joel_clark37•26d agoOG Member

Overheard a building inspector talking about AFCI breakers and jumped in

I was grabbing supplies at the supply house on Tuesday and overheard an inspector named Dave saying he's red-tagging every panel in the new subdivisions out east because guys are mixing up AFCI and GFCI requirements. He mentioned that one crew in Phoenix got hit with 12 violations on a single job site. Made me double check my own work and sure enough I found two breakers swapped in a panel I did three weeks ago. Has anyone else had close calls with those new code changes?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.thea26d ago

And that inspector Dave isn't wrong about the mixing up part either. I've seen guys grab a regular breaker off the truck without even checking if the panel needs AFCI protection on that circuit. The real trick is to go through the code book for each specific area since some states have different amendments that change what's required.

the_alice26d ago

Dave in Phoenix red-tagged 12 violations on one site, and that tells me people are skipping the basics. It's like how we ignore the small print on everything now, from router passwords to warranty cards, until it bites us. The code book isn't just paper, it's the difference between a working panel and a fire hazard.

cole_baker26d ago

Yeah, @torres.thea hit it. People just grab whatever's closest and hope it flies. Isn't that how most of the big fires start?