News Releases
| For Immediate Release November 7, 2005 |
Contact: |
Lissa Hurwitz |
ESFI Encourages AFCI Installation
(Arlington, Va.) Home renovations add value, and they also present a prime opportunity for an investment to improve a home's electrical safety. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is urging consumers to install arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) to protect all of the circuits throughout the home during renovations.
AFCIs are electrical safety devices designed to prevent fires caused by dangerous electrical arcs. Arc faults are one of the major causes of the 73,500 residential electrical fires that occur each year.
Arc faults do not necessarily create a sustained short circuit that causes a traditional circuit breaker to trip or a fuse to blow, but can result in hot spots in wiring that can lead to a fire. AFCIs recognize the unique signature of harmful arcs and shut off the circuit to prevent a fire hazard.
Arcs can occur along the circuit in residential electrical systems and at outlets and switches, behind walls. Hidden electrical fires can spread rapidly, delaying detection by smoke alarms, reducing the chances of survival. Conditions that trigger arc faults include:
• Damaged wires from nails driven into walls;
• Cracked insulation on wires due to aging or stress;
• Frayed wires at stress points;
• Loose or improper connections, faulty electrical equipment; and
• Overheated electrical wires.
ESFI recommends having AFCIs installed on all general purpose circuits throughout the home, particularly in older homes where arcing hazards could have developed over several years.