Did You Know?   Arc faults occur when worn or damaged insulation exposes current-carrying wiring or metal contacts in electrical fixtures.   An arc can form from conductor to conductor, or conductor to ground, and can even pass through 2 sections of a single broken wire.   There are a number of situa- tions that create an arc fault:     • Extension cords under carpets in high traffic areas • Inadequate clearance between electrical cords and furniture • Sharp edges of moldings and doors against cords • Improperly maintained plugs and outlets   Arc faults can happen at any time without warning, often where you're least likely to see them - in the attic, basement, behind and under furniture and inside walls.   Arcs produce temperatures well in excess of over 3000° F, which is hot enough to ignite just about any flammable material. The end result is very often a full-blown fire.   Every 13 minutes, a home is destroyed by an electrical fire, equaling more than 40,000 residential fires annually. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, these fires account for more than 350 deaths and $700 million in damages.

Problems in home wiring, like sparking, are associated with many residential fires each year. These fires claim over 350 lives and injure over 1,400 victims in the U.S. annually. Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters were developed to provide enhanced protection from fires resulting from unsafe home wiring conditions. Typical circuit breakers do not respond to early arcing and sparking conditions in home wiring. By the time a circuit breaker opens a circuit to defuse these conditions, a fire may have already begun. AFCIs have been recognized for their effectiveness in preventing fires. In fact, the 1999 National Electric Code states that all 15 and 20 AMP bedroom circuits in new home construction must be equipped with Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters beginning in 2002 (code specific to bedroom outlets circuits). Cutler-Hammer offers the FIRE-GUARD Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter. The product is designed to look like an ordinary breaker, and it provides the same thermal and magnetic protection as a conventional breaker. The difference is on the inside where an electronic customized integrated circuit analyzes waveforms to determine if it is safe or unsafe. If a waveform is found unsafe, the Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter will "trip" the circuit breaker and let homeowners know there's a problem. Available from Standard Electric in 3/4" and 1" configurations, Cutler-Hammer's innovative Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter also provides protection against line overloads, short circuits, and can also be equipped to provide ground fault protection in kitchens, bathrooms and other residential locations as identified in the National Electric Code. For more information on Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters, call your representative or visit the Standard Electric website.