Ads
related to: arc fault breaker lowe's
Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
An arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) or arc-fault detection device (AFDD) [1] is a circuit breaker that breaks the circuit when it detects the electric arcs that are a signature of loose connections in home wiring. Loose connections, which can develop over time, can sometimes become hot enough to ignite house fires.
Two types of wiring protection are standard thermal breakers and arc fault circuit breakers. Thermal breakers require an overload condition long enough that a heating element in the breaker trips the breaker off. In contrast, arc fault circuit breakers use magnetic or other means to detect increases in current draw much more quickly.
Such devices may be found in the form of either a circuit breaker, known as an earth-leakage circuit breaker (ELCB), or built into a socket (aka receptacle). Voltage-operated ELCBs can still be found in the wild, though these largely fell out of favour after the invention of the current-sensing based RCD (aka GFCI) technology.
Arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) or arc-fault detection device (AFDD) — detects electric arcs from the likes of loose wires. Recloser — A type of circuit breaker that closes automatically after a delay. These are used on overhead electric power distribution systems, to prevent short duration faults from causing sustained outages.
Arcing horns (sometimes arc-horns) are projecting conductors used to protect insulators or switch hardware on high voltage electric power transmission systems from damage during flashover. Overvoltages on transmission lines, due to atmospheric electricity , lightning strikes, or electrical faults, can cause arcs across insulators (flashovers ...
Fault current can be limited by using current limiting devices such as current limiting breakers, grounding resistors, arc suppression coils or fuses. If the fault current is limited to 5 amperes or less, then many ground faults self-extinguish and do not propagate into phase-to-phase faults.