afcicode-compliancecontractorselectrical
A California licensed electrician replaced a circuit breaker for a friend. He removed the living room AFCI breaker and replaced it with a used non-AFCI breaker.
When I heard this I was upset enough that he installed a used breaker, but the CA Electric code requires an AFCI here (unless I am mistaken, I re-read the section).
Is it permitted to replace the breaker with a used one? Is it permitted to replace a compliant breaker with a non compliant breaker?
Some surge protectors work by "redirecting" surges to the equipment ground, which is pretty much the definition of a ground fault. In this case, it's definitely possible that surge suppressors could be tripping GFCI receptacles/breakers (given a large enough surge).
As for the AFCIs... When electrical contacts separate, they often create an arc between the contacts. This arc spans the gap until the contacts are too far apart, and the arc can no longer be sustained. It's possible (in theory) that the GFCI tripping could create a large enough arc, for long enough to cause the AFCI to trip. It's not likely that a properly functioning GFCI would do this, but if the GFCI was old and worn it could be opening the contacts slow enough that a detectable arc is being produced.
Determining if the GFCI tripping is causing the AFCI to trip, is a simple test. Simply press the test button on the GFCI. If the AFCI trips, you'll have figured out half the problem. If the ACFI does not trip, you could repeat the test using a receptacle tester with a GFCI test function.
If it's determined that the GFCI is causing the AFCI breaker to trip, replacing the GFCI receptacle may resolve that part of the issue.
Figuring out if the surge suppressor is tripping the GFCI, is a more difficult proposition. It will likely require you to monitor the supply voltage over some time, to identify and document possible surges.
Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) receptacles are similar to Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) receptacles, in that they both operate on the Line / Load idea. When connecting an AFCI receptacle, downstream devices are only protected if they are connected to the Load side of the device. If devices are connected in parallel using pigtails on the Line side, they will not be protected by the AFCI device.
Since connection-wise, AFCI and GFCI receptacles are similar. The answers to these questions can be useful in this situation as well.
Basically, these devices only monitor the wires on the Load side of the device. Which means, anything upstream on the Line side doesn't really matter. Sharing a neutral should not be a problem, as long as it's done properly (e.g. don't share a Load side neutral, only share the Line side neutral before the device).
Best Answer
If the AFCI was required in the first place, ie: the code in place when the circuit was originally installed (regardless if they are required now), then yes, removing it and replacing it with a standard breaker created a violation.
The rest is a legal issue and not appropriate for this forum. Have your friend call the building dept for the ONLY accurate answer.