Breakers Tripping in Neighborhood

[missypie]

We live in Village of Fernandina and several neighbors including myself have had our breakers trip last night and again this morning. This hasn't happened since May but has started in again. I worry most for the feeble elderly that have to go into their garages every time to fix it. Someone is doing something to make this happen. We need some answers please.

[MR&VAF]

We live on Fieldbrook, and we had this happen last night and again this morning. I didn't have to reset them last night, but this morning I did, and I had 5 that was tripped. We can't have this continue or it's going to ruin one of our appliances. I'm just glad we was home, or we could have come back to a freezer full of thawed food! There are many snowbirds that have not returned yet, we hope their homes are okay.
We were told that a HAM radio was causing it. We ar not sure if that is true or not. We do know that we have not had any problem with this since May, and now twice in 24 hours. Something has to be done to fix this problem!!! Someones going to get a phone call bright and early Tuesday morning!!!

[outlaw]

We live on Fieldbrook, and we had this happen last night and again this morning. I didn't have to reset them last night, but this morning I did, and I had 5 that was tripped. We can't have this continue or it's going to ruin one of our appliances. I'm just glad we was home, or we could have come back to a freezer full of thawed food! There are many snowbirds that have not returned yet, we hope their homes are okay.
We were told that a HAM radio was causing it. We ar not sure if that is true or not. We do know that we have not had any problem with this since May, and now twice in 24 hours. Something has to be done to fix this problem!!! Someones going to get a phone call bright and early Tuesday morning!!!

Did they say how a ham radio could cause something like this? Just curious.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

An improperly grounded HAM radio antenna can cause that. Do you all live close to eachother? Inquire with your neighbors.

[outahere]

A few months back, a local electrician here in TV told me that they do see problems with the 1st generation of arc fault breakers being tripped by nearby HAM radios. While trying to determine the cause of the breakers tripping, they have found that HAM radio antennas can be "hidden" inside a flag pole, so they are difficult to locate. Supposedly, the 2nd generation of the arc fault breakers are not as sensitive to the radio waves, but they are not cheap.

[jimbo2012]

I found 6 tripped, all were low amps none of the 220V, strange first time in 2 1/2 years.

[missypie]

So because someone doesn't have their antenna installed properly I have to pay for better breakers? I'm a pretty good investigator so I'll find out very soon.

[villagetinker]

If you do a search in Google for ARC fault breaker nuisance tripping, you will find that at least one specific brand of breaker did respond to the radio interference and would trip. They actually created a version of the AFCI breaker labeled HAM that supposedly had additional filtering. I did find a previous thread on TOTV regarding this issue, you may find some answers there.
To clarify a few points:
1. You should find the AFCI breakers serving the bedrooms and living room areas only.
2. These breakers are difference from GFCI breakers which are used for outside, bathroom, kitchen areas, where water is present.
3. During a close in lightning strike, I had 3 GFCI receptacles all in the garage trip, no circuit breakers so far. Been in the house, village of Pinellas, almost 2 years.
4. My neighbor had a really weird experience where opening the refrigerator door would trip the AFCI breaker supplying the living room. This happened several times over a 6-7 month period. When he contacted an electrician, he found the refrigerator circuit breaker was on the SAME leg as the living room AFCI breaker. The electrician swapped the refrigerator with another circuit on the opposite leg, and this appears to have eliminated the problem.
5. There have been LOTS of problems reported with these breakers. I have not seen any specific solutions, but a lot of theories on what may be happening.

I hope the above helps, and perhaps some of the inspectors or electricians can add their experience or insight.

[missypie]

Thank you Village tinker

[villagetinker]

One other thought came to mind, if there is a cluster of homes experiencing the problem, it might be a good idea to call SECO and ask them to check the facilities in the area, incase there is a problem on the utility side. I have not seen this as a proposed cause, but that would typically be the only thing in common with several houses.
Please keep us up to date with what you find.

[chuck90199]

We live in Charlotte. Found two AFCI breakers tripped this morning... living room, and kitchen overhead lights. Both 15-Amp. We've been here almost 3 years and this is only the second time this has happened. The first time was in early 2013. The problem that time was faulty wiring in our post light.

[tag460]

I live on Brassie Terrace, I had no issues but my neighbor had 6 breakers tripped. No 220V or appliance breakers were tripped.

[Chatbrat]

If a person has lightning rods installed in their house and they get a hit--their neighbors will be affected--look around for lightning rods.
also your panel grounding should be checked.

[Bogie Shooter]

Duh! Has anybody called SECO???

[asianthree]

Ours tripped weekly in our villa in pennacamp. Seco could not figure it out. Lenheart came out changed breaker still happen. Then all of a sudden it stopped. No reason either way

[ditka41]

Duh! Has anybody called SECO???

'Duh!' -?? ----Oh thanks for the helpful suggestion. Never would have thought of that.

Yes, of course attempts were made to call SECO this morning and without resolution so far.

[Phoneman]

Had the same issue when we moved here, had warranty dept send out electrician who said it my be a ham radio operator. Turned out our front lamp post light arked when it went on. He did something in the lamp wiring, no problems since

[outahere]

4. My neighbor had a really weird experience where opening the refrigerator door would trip the AFCI breaker supplying the living room. This happened several times over a 6-7 month period. When he contacted an electrician, he found the refrigerator circuit breaker was on the SAME leg as the living room AFCI breaker. The electrician swapped the refrigerator with another circuit on the opposite leg, and this appears to have eliminated the problem.



This is exactly how I found out about the ARC fault breakers being sensitive to HAM radios. Occasionally, when opening the refrigerator, the living room AFCI breaker would trip. Once that breaker was replaced with a 2nd generation AFCI breaker, everything is fine. The electrician had to come out twice to correct the problem, and he and I started talking about what can cause the breaker to trip. He also said that they have identified certain models of the Whirlpool refrigerators that can cause the problem - something to do with the LED lighting in them.

Since it is suddenly happening in more than one home in the area, I would agree that SECO should check it out.

[ditka41]

SECO guys just left my house in Fernandina. Apparently several more homes nearby with the same issues. While SECO was here another neighbor came over to report the same problems . The responders seem baffled for answers but are very polite and said there is no immediate danger with what's going on. Could be a "bad batch of electrical equipment that was bought in volume for this area's initial construction" is one idea. In this neighborhood the houses are new enough that this issue should be reported to Home Warranty dept. of the Villages as they may need to become involved in replacements if a batch of faulty equipment has been installed.

[villagetinker]

SECO guys just left my house in Fernandina. Apparently several more homes nearby with the same issues. While SECO was here another neighbor came over to report the same problems . The responders seem baffled for answers but are very polite and said there is no immediate danger with what's going on. Could be a "bad batch of electrical equipment that was bought in volume for this area's initial construction" is one idea. In this neighborhood the houses are new enough that this issue should be reported to Home Warranty dept. of the Villages as they may need to become involved in replacements if a batch of faulty equipment has been installed.

I agree, talk to all of your neighbors, and have all of them contact home warranty, you may be on to something. By the way, my neighbor must have one of the Whirlpool units with the LEDs that cause the problem, my Whirlpool so far has not caused any problems.

[birdawg]

Also live on allaire loop lost power on about 6 breakers at 10:00 Friday night and 6:30 this morning. I doubt that all are breakers have gone bad at the exact same time in the neighborhood.

[missypie]

Also live on allaire loop lost power on about 6 breakers at 10:00 Friday night and 6:30 this morning. I doubt that all are breakers have gone bad at the exact same time in the neighborhood.

Exactly! Must be a Ham radio person.

[rubicon]

As I recall there had been a rash of breakers tripping about 3-4 years go that eventually was attributed to defective breakers

[justjim]

If there is a ham operator in the neighborhood, wouldn't some neighbor know it? Assuming there is one, what happens next?

I'm not a ham radio operator, but if I was, I wouldn't think this was my problem or anyway my fault. Ham radio operators can provide a valuable service to a community. Perhaps I am missing something here---is this prohibited here in The Villages?

[Lpierleo]

We also had two breakers tripped within the last 24 hours on the south side of Sanibel,

[Retiring]

If I can go off topic for just a moment. About 20 years ago I had a rather serious situation with a ham radio operator. One day I noticed the picture on my television was all snow and I can hear talking coming through. When I picked up my telephone I can hear talking before I even press the first number. I no longer had use of my television or landline phone. Based on the conversations I can hear from my television and phone, I had a gut feeling this was a ham radio.

I walked the neighborhood and found a 20 foot antenna in someone's backyard, about five houses away. I talked to the neighbor and learned they just moved in, a renter. I told him what I was experiencing. He said, it's not my problem. I called the regional FCC office, which happens to be in my city. They sent out a truck to see if he was in compliance with the power output of his antenna. He was in compliance. The FCC told me I would just have to live with it. We moved.

Please tell me you don't have this kind of problem in TV.

[dbussone]

If I can go off topic for just a moment. About 20 years ago I had a rather serious situation with a ham radio operator. One day I noticed the picture on my television was all snow and I can hear talking coming through. When I picked up my telephone I can hear talking before I even press the first number. I no longer had use of my television or landline phone. Based on the conversations I can hear from my television and phone, I had a gut feeling this was a ham radio.

I walked the neighborhood and found a 20 foot antenna in someone's backyard, about five houses away. I talked to the neighbor and learned they just moved in, a renter. I told him what I was experiencing. He said, it's not my problem. I called the regional FCC office, which happens to be in my city. They sent out a truck to see if he was in compliance with the power output of his antenna. He was in compliance. The FCC told me I would just have to live with it. We moved.

Please tell me you don't have this kind of problem in TV.

Not a problem I've ever experienced in TV.

[graciegirl]

I wish the poster who calls himself "Lightning" would address this issue.


I am wondering if it was a lightning strike or two that hit the ground and traveled to people's homes, overpowering the breakers.


We had one television that we neglected to put a power surge thingy on and it died a couple weeks ago during a terrific lightning event.


This lightning thing is very serious here. I blame the Morses.

[DangeloInspections]

The AFCI issue is a complicated and complex one. Much of what has been posted so far is good info, and some is a bit off the mark.
I am not an expert on this issue and my opinion is by no means the last word on the subject.

AFCI's trip for various reasons. They are designed to trip when an arc is detected or the amperage for that circuit is exceeded. The problem is that there are some electrical appliances that are designed to have an arc, like corded drills, some vacuum cleaners, etc, etc.

So....when an AFCI trips, the question is this.....Is the AFCI defective, oversensitive, etc, or is it correctly doing it's intended job. If the circuit is a 15 amp circuit, and you have a huge TV, sound system, a bunch of lamps, etc on the circuit, then plug in a powerful 12 amp vacuum cleaner, and the AFCI trips, you have probably exceeded the amperage.

While 15 amp receptacle circuits pass code, I personally prefer all of my receptacles wired with 20 amp circuits, but that is not required.

Furthermore, some AFCI's can trip from some refrigerators, plasma TV's etc. Sometimes the Electrician's will add a magnet type device to the conductors in the panelbox, or add a coil of additional conductors to that circuit to dissipate the problem, or change the electrical cord, etc, in the back of the refrigerator to solve this. Whirlpool recently has been covering the warranty cost of this on homes less than one year old.

To complicate the issue, one can have a Ham Radio operator a block away trip your AFCI breakers. That Ham Radio operator is doing nothing wrong, and his equipment is totally compliant to all laws and codes. He has every right to be a Ham Radio operator, just as much as you have the right to play golf. He is doing nothing wrong. You can own your home for say 5 years, no problems, then suddenly you have this problem due to a new neighbor or new hobby.

The law states that the manufacturers of the AFCI's have the obligation to make their product work with all existing electrical and radio frequencies, etc. The onus is on them. Not your neighbor. Sadly, this does not help you at all or solve your problem.

There are different generations of AFCI's, and the newer ones are less problematic. They are costly. A regular circuit breaker can cost less than $5.00, but AFCI's can be between $50-$80 a piece. Plus installation.

So, in short, this problem has a number of different causes, and some of the causes are the normal intended function of the AFCI(s). One size does NOT fit all.

This is NOT just a problem here in The Villages....it is a well known issue that should work itself out as the newer generations of AFCI's become more common.

When I do a warranty inspection I ask the homeowners if they have had any issues of this nature and make sure it get into the report so the Electrician's can take all the needed steps to remedy the issue, whether it be changing the AFCI, or the refrigerator component, etc.

Again, I am NOT an licenced Electrician. I have wired complete houses and as a Home Inspector have a good working knowledge of typical household electrical systems. I post this only as an attempt to clarify the issue somewhat. If you have this type of issue, I suggest contacting a good licensed Electrician to troubleshoot your UNIQUE situation, as your "fix" may be different than your neighbor. Any good Electrician should have a good understanding of this issue. I do know that Terry from Pike's is considered an expert on this issue.

I hope this helps....

Frank

[villagetinker]

What Frank states above is a very good synopsis of the problems. I have a long (40+ years) electrical engineering background, and everything I have found researching this false tripping problem, leads to lots of POSSIBLE causes, and lots of confusion. The basis problem is that the specific faults the AFCI is designed to detect and trip for look a lot like other naturally occurring phenomena that they do not need to trip for. This is all very aggravating for the end user.
Hope this helps.

[justjim]

The AFCI issue is a complicated and complex one. Much of what has been posted so far is good info, and some is a bit off the mark.
I am not an expert on this issue and my opinion is by no means the last word on the subject.

AFCI's trip for various reasons. They are designed to trip when an arc is detected or the amperage for that circuit is exceeded. The problem is that there are some electrical appliances that are designed to have an arc, like corded drills, some vacuum cleaners, etc, etc.

So....when an AFCI trips, the question is this.....Is the AFCI defective, oversensitive, etc, or is it correctly doing it's intended job. If the circuit is a 15 amp circuit, and you have a huge TV, sound system, a bunch of lamps, etc on the circuit, then plug in a powerful 12 amp vacuum cleaner, and the AFCI trips, you have probably exceeded the amperage.

While 15 amp receptacle circuits pass code, I personally prefer all of my receptacles wired with 20 amp circuits, but that is not required.

Furthermore, some AFCI's can trip from some refrigerators, plasma TV's etc. Sometimes the Electrician's will add a magnet type device to the conductors in the panelbox, or add a coil of additional conductors to that circuit to dissipate the problem, or change the electrical cord, etc, in the back of the refrigerator to solve this. Whirlpool recently has been covering the warranty cost of this on homes less than one year old.

To complicate the issue, one can have a Ham Radio operator a block away trip your AFCI breakers. That Ham Radio operator is doing nothing wrong, and his equipment is totally compliant to all laws and codes. He has every right to be a Ham Radio operator, just as much as you have the right to play golf. He is doing nothing wrong. You can own your home for say 5 years, no problems, then suddenly you have this problem due to a new neighbor or new hobby.

The law states that the manufacturers of the AFCI's have the obligation to make their product work with all existing electrical and radio frequencies, etc. The onus is on them. Not your neighbor. Sadly, this does not help you at all or solve your problem.

There are different generations of AFCI's, and the newer ones are less problematic. They are costly. A regular circuit breaker can cost less than $5.00, but AFCI's can be between $50-$80 a piece. Plus installation.

So, in short, this problem has a number of different causes, and some of the causes are the normal intended function of the AFCI(s). One size does NOT fit all.

This is NOT just a problem here in The Villages....it is a well known issue that should work itself out as the newer generations of AFCI's become more common.

When I do a warranty inspection I ask the homeowners if they have had any issues of this nature and make sure it get into the report so the Electrician's can take all the needed steps to remedy the issue, whether it be changing the AFCI, or the refrigerator component, etc.

Again, I am NOT an licenced Electrician. I have wired complete houses and as a Home Inspector have a good working knowledge of typical household electrical systems. I post this only as an attempt to clarify the issue somewhat. If you have this type of issue, I suggest contacting a good licensed Electrician to troubleshoot your UNIQUE situation, as your "fix" may be different than your neighbor. Any good Electrician should have a good understanding of this issue. I do know that Terry from Pike's is considered an expert on this issue.

I hope this helps....

Frank

:wave: Excellent post Frank---thanks for the information. I have lived in neighborhoods with ham operators before but never had this problem and never had a "tripping breaker" issue until a couple years ago. Pike's replaced some breakers and all was okay.

The new sometimes not as good as the old!

[ditka41]

Thanks for the useful comments. Seems that we have a very common problem in a concentrated area. I am leaning toward problems caused by the recent lightening strikes we've had affecting overly sensitive breakers, but that's just my opinion. I left a message for Home Warranty (753-6222) and don't expect a response until tomorrow due to the holiday. If I don't have a response from them tomorrow, will try again. It's a good idea for all who have been affected to call them so they understand it's not just a few "squeaky wheels" complaining about this irritating and potentially dangerous problem.

[birdawg]

Thanks for the useful comments. Seems that we have a very common problem in a concentrated area. I am leaning toward problems caused by the recent lightening strikes we've had affecting overly sensitive breakers, but that's just my opinion. I left a message for Home Warranty (753-6222) and don't expect a response until tomorrow due to the holiday. If I don't have a response from them tomorrow, will try again. It's a good idea for all who have been affected to call them so they understand it's not just a few "squeaky wheels" complaining about this irritating and potentially dangerous problem.

Will do, I think if it was lightening it would have happened at the time of the strike. I will also call seco

[ditka41]

When we lived in rural Illinois four years ago, a lightening strike occurred in our neighbor's yard, killing a tree, and took out one of our TV's instantly. . GRADUALLY we lost 4 electronic devices over a span of two days, with the final failure being that of our private well which was 210 feet deep. Our insurance company covered it all and advised that it is not at all unusual for various equipment to fail relatively slowly after a strike. It is not always instant.

[tommy steam]

Did anyone think of calling the electric company to see if they had any ideas?

[Vladimir]

A few months back, a local electrician here in TV told me that they do see problems with the 1st generation of arc fault breakers being tripped by nearby HAM radios. While trying to determine the cause of the breakers tripping, they have found that HAM radio antennas can be "hidden" inside a flag pole, so they are difficult to locate. Supposedly, the 2nd generation of the arc fault breakers are not as sensitive to the radio waves, but they are not cheap.

Several months ago we had the same issue with half dozen circuit breakers tripping in about 12 homes in our neighborhood. Turns out a not so good neighbor put in a HAM radio antenna which was causing the problem - and he didn't care and Community Standards was powerless in this situation. Our master electrician neighbor replaced the 6 or 7 breakers with the second generation arc fault breakers and this solved the problem. Sounds like you may have a new HAM operator in your area.

[gene21fan]

reading all about the breakers tripping mine 6 breakers just tripped at 10pm

[Jeff/Tracy]

When I woke up this morning the lights didn't work in the kitchen .. I went out to check and we had 3 breakers tripped. We live in the Village of Charlotte. VERY strange.

[HiHoSteveO]

These two links are NOT The Villages, but are quite interesting to this topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsILD0Fce1s

Forum » RFI - Discussion and Q&A » HF RF Tripping Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI's) (http://www.arrl.org/forum/topics/view/1156)

[champion6]

<snip> Turns out a not so good neighbor put in a HAM radio antenna which was causing the problem - and he didn't care and Community Standards was powerless in this situation.<snip>I'm not attacking you, but I think it's unfair to blame your neighbor or Community Standards for the problem. The neighbor has the right to operate the radio. The operation of the radio is not prohibited by deed restrictions.

The problem exists in the breakers. This has already been covered in other posts.

[foxmeadow]

reading all about the breakers tripping mine 6 breakers just tripped at 10pm

I live north of 466A, in St James and many of my breakers kicked last night at about 10:15pm. There were 6 in a row, all 15 amp. It was like they went off one at time in rapid sequence. My house is three years old. I'm not too worried because this is a first, but I do wonder why, all of a sudden, this is happening. I called SECO and they said they have had numerous calls and continue to investigate.
My facts, as I see them:
-All breakers in a row
-All are 15 amps
-no lightning in the area
-I have a noise suppressor, installed by SECO, at the outside meter.

Hope we get a definitive answer soon.
:bigbow:

[Down Sized]

I live in Sanible. Two 15 amp breakers tripped around 10 pm last night.

[Chatbrat]

Just checked my panel-noticed the dedicated smoke detector circuit is on a ARC breaker-I am removing it and putting in a conventional breaker & if my refrigerator is on an ARC breaker I will change that one also--these are important circuits & they should not be subject to nuisance tripping despite what the current code says. I don't know when the ARC rule became part of the NEC, but certain aspects are over kill. And yes, I am a retired electrical contractor.

[SKIMAN]

:i think it's aliens:

[dbussone]

I live north of 466A, in St James and many of my breakers kicked last night at about 10:15pm. There were 6 in a row, all 15 amp. It was like they went off one at time in rapid sequence. My house is three years old. I'm not too worried because this is a first, but I do wonder why, all of a sudden, this is happening. I called SECO and they said they have had numerous calls and continue to investigate.
My facts, as I see them:
-All breakers in a row
-All are 15 amps
-no lightning in the area
-I have a noise suppressor, installed by SECO, at the outside meter.

Hope we get a definitive answer soon.
:bigbow:

If SECO does respond with a cause, would you please let us know? I have not had any issues but have found this thread very interesting.

[Vladimir]

I'm not attacking you, but I think it's unfair to blame your neighbor or Community Standards for the problem. The neighbor has the right to operate the radio. The operation of the radio is not prohibited by deed restrictions.

The problem exists in the breakers. This has already been covered in other posts.

I disagree. Of course he has the legal right but since he is the cause of the problem the right thing to do is to stop disrupting your neighbors or else pay for the fix. There is common courtesy and then there is that pesky legal right.

[Sandy B]

My 15 amp breakers tripped again last night, sometime between 8-9:30 pm. We live in Sanibel. Anyone else? AND what do I need to do to have this fixed?

[CFrance]

My 15 amp breakers tripped again last night, sometime between 8-9:30 pm. We live in Sanibel. Anyone else? AND what do I need to do to have this fixed?

I think if you read the whole thread, there were some knowledgeable posters who gave fixes for the problem.

[birdawg]

Breakers went last night, anyone else?

[villagetinker]

Breakers went last night, anyone else?

What kind of breakers, GFCI, AFCI? Was there any lightning in the area? Anything else unusual? please include additional info, this helps all in determining if there is a pattern.

I am in the Village of Pinellas, I have never had any of the above types of breakers trip, in almost 2 years. Neighbor had problems with an AFCI breaker due to the Whirlpool refrigerator LED light noise problem. I did one time have all of the GFCI receptacles trip in the garage when there was a close in lightning strike.

[Retiring]

I'm not attacking you, but I think it's unfair to blame your neighbor or Community Standards for the problem. The neighbor has the right to operate the radio. The operation of the radio is not prohibited by deed restrictions.

The problem exists in the breakers. This has already been covered in other posts.

The neighbors “right” to his hobby stops at my property line. The neighbors “right” to his hobby should not disrupt my life. What about my “right” to peaceful enjoyment of my home. Why should the neighbor’s hobby cost me money and inconvenience??? This applies anywhere in this country, including TV.

I realize it’s difficult to tell a neighbor he must stop his hobby till HE makes the necessary modifications to your home. Most hams are reasonable but some may tell you to pound sand, as happened to me (not in TV).

Hopefully, with the updated CBs all will be well in paradise. Wishing everyone a quick resolution.

[Chatbrat]

Refrigerators & freezers should never be on a GFI & a AFCI breaker.

[villagetinker]

Refrigerators & freezers should never be on a GFI & a AFCI breaker.

Ok, just a point of clarification. I just checked my CB panel, AFCI breakers are for bedrooms, living room, dining room and nook areas. GFCI breakers, master bath (ceiling light), and washer dryer. the refrigerator and Microwave, etc. were all on regular circuit breakers.
In a previous post I was not clear about the neighbors problem, the refrigerator (on a regular CB) was causing the AFCI for the living room to trip. The electrician simply swapped the refrigerator to a CB on the opposite side of the panel, and this seemed to have stopped the problem.

So it would still be interesting to see if SECO comes up with a cause for multiple CBs tripping at multiple homes in the same general time frame.

Hopes this helps.

[DangeloInspections]

Just to clarify, on the newer homes in The Villages, Refrigerators and freezers are not on GFCI or AFCI breakers.

Some refrigerators emit a radio frequency that can sometimes trip an AFCI breaker, even when it is NOT on that breaker.

As to HAM radio operators, as I said before, the fault here is with the AFCI breakers, as most HAM radio operators keep their outputs well below allowed legal limits.

Hope this helps...

Frank

[tomwed]

"Eaton’s Relyea said that hams experiencing unwanted tripping problems with their or their neighbors’ AFCIs should contact the manufacturer as the first step in rectifying the compatibility issue."

ARRL Helps Manufacturer to Resolve Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter RFI Problems (http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-helps-manufacturer-to-resolve-arc-fault-circuit-interrupter-rfi-problems)

If some neighbors are having a problem and some not than maybe the problem is unique to a certain make and model of AFCI breakers.

Find out from your electrician hired by the builder the make and model of your breakers. Contact the manufacturer and see what they say. I would use email and forward everything to all concerned including SECO and the village ham radio club if possible.

[tag460]

Update from SECO. I talked to them today and they are working the problem of breakers tripping in our area. They may have a solution and will let us know when the fix is complete. If it happens again please call and let them know.

[villagetinker]

Update from SECO. I talked to them today and they are working the problem of breakers tripping in our area. They may have a solution and will let us know when the fix is complete. If it happens again please call and let them know.

Thank you for the update!!! I would be real interested if they share their solution. Please keep us informed. :pepper2::pepper2::pepper2:

[Villager Joyce]

We also had a breaker trip on Monday and then again today. We called SECO and were told they are working with The Villages to find a fix. She mentioned Eaton brand GFI. They are keeping a list of people who have experienced the problem. We are in hillsborough. The area SECO is working on is North of 44 and South of 466A. We will share as info is provided.

[ditka41]

Here is what worked for me and I'd assume it's valid for other owners of homes under warranty: (HOME WARRANTY DEPT IS THE KEY!)

1. Contact Home Warranty Dept and POLITELY explain the breaker problem you experience.
2. Home Warranty will refer you to the electrical contractor who did your house.
3. Call the contractor and state how you were referred. Explain the problem again.
4. Your contractor will probably already know the trouble with the AFCI breakers is really caused by HAM operators and will schedule a visit to your house.
5. ALL my AFCI breakers were replaced (without charge) by the latest generation which is immune to the radio signals.
6. In the six days since replacement there have been no "false trips" and life is good!

NOTE: This is not SECO's fault but they were most courteous when I phoned them , SECO truck arrived within a half hour, and although "not official" they know it's HAM interference causing the tripping and suggested contacting Home Warranty. BTW, although very rude to be causing troubles within the neighborhoods, the HAM people are not doing anything illegal and can not be forced to make changes or desist. Also, when you contact the electrical contractor (AFTER Home Warranty) you may find that some know about the situation and others may not. With mine (who will remain nameless) there was never any doubt. My next door neighbor found his contractor to be skeptical and less cooperative.) Mine simply asked me to count the 15 & 20 Amp breakers so they could bring the right quantity and amperage units for replacement. It only took about 15 minutes to do the job and they were on their way. Good service and excellent response from all, including Home Warranty and SECO and electrical contractor. Second time I have had excellent service by going through the correct channel here.

[tag460]

Actually I did call Contact Home Warranty Dept and politely explain the breaker problem that I and my neighbors experienced. My house is 2.5 years old and my neighbors are just over a year old. Since Home Warranty could not assist me, that is why I called SECO. They acknowledge that there is a problem with breakers tripping and they are working the issue. Will SECO say it's their problem and resolve it with no cost to the home owners? Then again I may be told that its my issue and I will have to call an electrician at my expense. When I here from SECO I will post their response.

[jimbo2012]

Are the breakers tripping the Eaton afci, they have a small white test button on them?

those are the ones that tripped in my home (but only once), interesting all of those about 6 or 7 not any of the others.

If so then maybe Eaton brand is the issue?

By the way the term for this is called "nuisance tripping"

[Villager Joyce]

Are the breakers tripping the Eaton afci, they have a small white test button on them?

those are the ones that tripped in my home (but only once), interesting all of those about 6 or 7 not any of the others.

If so then maybe Eaton brand is the issue?

By the way the term for this is called "nuisance tripping"

Exactly the breaker we had trip, and it was a nuisance. Aptly named.

[ditka41]

Yes, all mine that were replaced were AFCI, white dots, and 15-20 AMP

Because the original installers purchased through distributors in large quantities, they have to be returned / replaced by that installer so they can return to the manufacturer if you want it done "No Charge". As stated earlier, the key is to start with Home Warranty with referral to original installer, etc. Again, SECO is not to blame here.

[Y5clm]

We had this issue. Pike Electric replaced the breakers free. It was because of a HAM radio operator and it wasn't improper anything with the HAM equipment. The breakers were not manufactured with tolerance to HAM equipment and the electric company is very compliant. In repairing problem.

[dotti105]

Do you still have to be in your 1 year home warranty period to have your breakers replaced?

I haven't been on TOTV lately and was surprised to see this thread. We have had our Master bedroom breaker flip twice today and several days last week. We have been worried that it is due to something in our bedroom shorting out.

I would love to have this taken care of. But wasn't sure if the electrician (Pike in our case) would replace the breakers if we are out of warranty.

Anyone know? We are in Gilchrist and no HAM operators nearby to our knowledge. Our house is 1 1/2 yrs old.

Thanks for any info!

[RickeyD]

Do you still have to be in your 1 year home warranty period to have your breakers replaced?

I haven't been on TOTV lately and was surprised to see this thread. We have had our Master bedroom breaker flip twice today and several days last week. We have been worried that it is due to something in our bedroom shorting out.

I would love to have this taken care of. But wasn't sure if the electrician (Pike in our case) would replace the breakers if we are out of warranty.

Anyone know? We are in Gilchrist and no HAM operators nearby to our knowledge. Our house is 1 1/2 yrs old.

Thanks for any info!


Electric is covered for two years under warranty.

[villagetinker]

Do you still have to be in your 1 year home warranty period to have your breakers replaced?

I haven't been on TOTV lately and was surprised to see this thread. We have had our Master bedroom breaker flip twice today and several days last week. We have been worried that it is due to something in our bedroom shorting out.

I would love to have this taken care of. But wasn't sure if the electrician (Pike in our case) would replace the breakers if we are out of warranty.

Anyone know? We are in Gilchrist and no HAM operators nearby to our knowledge. Our house is 1 1/2 yrs old.

Thanks for any info!

Dottie,

Since this is a reoccurring problem, try unplugging everything in the bedroom (if you can) and see if the AFCI breaker trips. If it does, definitely contact the electrician or home warranty. If it noes not try plugging in devices ONE AT A TIME. As you do move the cord, turn them on and off etc. Also check that all light bulbs are tight in the lamps. AFCI breakers are designed to be very sensitive to ACRING type faults, so bad switches, loose connections, as well as worn cords and other sources of electrical noise cause them to trip.
Of course if you are uncomfortable doing any of the call a professional.
Hope this helps.

[MikeV]

Now it hit Mayflower Loop in the Village of Charlotte last night. At least 4 houses that I know of had several breakers trip all at once. I had 6 trip in our house.

[photo1902]

is the power company messing with voltage, causing a spike.

[Lpierleo]

We live in Sanibel, very near Charlotte. This has been happening to us and several of the neighbors for a number of weeks now. Seco has advised they are aware of the issue and working on it????

[graciegirl]

Do you still have to be in your 1 year home warranty period to have your breakers replaced?

I haven't been on TOTV lately and was surprised to see this thread. We have had our Master bedroom breaker flip twice today and several days last week. We have been worried that it is due to something in our bedroom shorting out.

I would love to have this taken care of. But wasn't sure if the electrician (Pike in our case) would replace the breakers if we are out of warranty.

Anyone know? We are in Gilchrist and no HAM operators nearby to our knowledge. Our house is 1 1/2 yrs old.

Thanks for any info!


Call warranty, even after the year is up.

[tomwed]

You're not going to believe this but at 6:25 this morning all 3 of my toilets flushed at the same time. It woke me up.

[chuck90199]

Now it hit Mayflower Loop in the Village of Charlotte last night. At least 4 houses that I know of had several breakers trip all at once. I had 6 trip in our house.

We also live on Mayflower Loop in Charlotte and had all seven of the Eaton AFCI breakers trip Sunday night.

[Villager Joyce]

If your are a SECO customer, please let them know. Even though this is not their fault, they are working with TV to resolve the problem. They are keeping a database of customers who are affected.

[Villager Joyce]

You're not going to believe this but at 6:25 this morning all 3 of my toilets flushed at the same time. It woke me up.

I have had a toilet flush on its own, but never three at the same time. Could be because I have never owned a three bathroom home.

[tomwed]

I have had a toilet flush on its own, but never three at the same time. Could be because I have never owned a three bathroom home.
Well that's something. But if this continues at the end of the season I'm going to enter the Tidy Bowl. I can't wait to see the Ring.

[jimbo2012]

maybe when the circuit breaker trips it flushes the toilet, it called a no touch flush :ohdear:

[tomwed]

maybe when the circuit breaker trips it flushes the toilet, it called a no touch flush :ohdear:
how about a nuisance flush?

[Boomer]

Are the breakers tripping the Eaton afci, they have a small white button on them?

those are the ones that tripped in my home (but only once), interesting all of those about 6 or 7 not any of the others.

If so then maybe Eaton brand is the issue?

By the way the term for this is called "nuisance tripping"


The color of the button could be the common denominator that is easy for the homeowner to see. It might be a run that was done during a certain time period. I read something about older ones having yellow buttons. Glancing through this thread, it seems like the houses having problems were built around the same general time -- unless I missed something.

SECO or warranty or whoever should contact Eaton. Eaton will know.

[Gerald]

We live in Village of Fernandina and several neighbors including myself have had our breakers trip last night and again this morning. This hasn't happened since May but has started in again. I worry most for the feeble elderly that have to go into their garages every time to fix it. Someone is doing something to make this happen. We need some answers please.

I retired from a very large electric utility. I can tell you that the tripping of a breaker can happen due to ham operation. In fact it happened to me in the villages in my own home. When checking out the breakers first, I realized that the villages put in the cheapest breakers they could find. I replaced all the breakers with new ones and the problem was solved. Yes, it does cost quite a bit to do that. However fighting with a person with a ham set. Will only create more problems. Not the best fix in the world but given the junk in your electric box you may want to do it anyway. Just my thoughts.

[missypie]

I have contacted home warranty, Seco and Pikes electric. Why should I pay for new breakers because of a Ham radio? Dig deep, I'll plug away at this.

[howardandsheila]

I retired from a very large electric utility. I can tell you that the tripping of a breaker can happen due to ham operation. In fact it happened to me in the villages in my own home. When checking out the breakers first, I realized that the villages put in the cheapest breakers they could find. I replaced all the breakers with new ones and the problem was solved. Yes, it does cost quite a bit to do that. However fighting with a person with a ham set. Will only create more problems. Not the best fix in the world but given the junk in your electric box you may want to do it anyway. Just my thoughts.

Thanks Gerald. Can you giVe me a ballpark idea of what "it cost quite a bit to do that" is? Think I will replace the problem breakers, as we have had three of them popping at odd times since we moved to sanibel last year.

[villagetinker]

Typical cost of AFCI breakers are $50 to $70 each, you should be able to check a Home Depot or Lowes. Take a photo (cell phone) of your existing breakers and take it with you to the store to get the correct make and model.

BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU ARE DOING THIS YOUR SELF, my suggestion, turn off the main breaker first! also, do one breaker at a time, match wiring between old and new breakers.
Hope this helps.

[tag460]

Summary of a letter from SECO I received today: The problem with breakers tripping appears to be inherent to homes located in Grid Area EL98au-The Villages north of SR44 and south of 466A. The brand of breakers is Eaton AFCI's and were originally installed by the builder and the cause was ham radio equipment. Members who experience AFCI breaker issues repeatedly are encouraged to contact The Villages Home Warranty Department.

I contacted The Villages Home Warranty Department for the second time. The first time I called when this first happen and they could not assist me because my house was over a year old. This time Home Warranty was aware of the problem and they are sending out the Contractor who installed the breakers. I will let you know what Exceptional Electric says.

[Lpierleo]

Will be very curious as to what electrician says as our home is over the warranty period and we have also received the same letter from Seco today. Thank you

[Villager Joyce]

We are in hillsborough. Our breakers tripped at 9:15 pm last night 9/23. Will call warranty this am. Received SECO letter yesterday.

[RickeyD]

Something tells me this SECO letter will bring about mass circuit breaker panic and the inevitable replacement of all Eaton AFCI breakers if they trip or not.

[Boomer]

USummary of a letter from SECO I received today: The problem with breakers tripping appears to be inherent to homes located in Grid Area EL98au-The Villages north of SR44 and south of 466A. The brand of breakers is Eaton AFCI's and were originally installed by the builder and the cause was ham radio equipment. Members who experience AFCI breaker issues repeatedly are encouraged to contact The Villages Home Warranty Department.

I contacted The Villages Home Warranty Department for the second time. The first time I called when this first happen and they could not assist me because my house was over a year old. This time Home Warranty was aware of the problem and they are sending out the Contractor who installed the breakers. I will let you know what Exceptional Electric says.


In 2013 the national association for hams (ARRL) was working with Eaton after this problem was reported with a certain design. At that time Eaton had a new design in the works. My guess is this problem has been corrected now and the houses being hit just happen to fall into the time period of the problematic design.

In the article I read, there was a reference to an older design with a yellow button that did not trip. The design that was tripping had a white button.

Eaton wanted to solve the problem. It was not the fault of the hams. ARRL is an influential organization with labs and Eaton is a respected company. They worked cooperatively.

Even though this has not affected my village, I certainly can understand the aggravation factor. But before getting to the point of Villagers taking up torches and pitchforks and going after hams, I hope someone will bring Eaton into this.

Remember the bad run of shingles a few years back that resulted in roofs being replaced at no cost. Could this be the same kind of thing? Bad timing? Bad run?

And if that is the case and the fault is with Eaton, might they replace that design at no cost?

If the gathered data points to Eaton's design, SECO or warranty needs to contact Eaton. -- Perhaps contact could be made in Morse Code.

Boomer

[Sable99]

I was just contacted by my property manager that my home on Oldsmar Terrace in the Village of Charlotte had several breakers trip Sunday or Monday. She was going to call an electrician but thanks to this thread she is going to call the Warranty Department and SECO fiirst.

[Villager Joyce]

Something tells me this SECO letter will bring about mass circuit breaker panic and the inevitable replacement of all Eaton AFCI breakers if they trip or not.

I believe the SECO letter was sent only to people who contacted them about the breakers tripping.

[Villager Joyce]

In 2013 the national association for hams (AARL) was working with Eaton after this problem was reported with a certain design. At that time Eaton had a new design in the works. My guess is this problem has been corrected now and the houses being hit just happen to fall into the time period of the problematic design.

In the article I read, there was a reference to an older design with a yellow button that did not trip. The design that was tripping had a white button.

Eaton wanted to solve the problem. It was not the fault of the hams. AARL is an influential organization with labs and Eaton is a respected company. They worked cooperatively.

Even though this has not affected my village, I certainly can understand the aggravation factor. But before getting to the point of Villagers taking up torches and pitchforks and going after hams, I hope someone will bring Eaton into this.

Remember the bad run of shingles a few years back that resulted in roofs being replaced at no cost. Could this be the same kind of thing? Bad timing? Bad run?

And if that is the case and the fault is with Eaton, might they replace that design at no cost?

If the gathered data points to Eaton's design, SECO or warranty needs to contact Eaton. -- Perhaps contact could be made in Morse Code.

Boomer

I admit I have not read every word in every post, but I haven't gotten the impression anyone was going after the ham operators.

[HiHoSteveO]

Summary of a letter from SECO I received today: The problem with breakers tripping appears to be inherent to homes located in Grid Area EL98au-The Villages north of SR44 and south of 466A. The brand of breakers is Eaton AFCI's and were originally installed by the builder and the cause was ham radio equipment. Members who experience AFCI breaker issues repeatedly are encouraged to contact The Villages Home Warranty Department.

I contacted The Villages Home Warranty Department for the second time. The first time I called when this first happen and they could not assist me because my house was over a year old. This time Home Warranty was aware of the problem and they are sending out the Contractor who installed the breakers. I will let you know what Exceptional Electric says.

This is the ARRL post mentioned in Boomers post
ARRL Helps Manufacturer to Resolve Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter RFI Problems (http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-helps-manufacturer-to-resolve-arc-fault-circuit-interrupter-rfi-problems)

Also agree not the fault of Ham radio operators.

Eaton AFCI circuit breaker type BR appears to carry a ten year warranty. If they are actually defective and involve many (or all) homes south of 466A, I would think that a manufacturers recall would be set up to replace them. Not just done piecemeal for those that report tripping today, but for those that may have the problem when THEIR neighbor takes up the HAM radio hobby in the future. Remember, HAM radios can also be mobile.

[Boomer]

I admit I have not read every word in every post, but I haven't gotten the impression anyone was going after the ham operators.

Oh my. Certainly not my intention to engage in anything other than trying to help solve this problem in the favor of Villagers affected. It has to be frustrating as all get-out.


In 2013 the national association for hams (AARL) was working with Eaton after this problem was reported with a certain design. At that time Eaton had a new design in the works. My guess is this problem has been corrected now and the houses being hit just happen to fall into the time period of the problematic design.

In the article I read, there was a reference to an older design with a yellow button that did not trip. The design that was tripping had a white button.

Eaton wanted to solve the problem. It was not the fault of the hams. AARL is an influential organization with labs and Eaton is a respected company. They worked cooperatively.

Even though this has not affected my village, I certainly can understand the aggravation factor. But before getting to the point of Villagers taking up torches and pitchforks and going after hams, I hope someone will bring Eaton into this.

Remember the bad run of shingles a few years back that resulted in roofs being replaced at no cost. Could this be the same kind of thing? Bad timing? Bad run?

And if that is the case and the fault is with Eaton, might they replace that design at no cost?

If the gathered data points to Eaton's design, SECO or warranty needs to contact Eaton. -- Perhaps contact could be made in Morse Code.

Boomer


And now, here I am quoting myself which makes me look pathetic in my need to, for some bizarro reason, take up this cause that is not even affecting my village. But anyway.......


This morning when I wrote the post above, just trying to help, I was not at a computer where I could cite the source of what I am talking about. Now, I am back where I can link anyone interested to the article from the ham national website.

The article is written somewhat in ham-speak so I wrote a little summary in my post above. (I skipped over the ham stuff when I read it.)

Please keep in mind that this article is from 2013. I really think whoever is accumulating the data in an official capacity is the one that needs to contact Eaton to find out if they will help resolve this if the fault, both figuratively and literally, is with their design. I do not think the contact should come from individuals. But maybe SECO or warranty will take up the cause. I already said that, didn't I. Twice before. I think. And this time, the 3rd time, I am citing my source. So just maybe.....

ARRL Helps Manufacturer to Resolve Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter RFI Problems (http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-helps-manufacturer-to-resolve-arc-fault-circuit-interrupter-rfi-problems)

Boomer

[Boomer]

This is the ARRL post mentioned in Boomers post
ARRL Helps Manufacturer to Resolve Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter RFI Problems (http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-helps-manufacturer-to-resolve-arc-fault-circuit-interrupter-rfi-problems)

Also agree not the fault of Ham radio operators.

Eaton AFCI circuit breaker type BR appears to carry a ten year warranty. If they are actually defective and involve many (or all) homes south of 466A, I would think that a manufacturers recall would be set up to replace them. Not just done piecemeal for those that report tripping today, but for those that may have the problem when THEIR neighbor takes up the HAM radio hobby in the future. Remember, HAM radios can also be mobile.

Hi Ho, HiHoSteveO,

While I was posting my follow-up in Post 93 to cite my source, you were posting in Post 92. I did not see your post until after I hit submit.

Thank you, thank you, Kind Sir, for finding my source and posting it. I really do hope the people affected can get a solution that does not cost them anything.

And now, I can move forward with my life. I think somebody finally heard me. :bowdown:

Thank you.

Now Credible Boomer :)

[optv13sp]

We live in Gilchrist and we had four or five breakers trip yesterday evening for the first time. Another piece to the puzzle of why this is happening.

[Bosoxfan]

We had 3 trip last night but we attributed it to the lightening

[tomwed]

We live in Gilchrist and we had four or five breakers trip yesterday evening for the first time. Another piece to the puzzle of why this is happening.
This is a relatively new problem. So what is new to the area? Maybe it is a ham radio in a truck?
I read and posted #55 that Eaton CFGI breakers have a problem with ham radios. And this video:
v=JsILD0Fce1s
demonstrates that at 17 meters the eaton breakers trip. When a ham radio broadcasts they send a signal of a certain length. It's analogous to a channel. 17 meters or channel 17 trips the breakers. The other meters or channels do not.

I just learned that you can have a ham radio in a truck. I thought it was just CB's inside trucks. So that would explain why new folks might be having trouble that never had trouble before. Or the problem comes and goes.

It's just a theory. I don't know how you could stop the ham radios in trucks. And I don't know very much about ham radio or circuit breakers. It's just what I'm learning from poking around on the net.

[DangeloInspections]

I know this is a bit off subject....but I am surprised to hear many are surprised to know that HAM radio operators can have mobile units. Over 40 years ago when I was a 16 year old teen, my friend was a ham radio operator. He had a mobile HAM unit in his car that had a telephone patch in it. Mind you....this was YEARS before cellphones. We thought we were hot stuff...actually being able to make phone calls to girls WHILE DRIVING. We were like James Bond. Girls thought we were the coolest. Funny stuff. How times change. We all have cellphones now, and I lost my "coolness" years ago....oh well.

Frank

[KeepingItReal]

Have not noticed this mentioned but the SMART ELECTRIC METERS can cause AFCI breakers to trip.

A couple of articles posted but there are more:

Any smart meter with a AMI7 radio transmitter in it will cause these breakers to trip. Get back to your power company and explain the problem and they have to remove that smart meter and replace it with a Digital meter that doesn't have a radio transmitter in it. It's the burst of RF from the transmitter that triggers the tripping. Is your electrical panel behind the meter base? You will have trouble.


Smart Meters tripping AFCI's - InterNACHI Inspection Forum (http://www.nachi.org/forum/f71/smart-meters-tripping-afcis-65449/)

Smart Meters tripping AFCI's
Smart meters are now being installed in my area.

Smart meters are starting to trip AFCI's.

As you know, an arc fault breaker looks at an electrical sign wave and figures out what's right and what's not.

When it "see's" the signature of an arc, it trips. RF ( radio frequency) interference has nearly the same electrical signature as an electrical arc.

Guess how the new smart meters talk to the home office? (radio frequency)

Where the electrical panel is located next to the smart meter problems have developed according to my bubba electricians.

This is NOT a builders problem. It is a utility company problem. A builder has no control over a utility company.

Need to be sure the AFCI is tripping due to smart meter and not from electrical work. This can be done by requesting the utility company switch back to a mechanical meter.

What can someone do? Write your congressmen and ask that the utility companies go back to the drawing board. (??)

It is my understanding that PG&E in Ca has already been told by court order to switch back to mechanical meters when someone has problems. More fun to come I am sure.

(No effective RF shield is available that won't also block the RF signal back to "big brother".)

If you inspect homes then this info may be of benefit to your master macro file.


From Smart Meters tripping AFCI's - InterNACHI Inspection Forum Smart Meters tripping AFCI's - InterNACHI Inspection Forum (http://www.nachi.org/forum/f71/smart-meters-tripping-afcis-65449/#ixzz3msphqiFY)


ADDITIONAL INFO:

Bringing Power and People Together

It looks a little different, but the SmartMeter™ does the exact same job as the analog meters we’re all used to seeing: measuring and recording energy usage. The difference is that SmartMeter™ uses new technology to provide two-way communication between PG&E and your home or business. It periodically transmits readings to PG&E, so you can see your hourly electricity usage online.
Since the communication is two-way, SmartMeters™ can be upgraded remotely, making it quicker and easier to offer future technology upgrades.
Learn about SmartMeter™ benefits
Expand AllCollapse All
Smartmeter TM Eelectric System

Traditional Residential
Electric Meter SmartMeter™ Residential
Electric Meter
The solid-state digital SmartMeter™ electric meter records hourly meter reads and periodically transmits the reads via a dedicated radio frequency (RF) network back to PG&E. Each SmartMeter™ electric meter is equipped with a network radio, which transmits meter data to a electric network access point (pictured below). The system uses RF mesh technology, which allows meters and other sensing devices to securely route data via nearby meters and relay devices, creating a "mesh" of network coverage. The system supports two-way communication between the meter and PG&E.
The electric network access point collects meter data from nearby electric meters and periodically transfers this data to PG&E via a secure cellular network. Each RF mesh-enabled device (meters, relays) is connected to several other mesh-enabled devices, which function as signal repeaters, relaying the data to an access point. The access point device aggregates, encrypts, and sends the data back to PG&E over a secure commercial third-party network. The resulting RF mesh network can span large distances and reliably transmit data over rough or difficult terrain. If a meter or other transmitter drops out of the network, its neighbors find another route. The mesh continually optimizes routing to ensure information is passed from its source to its destination as quickly and efficiently as possible.


Smart Meters (http://www.arrl.org/smart-meters)

Q) Do you mean smart meters contain an intentional RF transmitter?

A) Sometimes. When a smart meter contains an RF transmitter:

The frequency of operation is typically in the 902 MHz and 2.4 GHz bands.
Power output is typically 1 watt in the 902 MHz band and much less in the 2.4 GHz band.
The intended range of a transmitter in a smart meter is typically very localized. While the utility-side radio needs to reach a neighborhood concentrator, typically mounted on a nearby pole, smart meters can also mesh through other smart meters to communicate with the concentrator. (using five hops or less) See Figure 2.
The smart meter only communicates when it is commanded to do so, typically several times a day.
The smart meter’s transmitter operates under Part 15 of the FCC rules.

NEIGHBORHOOD SMART METER CONCENTRATOR FACTS

Neighborhood-area concentrator at 902 MHz input. This particular concentrator can link up to 1024 smart meters. It uses 902 MHz as the aggregated output "backhaul" to the Network Operations Center (NOC) or another up-stream concentrator before the NOC.

SENSUS is the provider for the Smart Network for SECO and likely should be involved in this problem:

SECO Energy Selects Sensus as Smart Grid Technology Provider | Business Wire (http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110308005292/en/SECO-Energy-Selects-Sensus-Smart-Grid-Technology#.Vgcfmuznu9I)



SMART METER AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONCENTRATOR PHOTO BELOW

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

[villagetinker]

Interesting, but it does not appear that SECO is using smart meter technology, I have seen the monthly meter reader several times.

[KeepingItReal]

Interesting, but it does not appear that SECO is using smart meter technology, I have seen the monthly meter reader several times.

I have been here 4 years in Sanibel and have never seen a SECO meter reader but I cannot say for sure they do not exist. Possibly they are using meter readers until the systems are up and running in the newer areas. I do know their website says all the newer homes back in 2013 will be fitted with smart meters going forward and they awarded a contract to a company to provide the network back in 2011. I do know I have a SMART meter which is the GE I 210, CL200 pictured below. If I have a smart meter and my next door neighbor as well, I can only assume the rest of this area also has similar meters.

SECO Energy Selects Sensus as Smart Grid Technology Provider | Business Wire (http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110308005292/en/SECO-Energy-Selects-Sensus-Smart-Grid-Technology#.VgdZN-znu9I)

Thread from 2013..

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/seco-smart-meters-67991/


I have the GE Meter I 210, CL200 meter which is clearly identified as a SMART meter...and is pictured in this video and the picture attached below. The narrator is a little intense but the meter pictured is identical and this was in California in 2012.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WeDtQ7sXHU

Click photo to enlarge:

[KeepingItReal]

Interesting, but it does not appear that SECO is using smart meter technology, I have seen the monthly meter reader several times.

After reading over most of the posts again it appears very likely this is being caused by the SMART meters since the times and locations are so random and spread over a fairly large area. It could still turn out to be a HAM radio but I'm leaning towards the SMART meters. SECO should be addressing this as it will only spread to all the area as more homes are brought on line. SECO needs to identify where the neighborhood concentrators are located and how and when the meters are reporting. The homes where the breakers are tripping may be the reporting meters. It is definitely not going to fix itself and it is unlikely they will just come out and say they were causing it.

Plotting all the addresses where breakers have tripped on a local map would be a good tool to get a clear image of where the areas affected are located. It is possible SECO may have just turned up SMART networks in those areas. They should know if they completed any facilities about the time the breakers started tripping. There are methods to use in narrowing this down but it does take some organization.

Since communication is two way SECO should be able to query the meters on homes where the breakers have tripped and see if it causes the breakers to trip again..



GE identifies the GE I 210, CL 200 meter as a SMART Meter in the PDF which comes up by clicking on this link below. If your meter looks like this meter and has the I 210, CL200 inside the glass like this one in the picture, you have a SMART Meter...

Meters : Products Solutions : GE Digital Energy (http://www.gedigitalenergy.com/Meters.htm)

I-210+ Value packed Smart Grid functions
World class accuracy and reliability in a solid-state kWh meter platform
package. Available with a service switch, as well as a wide array of
communications options.

https://www.google.com/url? sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwiplLnBm5bIAhXGHB4KHdo0D2s&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gedigitalenergy.com%2Fproduct s%2Fbrochures%2Fi210_family.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFpulcv1HtM51at-3kLimmV3y6gJQ&sig2=i38eLodXu0pMDmyVs2czAA



The meter below which is a SMART Meter is identical to those on mine and my neighbors homes in Sanibel. It has GE I 210 and CL200 inside the glass.

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE

[dotti105]

Our power in Gilchrist was an issue last night again. We had a dozen breakers trip. So did our neighbor next door. His wife and my husband were both fresh out of the hospital and it was not only inconvenient but a bit frightening.

I had called home warranty last week and they had Pike electric call us to set a time to replace all our breakers at no cost. They must be backed up with requests, because our appt isn't until Oct 5th.

I just hope we don't lose an expensive appliance, AC, TV or computer due to these frequent outages. We have surge protectors, both whole house and individual, but these frequent outages will eventually fry something expensive, if not corrected.

Pikes told me, when they called, that is if is HAM interference, replacing all the breakers will take care of the problem. But if it continues, then it is something else.

Fingers crossed that changing the breakers will take care of the problem, once and for all!

I recommend that everyone in our area call for the upgraded breakers, or be prepared for some major appliance to be replaced.

[KeepingItReal]

Our power in Gilchrist was an issue last night again. We had a dozen breakers trip. So did our neighbor next door. His wife and my husband were both fresh out of the hospital and it was not only inconvenient but a bit frightening.

I had called home warranty last week and they had Pike electric call us to set a time to replace all our breakers at no cost. They must be backed up with requests, because our appt isn't until Oct 5th.

I just hope we don't lose an expensive appliance, AC, TV or computer due to these frequent outages. We have surge protectors, both whole house and individual, but these frequent outages will eventually fry something expensive, if not corrected.

Pikes told me, when they called, that is if is HAM interference, replacing all the breakers will take care of the problem. But if it continues, then it is something else.

Fingers crossed that changing the breakers will take care of the problem, once and for all!

I recommend that everyone in our area call for the upgraded breakers, or be prepared for some major appliance to be replaced.


Hope it works but I wonder why a particular house or two here and there and not all the others near you? Then also Gilchrist is quite a ways from Sanibel or could be depending on the addresses. Did the homes near your home say across the street also have breakers tripped? Has there been a HAM radio located? Are you near Buena Vista or nearer Bonifay?


HAM radio is an older problem and a lot better known about than the SMART Meters but hopefully they can get to the bottom of it. Possibly even if it is the meters replacing the breakers will be a fix as if they were engineered to withstand HAM radio they maybe will also survive the meters.

Good luck, gotta be aggravating and annoying but your major appliances and AC should not be on AFCI breakers so you should be OK there...

[tomwed]

When they spec a house do they identify in the plans the make and model of the circuit breakers and panel for the electrician? Or does the electrician buy breakers and panels that meet the electrical specifications and he selects the brand?

[villagetinker]

Monday, I plan to call SECO and see what they are doing with the meters. Back up North, the utility I worked for install AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) equipment, within 2 weeks I noticed a digital clock was gaining time. After much discussion I finally convinced them my old first generation digital clock was responding to the AMR signals.
As for the meter readers, I have seen 2 (my house is in Pinellas, and is just over 2 years old), one is for the water, and they have a rod to read the meters in the water boxes, and the other was SECO, but now that I think about it, I have not seen one for several months.
I will see what SECO says.
As for the AFCI breakers, I have Eaton units, with the white button, and so far NO false tripping.
On a final note I did a web search, and I think I found the number for Eaton consumer circuit breakers, 1-800-326-9513.

[Villager Joyce]

The part my brain can't comprehend is why our house, the three houses across the street, but not the house on either side. If it smart meters, they were all installed within days of each other. If a ham operator, why not our side neighbors, too. It's like a dripping sink. Shoot me. That's a little dramatic. Never mind the shooting me part.

[golfing eagles]

The part my brain can't comprehend is why our house, the three houses across the street, but not the house on either side. If it smart meters, they were all installed within days of each other. If a ham operator, why not our side neighbors, too. It's like a dripping sink. Shoot me. That's a little dramatic. Never mind the shooting me part.

Not my area of expertise, but perhaps it could relate to the specific loads on the AFCI in the individual homes at the time the breakers trip. What do those with more expertise think???

[Villager Joyce]

Not my area of expertise, but perhaps it could relate to the specific loads on the AFCI in the individual homes at the time the breakers trip. What do those with more expertise think???

This reminds me of Green Acres when Oliver numbered the appliances because Lisa kept throwing the breakers.

[tomwed]

The part my brain can't comprehend is why our house, the three houses across the street, but not the house on either side. If it smart meters, they were all installed within days of each other. If a ham operator, why not our side neighbors, too. It's like a dripping sink. Shoot me. That's a little dramatic. Never mind the shooting me part.
Couldn't the neighbors have a different brand of breaker that is not susceptible?

[tomwed]

As for the AFCI breakers, I have Eaton units, with the white button, and so far NO false tripping.
On a final note I did a web search, and I think I found the number for Eaton consumer circuit breakers, 1-800-326-9513.
If more than 1 Eaton breaker trips in the same panel doesn't it seem likely that they were made in the same place at the same time? same lot and box

And if all Eaton AFCI breakers were defective and susceptible to nuisance tripping, wouldn't they all be tripping?

It's just some houses. I think that's the common denominator. If there is a check-up, I would look up the houses that were wired by Pike and compare the dates the breakers were installed. The supply company has records when breakers were bought. They must be purchased by the hundreds, don't you think?

Than again I don't know if other brands are also tripping. I also have Eaton breakers, Pike was the electrician and no tripping so far.

[CFrance]

Couldn't the neighbors have a different brand of breaker that is not susceptible?

Your neighbors could have different builders too, with different breakers obtained from different sources. Our house and the houses on either side of us all had different builders.

[tomwed]

[QUOTE=CFrance;1120401]Your neighbors could have different builders too, with different breakers obtained from different sources. I don't feel like reading everything - has it been narrowed down to only eaton brand cfgi breakers that are nuisance tripping. If so the next question is when was your house built? What line [ie Premiere] and model?

[tag460]

Exceptional Electric was just here and he changed out 6 Eaton AFCI's breakers. The new breakers are the new version Eaton AFCI's breakers and a Ham Radio should not trip them.

[jimbo2012]

Pikes Elec, did the Eaton replacement for us.

Said Eaton Rep was here at TV they are footing the cost of replacements not the labor.

The contractor has to pay his men to do the swap, he did 7 of ours here, took 15 minutes.

He mentioned I was his 8th call today to swap them out, so it's affecting a lot of folks.

[dbussone]

Pikes Elec, did the Eaton replacement for us.



Said Eaton Rep was here at TV they are footing the cost of replacements not the labor.



The contractor has to pay his men to do the swap, he did 7 of ours here, took 15 minutes.



He mentioned I was his 8th call today to swap them out, so it's affecting a lot of folks.


That will add up quickly for the electrical subs. I wonder if the builders will foot part of the expense.

[jimbo2012]

Now I just was told by a friend that Eaton was paying a flat fee of $40 per breaker to the sub.

So draw your own opinions

[champion6]

Pikes Elec, did the Eaton replacement for us. Said Eaton Rep was here at TV they are footing the cost of replacements not the labor. <snip>Now I just was told by a friend that Eaton was paying a flat fee of $40 per breaker to the sub. So draw your own opinions Maybe the cost of each is $40. Maybe just an example of saying the same thing two different ways.

[davekroupa]

WE have lived here for three years in the village of Charlotte. This was happening to us. We called the warranty department and three days later Pike electric showed up and replaced some breakers. No charge, they know what is happening. Call or email the warranty department.

[villagetinker]

Just got off the phone with SECO, SECO has no Smart Meters in the villages. They do have some AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), but these are still read by a meter reader, and none of their meters have transmitters. They did have a few Smart Meters 1-2 years ago, but these are in the process of being removed.
So bottom line the SECO meter on the side of your house is not causing the AFCI breakers to trip. On a side note, when they were using a few Smart Meters, they communicated on the same frequencies as cell phones, so if these were causing the problem, every time you made a cell call, you would trip your breakers.
NOTE: If SECO told someone else that they are looking into the problem, then they are looking into some other cause.
I hope this helps.

[twoplanekid]

My brother and I had a few breakers trip in our houses yesterday at about the same time in the evening. Our houses are on the same street separated by 7 other houses in the Village of Lake Deaton. What is causing this to happen?

[tomwed]

My brother and I had a few breakers trip in our houses yesterday at about the same time in the evening. Our houses are on the same street separated by 7 other houses in the Village of Lake Deaton. What is causing this to happen?
Call the warranty department and ask them. It will save you a lot of reading.

[KeepingItReal]

Just got off the phone with SECO, SECO has no Smart Meters in the villages. They do have some AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), but these are still read by a meter reader, and none of their meters have transmitters. They did have a few Smart Meters 1-2 years ago, but these are in the process of being removed.
So bottom line the SECO meter on the side of your house is not causing the AFCI breakers to trip. On a side note, when they were using a few Smart Meters, they communicated on the same frequencies as cell phones, so if these were causing the problem, every time you made a cell call, you would trip your breakers.
NOTE: If SECO told someone else that they are looking into the problem, then they are looking into some other cause.
I hope this helps.


Very odd they have Smart Meters on your home but are not using them after they awarded a contract to build the Smart grid. Has anyone been able to identify where the ham operator is located or is he/she mobile?

[villagetinker]

No Smart meter on my home. I have only been in TV for 2 years, so I have no knowledge of a Smart Grid project, however the person I was talking to indicated that Duke (which servers part of TV) may have smart meters. I was told that SECO did a 'test' project and decided not to pursue.

By the way, the Ham radio operator, could be mobile, and since I have not researched which frequency band was the culprit, if it was close to 27 Mhz, then a CB operator could be causing the problem.

[ggallo50]

If you have Eaton breakers, and you probably do, they are EATON BR AFC1 breakers. Your electrical contractor(Galaxy, PIKE. etc) will replace them free of charge. Warranty dept will probably blow you off if you contact them. They will say if it happens 3 times, call back. These breakers act like antennas to Ham radio and other transmitted signals. This antenna effect causes them to trip. Look on your breaker box to see who is your electrical contractor. We had 5 breakers changed last week (Gilchrist).

[Villager Joyce]

If you have Eaton breakers, and you probably do, they are EATON BR AFC1 breakers. Your electrical contractor(Galaxy, PIKE. etc) will replace them free of charge. Warranty dept will probably blow you off if you contact them. They will say if it happens 3 times, call back. These breakers act like antennas to Ham radio and other transmitted signals. This antenna effect causes them to trip. Look on your breaker box to see who is your electrical contractor. We had 5 breakers changed last week (Gilchrist).

We called warranty and were treated with respect and courtesy. Did you call? The "probably" pretty much implies to me you probably didn't call and probably just want to stir the pot.

[ditka41]

Home Warranty could not have been more helpful and my problem was fully resolved by following their instructions, ---weeks ago! I have nothing but compliments for the manner in which they responded.

[asianthree]

Warranty dept had me call pikes. Pikes coming out in a week

[velcro]

It basically has to do with Harmonics. Years ago most all power from the grid supplied to the public was in the 3 rd Harmonics & appliances, electrical equipment is: panels ckt. breakers, xformers ,computers had no problem with handling electricity coming from the power company's in the 3rd Harmonic. Now all power supplied off the grid is in the 5th Harmonic and many times the equipment it is supplying can not handle the 5th Harmonic wave length. This difference in the cine wave is what is probably causing these older breakers to trip.:22yikes:

[howardandsheila]

If you have Eaton breakers, and you probably do, they are EATON BR AFC1 breakers. Your electrical contractor(Galaxy, PIKE. etc) will replace them free of charge. Warranty dept will probably blow you off if you contact them. They will say if it happens 3 times, call back. These breakers act like antennas to Ham radio and other transmitted signals. This antenna effect causes them to trip. Look on your breaker box to see who is your electrical contractor. We had 5 breakers changed last week (Gilchrist).

I called warranty dept Monday afternoon and explained issue of tripping breakers. They said they would call appropriate electrician. Two hours later electrician called and scheduled service call. He just left after replacing all AFCI breakers with the new generation breaker. Could not have asked for better service and response.

[twoplanekid]

As always, it depends on who you talk to at the warranty department. The person I spoke with told me to keep track of the problem and call back at some future time. The people in my Lake Deaton neighborhood group suggested that I call Galaxy electric at 352-748-4868 to have them replace the in question breakers with new under warranty.

[golfing eagles]

As always, it depends on who you talk to at the warranty department. The person I spoke with told me to keep track of the problem and call back at some future time. The people in my Lake Deaton neighborhood group suggested that I call Galaxy electric at 352-748-4868 to have them replace the in question breakers with new under warranty.

Check your panel to make sure it was galaxy, ours is Pike so it depends on who the builder subcontracted with

[twoplanekid]

Check your panel to make sure it was galaxy, ours is Pike so it depends on who the builder subcontracted with

As my brother took pictures of everything in his house located up the street from mine, I can tell from a picture that he has Galaxy. Since I am now in Ohio with no pictures of my breaker box cover sticker, I will call home warranty to confirm. Thanks!

[golfing eagles]

As my brother took pictures of everything in his house located up the street from mine, I can tell from a picture that he has Galaxy. Since I am now in Ohio with no pictures of my breaker box cover sticker, I will call home warranty to confirm. Thanks!

sorry, forgot you said you weren't coming back to like Jan-Feb

[Pa & Giggi]

This is very interesting. We have lived in St. James now for for 4+ years. We also have had this same intermittent problem most recently a few months ago which we found very annoying with the breakers. We also have had Comcast out to our home at the beginning of the summer as our internet was spotty and we couldn't get decent online service. After several attempts Comcast ended up installing (at no additional charge to us) a business type modem for a stronger signal as they questioned a possible ham radio operator in the area. Now I am wondering if the ham operator had anything to do with my poor internet signal and also for the breakers tripping? I know that Pike was the installer when our home was built.

Does anyone know after 4 years (it made 4 years in June) would this still be covered by warranty? I have my paperwork from my closing but I know that so many of you know this by heart and are so helpful. Thanks.

[jimbo2012]

Does anyone know after 4 years (it made 4 years in June) would this still be covered by warranty? I have my paperwork from my closing but I know that so many of you know this by heart and are so helpful. Thanks.

That has nothing to do with it, Eaton (the breaker manufacture) is replacing them, think of it as product recall, not home warranty, call the electrician on your breaker panel.

Done ez

[howardandsheila]

That has nothing to do with it, Eaton (the breaker manufacture) is replacing them, think of it as product recall, not home warranty, call the electrician on your breaker panel.

Done ez

Exactly. Our home was built in 2012. We are second owners. Galaxy did electrical. When I called warranty dept, they made arrangements with Galaxy. Galaxy called and set up time convenient for us. Very nice young man came to house today and replaced them. He said that is all he is doing right now, replacing the Eaton breakers.

[Pa & Giggi]

We have Eaton breakers as I just checked our box out in the garage, so I guess I will start with the warranty dept, and if that doesn't work, I will call Pike's. In fact I know that we even had Pike's out here over 3 years ago over this issue and they couldn't find anything.

I love the info I can get from this message board. Thanks.

[Villager Joyce]

We have Eaton breakers as I just checked our box out in the garage, so I guess I will start with the warranty dept, and if that doesn't work, I will call Pike's. In fact I know that we even had Pike's out here over 3 years ago over this issue and they couldn't find anything.

I love the info I can get from this message board. Thanks.

I believe a number of us went through warranty and they either made the call to the electric company or gave the contact info to the owner. There is absolutely no reason not to call warranty first. They are not the devil. They are good people wth a wealth of information. They will talk with you if your home is out of warranty.

[twoplanekid]

I believe a number of us went through warranty and they either made the call to the electric company or gave the contact info to the owner. There is absolutely no reason not to call warranty first. They are not the devil. They are good people wth a wealth of information. They will talk with you if your home is out of warranty.

They can be helpful but it also depends on who you talk to about an issue. Our paid home inspector pointed out a scratched window in our lanai above the sliding lanai doors. I was told by home warranty to contact the builder who stated that the “claim you had sent to us in regards to a scratched window pane is being denied due to this request being outside the warranty criteria for cosmetics. Custom windows can help you with this if you are still wanting to address this yourself, our warranty staff can provide you with their contact number if you like. Sorry I was unable to help you with this issue.”

I send an e-mail email to the builder asking for clarification on “What is being outside the warranty criteria for cosmetics. Are you talking about a time period or something else?”

I am still awaiting a response from the builder. Our one year warranty ends in December.

[villagetinker]

This is very interesting. We have lived in St. James now for for 4+ years. We also have had this same intermittent problem most recently a few months ago which we found very annoying with the breakers. We also have had Comcast out to our home at the beginning of the summer as our internet was spotty and we couldn't get decent online service. After several attempts Comcast ended up installing (at no additional charge to us) a business type modem for a stronger signal as they questioned a possible ham radio operator in the area. Now I am wondering if the ham operator had anything to do with my poor internet signal and also for the breakers tripping? I know that Pike was the installer when our home was built.

Does anyone know after 4 years (it made 4 years in June) would this still be covered by warranty? I have my paperwork from my closing but I know that so many of you know this by heart and are so helpful. Thanks.

Comcast is over fiber optic and coaxial cable, both of which are impervious to Ham radio transmitter operation. I suspect the person servicing your house did/does not have a clue what is going on. We had problems at our house, and the signal from Comcast WAS TOO STRONG and was overloading the Comcast modem, this was adjusted at the box where our cable connects to the Comcast equipment, now have very reasonable internet service.
Hope this helps.

[Pa & Giggi]

Thanks Villagethinker. We had no signal from Comcast for our computer, so that is why they had to install a business modem to boost our signal which solved our problem. I don't know why we couldn't get a signal after 3 years of everything working fine, all I knew was that I wanted to go online and stay online without losing my signal. Thanks so much for explaining this to me.

[echo11]

Since we have been in our house almost 2 yrs, our one yr warranty period is over. As far as electric, I was told by warranty that electric wiring is covered for 2 yrs. I spoke with R & A Electric who did the original work on our house. They will replace the Easton breakers which are under warranty, but the service call to replace the 7 Eaton breakers will be $75.

[Buckeye Bob]

I live on Tranquility Lane in St. James and last night about 8:15, all the breakers tripped on our street. I wasn't home but fortunately, some of our good neighbors helped my wife out resetting them. Anyone else have this problem last night, 10/12/15?

[coconutmama]

I live on Tranquility Lane in St. James and last night about 8:15, all the breakers tripped on our street. I wasn't home but fortunately, some of our good neighbors helped my wife out resetting them. Anyone else have this problem last night, 10/12/15?

Yes, in Buttonwood. About 1/2 the house. Reset breakers.

[tomwed]

See post 97 and watch the youtube.

I wonder if no one knows which houses have the defective Eaton breakers? Would you really expect to keep records on every single product that goes into a house?

One way to find out would be to drive around with a ham radio and broadcast at 17 meters and wait for the complaints from the homes where the breakers are tripping.


I think it's Eaton's responsibility to find the home owners if there is a recall.

[jimbo2012]

I think that folks that don't read the forum are totally unaware of the defective breakers.

TV should publish something in the newspapers about this,
Eaton is paying for the replacements.

I suspect all homes built after a certain date have the problem.

[tomwed]

No I don't think it's all homes built at a certain time or they all would trip. I think it's only the homes with a certain make, model and maybe lot number of eaton breaker.

[CFrance]

I live on Tranquility Lane in St. James and last night about 8:15, all the breakers tripped on our street. I wasn't home but fortunately, some of our good neighbors helped my wife out resetting them. Anyone else have this problem last night, 10/12/15?
We had a breaker go out in the evening, 10/12/15. Just one. Repair man had been here during the day replacing our refrigerator ice maker, and I thought that might have something to do with it, but it was not on that breaker.

First time it's happened since we moved in beginning of 2012.

[jimbo2012]

right now they are replacing at no cost that may change in the future, so why wait.

It can cost about $300

[echo11]

The breakers are under warranty- but if you are over the 1 yr warranty, there is a fee for the service call. I guess it would depend on the company you use. R&A is charging $75 for the service call to replace.

[echo11]

Interesting that Galaxy is not charging for the service call to do the replacement. I would think the replacements need to be done by the company that put them in. I will check with R & A to see if they have to be the company to do the replacement.
Thanks for the info.

[jimbo2012]

The breakers are under warranty- but if you are over the 1 yr warranty, there is a fee for the service call. I guess it would depend on the company you use. R&A is charging $75 for the service call to replace.

1 year has nothing to do with the replacement.

I know of several companies that replaced at no cost.

Who is R&A

[echo11]

R&A Industries, Inc.- residential / commercial contractors., Electrical, air & heat, plumbing.
When I called warranty, they gave me R&A as the contractor that did the electrical work. They gave me their phone # & said to call them. R&A told me there is a $75 service fee.
I will call them in the morning & find out if I have to use them & question the servic fee.
It s worth a try.
Thanks!

[howardandsheila]

Galaxy is replacing ours @ no charge, Eaton pays for the replacement. Our home is almost 4 yrs old.

Ditto here. 4 year old house. We are second owners. Warranty dept called Galaxy for us, they replaced all AFCI breakers. No service charge. No hassle and no complaints.

Love the villages.