AFCI protection shall be provided for all 125v 15- and 20-amp branch circuits supplying _____ in dwelling unit bedrooms.
a) Receptacles Only
b) Lights and Switches
c) Smoke Detectors
d) All of the above
Answer: D; All of the above
That's wrong:
Quote:
210.12(B) Dwelling Unit Bedrooms. All branch circuits that supply
125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere outlets installed
in dwelling unit bedrooms shall be protected by an
arc-fault circuit interrupter listed to provide protection of
the entire branch circuit.
Because it says Outlets. Therefore the correct answer should be A unless lighting shares a circuit with recepticles which the question doesn't say.
Originally Posted By: rrushing This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The 1999 NEC required arc-fault protection as follows.
210-12. Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection
(a) Definition. An arc-fault circuit interrupter is a device intended to provide protection from the effects of arc faults by recognizing characteristics unique to arcing and by functioning to de-energize the circuit when an arc fault is detected.
(b) Dwelling Unit Bedrooms. All branch circuits that supply 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacle outlets installed in dwelling unit bedrooms shall be protected by an arc-fault circuit interrupter(s). This requirement shall become effective January 1, 2002.
In the 2002 NEC, the word "receptacle" was removed, making it "All branch circuits that supply 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere outlets installed in dwelling unit bedrooms", which now covers ALL OUTLETS on 15 and 20 amp 120 volt circuits. Light fixtures are mounted on "lighting outlets", smoke detectors are mounted on "outlets" for the smoke detector. These are "outlets" and are now to be arc-fault protected.
Originally Posted By: John M Borchers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Quote:
NEC 2002 Outlet. A point on the wiring system at which current is
taken to supply utilization equipment.
Quote:
NEC 2002 Utilization Equipment. Equipment that utilizes electric
energy for electronic, electromechanical, chemical, heating,
lighting, or similar purposes.
Yep these definitions say I'm wrong. I'm going to have to correct this in my panelboard. 
{Interesting enough my house passed its recent electrical upgrade inspection and I was asked about this. Guess the inspector made the same mistake reading the code that I did. I figure it comes from the saying, "Just plug it in to that outlet over there."}
Anyone know why arc fault is required in bedroom areas only? I guess they are using statistics that say most electrical fires start with arcs in bedrooms?
