I've had a GFCI pop with RF, once in a place I stayed on vacation, and once 
at a special event setup. The vacation place I had to find another outlet, 
the other time  I ended up going to a battery.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 1:20 AM
Subject: Re: Arc Fault circuit breakers


> wow, that is very interesting.
> I've never had a GFCI pop in the presence of RF, but it's a really good
> thing to be aware of.
> I haven't been around AFCI breakers with rf yet.
> I wonder if new automobiles have similar systems and if they are prone to
> being tripped by RF...might prove rather interesting if they do start 
> using
> similar devices.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 8:44 PM
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Arc Fault circuit breakers
>
>> We moved into our house a little over a year ago.  It took me
>> several months before trying my Hf station on a temporary Alpha 1
>> antenna.  The first day I did, I blew 4 Arc Fault breakers in the
>> main panel.  It took me about 4 months to figure it out then a
>> few days ago I got this info from a friend from the ARRL.  This
>> may also help some of you guys.  The upshot was that I changed
>> out 4 arc fault breakers replacing them with regular ones and the
>> problems went away.  Here's what the ARRL said about it.  You
>> might find this interesting.
>>  From today's ARRL newsletter
>>  Your League: ARRL Helps Manufacturer to Resolve Arc Fault
>> Circuit Interrupter RFI Problems
>> The ARRL Lab has worked with a manufacturer of arc fault circuit
>> interrupter (AFCI) breakers to resolve complaints that Amateur
>> Radio RF was causing certain breaker models to trip
>> unnecessarily.  Like the more common ground fault circuit
>> interrupter (GFCI), the AFCI is a safety device.  Primarily
>> designed to detect problems that could result in a fire, AFCIs
>> detect potentially hazardous arc faults that result from often
>> unseen damage or poor connections in wiring and in extension
>> cords and cord sets.
>> "Several months ago we started receiving reports from amateurs
>> that when they transmitted, their AFCI breakers were tripping,"
>> said Mike Gruber, W1MG, the ARRL Lab's EMC specialist.  He noted
>> that the issue has been a topic of online ham radio discussions
>> as well as on homeowner sites; it seems that stray RF is not the
>> only thing that can cause a "nuisance trip" of an AFCI.  Gruber
>> pointed out that the National Electrical Code (NEC) already
>> requires AFCIs in some household circuits, but not all US
>> jurisdictions have adopted the requirement.
>>  W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, with the AFCI test
>> stand.  [Mike Gruber, W1MG, photo]
>> Gruber said that as AFCIs became more common in new construction
>> in the US, reports started coming in that AFCIs in the vicinity -
>> not just in the radio amateur's home - would trip in the presence
>> of RF from an Amateur Radio transmitter.  While each
>> manufacturer's design is proprietary, most AFCIs detect arcs by
>> monitoring the shape of the alternating current waveform, changes
>> in current levels, voltage irregularities, and the presence of
>> high frequency emissions or "noise." The ARRL Lab dug into the
>> problem.
>> "Last summer we built a test fixture in which we could test any
>> type of circuit breaker," Gruber said.  It involved using W1AW as
>> an RF source.  Gruber said he bought one of "every AFCI that I
>> could get my hands on," but when the Lab began testing them
>> during W1AW transmissions, none of the devices tripped..
>> A ham in New Mexico who had reported AFCI problems sent some of
>> his breakers to the ARRL Lab, "and those tripped when we tested
>> them," Gruber said.  The problematic breakers were certain models
>> made by Eaton Corporation.  "We already had an Eaton breaker, an
>> older model, but it did not trip," he noted, adding that the
>> breaker had a yellow button.  The newer model, which had a white
>> button, did trip in the presence of RF, however, even at power
>> levels down to about 50 W on 17 meters.
>> Gruber contacted Eaton, and two of the manufacturer's engineers
>> visited ARRL Headquarters in August.  "Eaton was extremely
>> cooperative and eager to resolve this," Gruber recounted.  "They
>> spent the day with us, going over our test methods and took some
>> of the problematic breakers back with them, eventually developing
>> a modified version.
>> "We have just finished testing the new version of the breaker,
>> and it did not trip during W1AW transmissions and in other
>> tests," Gruber reported.  He said the new breaker is still in the
>> queue for UL approval.
>> Eaton Engineering Director Andy Foerster said arc fault detection
>> is challenging, in part because so many common household devices
>> - such as vacuum cleaners and power tools that use motors with
>> brushes - create arcing.  In information provided to ARRL Eaton
>> engineer Lanson Relyea said that because AFCIs rely on HF
>> emission detection to verify arcing, "any signal that conducts or
>> radiates a signal within the detection band of the AFCI can cause
>> interference and cause the device to trip without the presence of
>> a true arcing condition."
>> Eaton and ARRL agreed that when the manufacturer comes out with
>> any new models of breakers, it will ask the League to test them
>> at W1AW.  "It's a win-win situation," Gruber said.  Eaton also
>> has agreed to work with anyone having a problem with RF tripping
>> its AFCIs.
>> Hams experiencing unwanted tripping problems with their or their
>> neighbors' AFCIs should first contact the manufacturer.  In the
>> case of Eaton breakers, contact Bob Handickgg412-893-3746) or Joe
>> Fello (412-893-3745).  Read more.