Is this breaker an AFCI?

Did an inspection yesterday on a home built in 2012. The distribution panel had one breaker that stated on the label that it was a combination AFCI. It also had 4 breakers that only mentions GFCI on them. To meet the electrical code it would have had to have several AFCI breakers.

The home owner was involved in the construction and he insists that these are AFCIs. Is he correct or are these just GFCIs?

It says GFCI right on the breaker.

http://www.mikeholt.com/mojonewsarchive/AFCI-HTML/HTML/AFCI_Update~20030320.htm
“At least one manufacture makes a listed combination AFCI and GFCI circuit breaker.”

Do you have a pic of the complete breaker?

No… No test button in place. AFCI breakers are marked as such as far as I know.

This looks like what you have Robert, can’t see the entire breaker. It’s does not have arc fault protection.

GFCI’s…

Class A would likley indicate GFCI even if it had no other markings.

AFCI breakers have the test button like a GFCI except it is blue, not yellow like a gfci.

Jim

Thanks guys. That is what I though. I just wanted to make sure before I politely told my customer that he was wrong. BTW, I should have shown the entire breaker in the photo but wanted to make sure the label was readable. The breaker has a yellow test button as some mentioned.

I just did a new construction that had a white test button.

AFCI breakers come in several colors now days. I’ve seen blue, green, white and yellow. GFCI breakers I’ve seen with red, white and yellow.

The different colors on the Square D breakers were to differenciate between the early AFCI and the combination AFCI.

Hi Jim,
What were the colors used to differenciate?..and, is there any specific color differenciation nowadays?

Larry, IIRC the blues were the first edition AFCI, then the green. The white is the combination type AFCI that is now required. The blue and green were not combination AFCIs.

Good information. Thank you Jim.

Bert

Thanks, Jim. :smiley:

The AFCI’s with the blue buttons were the first ones. Many of them failed and are under recall.

Look…due to marking requirements if it was an AFCI it would say so. Tell the home owner to stick to their primary profession and leave the inspection to the experts.

As an update to the earlier question, as of 09/2018 this is available on the Square D (Schneider Electric) web site. Purple is now the combination GFCI/AFCI breaker test button. White is AFCI only. I think that current GFCI only breaker has a yellow test button (such as would be found in a garage) Several homes I have inspected lately have all purple combo AFCI/GFCI buttons even for places that only require GFCI - probably just easier to purchase and install all of the same model.
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What color are the test buttons on the QO and HOM AFI, CAFI, GFI, DF and EPD breakers?

[size=2][size=3]What color are the test buttons on the QO and HOM AFI, CAFI, GFI, DF and EPD breakers?

Issue:
What are the colors of the push-to-test buttons of QO-AFI, QO-CAFI, QO-DF, and QO-EPD?

Product Line:
Miniature Circuit Breakers

Environment:
QO and HOM AFI, GFI, CAFI, EPD and DF breakers

Resolution:
Test button color:
QO-AFI and HOM-AFI is green or blue
QO-CAFI and HOM-CAFI is white
QO-GFI and HOM-GFI is yellow
QO-EPD, QO-EPE and HOM-EPD is black
QO-DF and HOM-DF is purple

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Another web site offers pics on several different brands of AFCI manufacturers, but not sure how current this is:
Breaker Type | AFCI Safety[/FONT]

Don’t confuse combination AFCI with dual purpose GFCI/AFCI

Square D Dual Function Circuit Breakers | Schneider Electric