Electrical outlets in homes and businesses have advanced a long way from the old style of two-prong outlets without grounding. Some homes still have these outdated types of outlet, and if your home is one of them, you should contact a professional electrician to put in updated outlets, such as GFCI and AFCI outlets. Both these outlets help provide safety in a home, but from two different types of electrical dangers. A GFCI outlet prevents sending high voltage electrical shocks into a person. We’ll explain below what the AFCI outlet does.
If you need to have upgrades for the outlets in your home, call the excellent electrical team at D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc. We offer comprehensive residential electrical services in Fair Oaks Ranch, TX, from installing new outlets and circuit breaker panels to full safety inspections.
AFCI outlets: arc fault protection
When an appliance is plugged into an outlet, it can cause the heat to rise inside the outlet, a phenomenon known as arcing, when electricity is conducted through the air and converted into heat. An AFCI (“arc fault circuit interrupter”) outlet is designed to detect when arcing occurs and then immediately cut off the circuit inside the outlet and stop the flow of electricity and the arcing. Arc fault protection is not limited to outlets; it is often part of the electrical panel, so your home may already have arc fault protection even if it does not have specific AFCI outlets for it.
Currently, the National Electric Code (NEC) requires AFCI protection for wiring that serves bedrooms and other sleeping areas in a house, since these are locations where a fire could start in the outlet and catch someone by surprise. However, the NEC is not a federal law, only a set of guidelines, and all local jurisdictions select their own version of the code to enforce. A professional electrician will know what the local code requirements are for your area.
If you have doubts about the electrical safety of your home, or if you’re unsure if you have arc protection or not, please call D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc. We can provide an electrical inspection to determine what safety measures you may need. Afterwards, we can install GFCI and AFCI outlets, or place arc fault protection into your electrical panel. We will help see that your home has the best level of electrical safety to protect your family. Rely on us for any job you need that’s electrical in Fair Oaks Ranch, TX.
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Tags: Electrical, Fair Oaks Ranch
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on What Is an AFCI Outlet?
Your home’s electrical system is arguably the most important part of it. Without it, modern life simply isn’t possible, as it’s required for everything from lights to heat to your computer system to your water heater and everything in between. When problems arise, it’s not just a matter of comfort or luxury. It can bring you home to a standstill, and possibly even create a safety issue as well. 
