Is there any reason to use an AFCI receptacle rather than replacing the breaker with an AFCI type? It seems that providing protection on the whole circuit makes much more sense than to just one receptacle. Are there areas where AFCI protected circuits are not allowed?
Electrical – Why use AFCI receptacles rather than AFCI breakers
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Best Answer
AFCI breakers generally have ground fault protection also, whereas I do not believe AFCI receptacles do. This is sometimes a problem on houses with "shared neutral" circuits (sometimes called Edison Circuits) as the ground fault protection logic will trip the breaker upon application of a load.
There are (or have been, not sure bout 2014 NEC) restrictions on the use of AFCI receptacles: you are/were not allowed to use them unless metal clad conduit was used to protect wiring from the breaker panel to the first receptacle on the circuit (the first receptacle is where you install the AFCI, it protects all downstream receptacles on the circuit).
Please consult a licensed electrician as they should be familiar with local code requirements.