[electrichelper]

I am currently a student at Triangle Tech Greensbug Campus. We are doing a research project and I got selected for this question. In old installations, do you need to AFCI protect a circuit? What if you use a GFCI receptacle and the AFCI breaker, will both serve their purpose and work? Does it all depend on the inspector? I know that in the 05 version of code stated bedrooms and hallways needed AFCI circuit protection in only new installations. In the 08 version all rooms other than those GFCI protected. In my current class of power distribution, we have talked about both AFCI and GFCI devices. Is it possible to have a GFCI receptacles on AFCI breakers and both do their functions? I know this would be expensive due to the price of the AFCI breakers at roughly $50 a piece and the GFCI receptacles at $14 a piece roughly. Thanks for your inputs....

 

[480sparky]

Today's AFCIs are totally compatible with GFCIs. It does not depend on the inspector.

 

[ampman]

if you hear the term combination type arc faults it refers to a device that will protect against series and parallel arc faults not a gfi/afci combo but i did read that such a device does exist.