Prevent Home Fires: Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs)
Problems in home wiring, like arcing and sparking, are associated with more than 40,000 home fires each year. These fires claim over 350 lives and injure 1,400 victims annually.
A new electrical safety device for homes, called an arc fault circuit interrupter or AFCI, is expected to provide enhanced protection from fires resulting from these unsafe home wiring conditions.
Typical household fuses and circuit breakers do not respond to early arcing and sparking conditions in home wiring. By the time a fuse or circuit breaker opens a circuit to defuse these conditions, a fire may already have begun.
Several years ago, a CPSC study identified arc fault detection as a promising new technology. Since then, CPSC electrical engineers have tested the new AFCIs on the market and found these products to be effective.
Requiring AFCIs
AFCIs are already recognized for their effectiveness in preventing fires. The most recent edition of the National Electrical Code, the widely-adopted model code for electrical wiring, will require AFCIs for bedroom circuits in new residential construction, effective January 2002.
Future editions of the code, which is updated every three years, could expand coverage.
AFCIs vs. GFCIs
AFCIs should not be confused with ground fault circuit interrupters or GFCIs. The popular GFCI devices are designed to provide protection from the serious consequences of electric shock.
While both AFCIs and GFCIs are important safety devices, they have different functions. AFCIs are intended to address fire hazards; GFCIs address shock hazards. Combination devices that include both AFCI and GFCI protection in one unit will become available soon.
AFCIs can be installed in any 15 or 20-ampere branch circuit in homes today and are currently available as circuit breakers with built-in AFCI features. In the near future, other types of devices with AFCI protection will be available.
Should You Install AFCIs?
You may want to consider adding AFCI protection for both new and existing homes. Older homes with ordinary circuit breakers especially may benefit from the added protection against the arcing faults that can occur in aging wiring systems.
For more information about AFCIs, contact an electrical supply store, an electrician, or the manufacturer of the circuit breakers already installed in your home. Sometimes these components can be replaced with AFCIs in the existing electrical panel box.
Be sure to have a qualified electrician install AFCIs; do not attempt this work yourself. The installation involves working within electrical panel boxes that are usually electrically live, even with the main circuit breakers turned off.
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Friendly Electric helps the Girl Scouts!
When Friendly Electric heard that the Girl Scouts of Milltown/South River were in need of an electrician, he was delighted to volunteer. The South River Little House located in South River NJ is a facility dedicated to providing the Girl Scouts with a safe place for meetings and all Girl Scout functions. Through donations and fundraisers the Little House has been helping Girl Scouts for over sixty years! Click here for the complete story as published in Mycentraljersey.com.
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Friendly Electric Sponsor the Monroe Mill Lake Tricky Tray
Friendly Electric was thrilled to be able to help out Mill Lake Elemenary School with their latest Tricky Tray fundraiser. We donated our “Electrician in a Box” which provides the lucky winner with eco-friendly dimmers and flourescent lightbulbs. We send a technician to the winner’s home to professionally install the items so that they can reap the rewards of having more energy efficient devices in their home. In addition, we conduct a 200 point safety inspection of their home’s entire electrical system. In general homeowners do not think about their electrical system until it stops working, but routine maintenance can maintain the life of your system as well as avoid unecessary costly repairs. Your electrical system is truly the heart of your home, and it should not be neglected. Friendly Electric enjoys helping out their local communities and does so whenever they can!
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