What are Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters?
When unwanted arcing condition id detected, an AFCI de-energizes the circuit, and reduces the potential for a fire to occur. Traditional circuit breakers are only intended to respond to overloads and short circuits. Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI’s) are an effective means of preventing severe electrical shock by detecting loss of current in a circuit, but do not protect against arcing conditions that produce erratic current flow. An AFCI provides a new level of protection not offered by either of these devices.
