Beniah Naylor
SAWHORSE
AFCI protection is required in:
(A) Dwelling Units. All 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets or devices installed in dwelling unit kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, laundry areas, or similar rooms or areas shall be protected by any of the means described in 210.12(A)(1) through (6).
When does a mechanical room qualify as a closet or similar room/area and need AFCI protection on the 120v outlets? Does it ever? Which, if any, of the following would you make someone put in AFCI protection?
(1) A mechanical closet, barely big enough to fit a furnace and water heater, located roughly in the middle of the main floor, accessed by a door off the same hallway as bedrooms and bathrooms.
(2) A mechanical room in a finished basement, accessed from a finished den or family room. The mech room is unfinished, but it is a good sized room, maybe 10' x 12'.
(3) A mech room that is small like the first one, but can only be accessed from the garage, with the rated garage wall separating the house from the garage and mech room.
(4) An unfinished basement, with the mech room located off to one side.
Our jurisdiction has been amending the AFCI requirements (except for bedrooms) out of the code for years, but we are wanting to finally adopt them with the 2020 NEC. Any help/insight given will be appreciated.
(A) Dwelling Units. All 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets or devices installed in dwelling unit kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, laundry areas, or similar rooms or areas shall be protected by any of the means described in 210.12(A)(1) through (6).
When does a mechanical room qualify as a closet or similar room/area and need AFCI protection on the 120v outlets? Does it ever? Which, if any, of the following would you make someone put in AFCI protection?
(1) A mechanical closet, barely big enough to fit a furnace and water heater, located roughly in the middle of the main floor, accessed by a door off the same hallway as bedrooms and bathrooms.
(2) A mechanical room in a finished basement, accessed from a finished den or family room. The mech room is unfinished, but it is a good sized room, maybe 10' x 12'.
(3) A mech room that is small like the first one, but can only be accessed from the garage, with the rated garage wall separating the house from the garage and mech room.
(4) An unfinished basement, with the mech room located off to one side.
Our jurisdiction has been amending the AFCI requirements (except for bedrooms) out of the code for years, but we are wanting to finally adopt them with the 2020 NEC. Any help/insight given will be appreciated.