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Friday, June 3, 2022
Question:
I'm a fan of the CQD Forum. I have a GFCI receptacle tester that trips a GFCI receptacle when I push the button. When I use it on a receptacle in the bedroom why won't it trip the AFCI breaker in the panel?
Seth Baldwin
A
Answer:
Hello Seth,
Ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) receptacles trip when all of the current does not return to the device and returns around the sensing window creating an unbalance current and operating the trip mechanism. Your tester causes this unbalance to test the operation. An arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) circuit breaker senses or recognizes an "arc signature" and operates the trip mechanism in the arc-fault device. These are two separate types of fault sensing devices and operate independently. So a GFCI receptacle tester cannot be used to test AFCI circuit breakers. There may be combination test instruments that provide both testing features in one unit. Hope this is helpful.