Rant: Heard a kid say AFCI breakers are pointless and I had to bite my tongue

I was at a supply house in Denver last Tuesday and overheard some apprentice telling his buddy that arc fault breakers are just a money grab. In my experience, I have seen three house fires traced back to old wiring setups that an AFCI would have caught early. Your mileage may vary, but I think they save headaches even if they nuisance trip sometimes. Anyone else run into a new guy who doesn't take arc faults seriously?

2 comments

2 Comments

nelson.finley15d ago

Man I had almost the exact same thing happen at a supply house in Phoenix last month. Some kid was going off about how AFCI is a scam while I was grabbing breakers, and I just wanted to hand him a photo of the fried outlet I replaced last week that literally saved a house. Did you just bite your tongue too or say something?

verab2814d ago

Some kid was going off about how AFCI is a scam" - wait, did he actually say that? Like standing there in the supply house yelling about it? I swear people hear one thing on the internet and think they're experts. I had a guy tell me once his house never burned down without AFCIs so they must be pointless. I just stared at him and said well buddy your one house doesn't really prove much. Did you ever find out if that kid was a homeowner or just a loud apprentice?