arc fault breaker with x-10 problem
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Posted by Dennis on April 22, 2007, 12:33 pm
Please log in for more thread options bedroom circuits that code required to have arc fault breakers. Those circuits have x-10 sockets, dimmer switches, and flourescent-controlling relay switches. The breakers on all three circuits trip immediately when they are closed. To test the wiring I swapped out the arc fault breakers with "regular" breakers. Everything worked. I must not be the first person to have experienced this problem, but I couldn't find anything on previous posts (nor elsewhere on the web) that dealt with it. Any information will be appreciated, even if it's "yeah, you're screwed, X-10 won't work with arc-fault". Thanks, Dennis | |||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Jeff Volp on April 22, 2007, 12:12 pm
Please log in for more thread options fault breakers we have here. Even the powerful signal from the XTB-II doesn't cause a problem when I test them in my workshop. Jeff | |||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by John on April 22, 2007, 12:37 pm
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>I have just got the electricity connected to a new house. There are three
I have found that a fluorescent light, downstream from a
>bedroom circuits that code required to have arc fault breakers. Those >circuits have x-10 sockets, dimmer switches, and flourescent-controlling >relay switches. > GFCI receptacle, will trip the GFCI when the fluorescent light is switched from on to off, presumably due to the decaying field in the ballast for the light creating an unbalanced current in the GFCI. I would disconnect the fluorescent circuity to see if that is the source of your problem. | |||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Dan Lanciani on April 22, 2007, 3:37 pm
Please log in for more thread options (Dennis) writes:
| I have just got the electricity connected to a new house. There are three | bedroom circuits that code required to have arc fault breakers. Those | circuits have x-10 sockets, dimmer switches, and flourescent-controlling | relay switches. | | The breakers on all three circuits trip immediately when they are closed. | To test the wiring I swapped out the arc fault breakers with "regular" | breakers. Everything worked. | | I must not be the first person to have experienced this problem, but I | couldn't find anything on previous posts (nor elsewhere on the web) that | dealt with it. | | Any information will be appreciated, even if it's "yeah, you're screwed, | X-10 won't work with arc-fault". I don't have any information that would help you, but I would be interested to know the brand of the arc fault breakers. It would also be interesting if you could isolate which X10 device(s) make this happen, though I guess this could take a bit of work. Yet another possible test would be to replace the arc fault breakers with GFCI breakers to see if the problem has anything to do with the arc detection functionality. (I assume at this point that any GFCI breaker you are likely to get would have a more sensitive trigger level than the GFCI function of the arc fault breaker, at least if you didn't go out of your way to make it otherwise...) Is there any possibility of a more mundane explanation like interconnected or grounded neutrals? Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com | |||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Dave Houston on April 22, 2007, 3:43 pm
Please log in for more thread options AFCIs do some rather sophisticated analysis in order to distinguish "working
arcs" (e.g. motors, switches making/breaking) from arcs due to wiring defects. One of the things they look for are certain frequencies. If your fluorescents have electronic ballasts with switch mode power supplies, they might be putting noise on the line at frequencies which the AFCIs interpret as arcing. The following page gives a brief description of the arc signature AFCIs look for. http://www.iaei.org/subscriber/magazine/00_d/gregory.htm Try removing the fluorescents from the mix. If that cures the problem, it may (or may not) be possible to add filters like others find necessary to get X-10 to work with CFLs. Whether such filters might defeat the purpose of the AFCIs is another question - one I cannot answer but think merits further exploration. AFCIs have been required for bedrooms (in new construction) for a few years so I would think there would be numerous reports if they commonly interfered with or were themselves interfered with by X-10. CFLs would be my "usual suspect". >I have just got the electricity connected to a new house. There are three
>bedroom circuits that code required to have arc fault breakers. Those >circuits have x-10 sockets, dimmer switches, and flourescent-controlling >relay switches. > >The breakers on all three circuits trip immediately when they are closed. >To test the wiring I swapped out the arc fault breakers with "regular" >breakers. Everything worked. > >I must not be the first person to have experienced this problem, but I >couldn't find anything on previous posts (nor elsewhere on the web) that >dealt with it. > >Any information will be appreciated, even if it's "yeah, you're screwed, >X-10 won't work with arc-fault". > >Thanks, > >Dennis > > | |||||||||||||||||||
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>bedroom circuits that code required to have arc fault breakers. Those
>circuits have x-10 sockets, dimmer switches, and flourescent-controlling
>relay switches.
>
> The breakers on all three circuits trip immediately when they are closed.
> To test the wiring I swapped out the arc fault breakers with "regular"
> breakers. Everything worked.
>
> I must not be the first person to have experienced this problem, but I
> couldn't find anything on previous posts (nor elsewhere on the web) that
> dealt with it.
>
> Any information will be appreciated, even if it's "yeah, you're screwed,
> X-10 won't work with arc-fault".
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dennis