Tripping breaker(a)
#26
Glad you found the bonding issue.  Hope it solves the problem and I think it will.   Apparently the arc fault breakers are touchy with other signals in the air.  A you tube video was showing a person tripping arc fault breakers with a walkie talkie near the panel.   Let us know if the problem was corrected as there will be more questions about arc fault in the future.  Roly
Reply
#27
The igniter in that actually creates an arc to operate. Never heard of one causing issues before. Three things I would do. 

Call your gas utility and see if they use active catholic protection on their lines. Ask them to come and inspect the dielectric connections at the meter and main shut off. 

Check the grounding electrode for your main panel. Make sure it is connected and in place. Hopefully you are not grounding through the water service. If so, consider changing. 

Go into the water heater and ensure all the grounds are in place and tight. Pay close attention to the ground at the igniter. 

All I got.
Blackhat

Bad experiences come from poor decisions. So do good stories. 


Reply
#28
(04-20-2022, 04:50 PM)blackhat Wrote: The igniter in that actually creates an arc to operate. Never heard of one causing issues before. Three things I would do. 

Call your gas utility and see if they use active catholic protection on their lines. Ask them to come and inspect the dielectric connections at the meter and main shut off. 

Check the grounding electrode for your main panel. Make sure it is connected and in place. Hopefully you are not grounding through the water service. If so, consider changing. 

Go into the water heater and ensure all the grounds are in place and tight. Pay close attention to the ground at the igniter. 

All I got.

Thanks for the additional suggestions.

I don't know that the trips have been occuring during ignition -- normally just having the tankless in standby and then loading a circuit protected by AFCI.   The range hood remains the most common cause of trips, although this is no longer tripping consistently.  I haven't seen a trip recently from a purely resistive load (e.g., a toaster oven could trip the AFCI-protected circuits originally).

I did trip an AFCI when using miter saw yesterday, but that wasn't sensitive to tankless heater and could be the brushes on the universal motor.  (I can tell AFCIs will be a lot of fun)

Our main panel is bonded to a grounding rod next to the water entrance.  We added this in 2006 when replacing the panel.  The electrician mentioned that current code is to also have a rod right at the panel, so we will look into adding this to see if it helps in this case.

Matt
Reply
#29
The stories about AFCIs being problematic are rather numerous. My opinion is once again, a solution in search of a problem. Pass until forced.
Blackhat

Bad experiences come from poor decisions. So do good stories. 


Reply
#30
(04-21-2022, 11:52 AM)mdhills Wrote: Thanks for the additional suggestions.

I don't know that the trips have been occuring during ignition -- normally just having the tankless in standby and then loading a circuit protected by AFCI.   The range hood remains the most common cause of trips, although this is no longer tripping consistently.  I haven't seen a trip recently from a purely resistive load (e.g., a toaster oven could trip the AFCI-protected circuits originally).

I did trip an AFCI when using miter saw yesterday, but that wasn't sensitive to tankless heater and could be the brushes on the universal motor.  (I can tell AFCIs will be a lot of fun)

Our main panel is bonded to a grounding rod next to the water entrance.  We added this in 2006 when replacing the panel.  The electrician mentioned that current code is to also have a rod right at the panel, so we will look into adding this to see if it helps in this case.

Matt

Any updates on the false tripping issue ?   Roly
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.