Ensure that the U shape wraps around each terminal screw in a clockwise direction Connect the bare or green conductor to...

Page 16: ...CI Protected in accordance with NEC requirements Label all three prong receptacles that are installed on existing two wire circuits and are GFCI protected No Equipment Ground in accordance with NEC requirements 5 Testing AFCIs and GFCIs 5 1 General A AFCIs and GFCIs are susceptible to damage from voltage surges and GFCIs are susceptible to damage from stress over time from high capacity and high i...

Page 17: ...nightlight or lamp into the receptacle and all protected downstream receptacles prior to testing B With the appliances on press the TEST button on the receptacle The appliances should be immediately de energized and the RESET button should pop out C Reset the receptacle by pressing the RESET button The RESET button should snap back into place and the appliances should be re energized D If the appl...

Page 18: ...may still provide power without providing ground fault protection for personnel When a GFCI trips with an appliance plugged into the circuit press the RESET button once to reset the device If the GFCI trips again replace the GFCI If the new GFCI trips under similar conditions the most likely cause is a ground fault in the fixed branch circuit wiring or in an appliance protected by the GFCI Trouble...

Page 19: ...ned to protect against arc faults because of the likelihood that the arc fault will ignite surrounding flammable materials Immediately disconnect and discontinue use of suspect equipment and appliances and de energize suspect conductors Repair or replace deficient appliance and conductors Troubleshooting fixed wiring and appliances after an AFCI or GFCI trips is a process of elimination If an AFCI...

Page 20: ... Correct deficiencies and test AFCIs and GFCIs in accordance with Section 5 If the AFCI or GFCI does not trip without load connected to the fixed wiring system turn on fixed appliances such as lights ceiling fans switched wall outlets hard wired equipment etc one at a time to identify suspect equipment and components If the AFCI or GFCI trips after switching on a fixed appliance examine the applia...

Page 21: ...arily clear an arc that may not reappear or may appear some time after the circuit and loads are re energized If there is no clear indication of any problems with an AFCI GFCI fixed wiring or appliances replace the AFCI or GFCI If the new device does not trip the previous device was damaged or deteriorated If the new device trips troubleshoot the fixed wiring and appliances correct deficiencies an...

Page 22: ... This annex is not part of the standard Annex B Reference Standards ...