Warning: My AFCI breaker failed silently and almost caused a fire

I was finishing up a panel swap in a 1980s house yesterday near Austin, and one of the new AFCI breakers just... didn't trip. I had a dead short on a circuit from a nail through a wire, and the breaker stayed on for a good 10 seconds before I flipped it manually. The wire was glowing red hot by then. I checked it with a meter after - the breaker was brand new, a Siemens model from a batch I got at the supply house 2 weeks ago. I called the manufacturer and they told me there's a known issue with a batch of them not sensing arcing faults correctly. Have any of you dealt with bad AFCI breakers from a specific lot number recently?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_oscar23d agoMost Upvoted

I saw something about this in an electrician's forum last week where guys were sharing lot numbers off those Siemens AFCI breakers. It sounded like there were a bunch of them that just weren't catching arc faults right.

barbara_baker5722d ago

Isn't it just heartbreaking when the stuff you're supposed to trust with your family's safety turns out to be a gamble like that? I've read a few similar complaints online and it makes you wonder how many homes are out there with breakers that just sit there quiet while a real fire risk is brewing. Hopefully Siemens steps up and makes this right before someone gets hurt.