Arc Fault Detection Device (AFDD) - Are you being installed?

I think the benefits are very marginal in an existing installation, and as such I would not generally recommend retrofitting.

Personally I tend to be involved in the specification of supplies for things that involve radio communication equipment, or other electronics kit for use by military establishments.  Operation needs to be rock solid when run on  'power of opportunity' which may well be less clean, not well earthed, the wrong voltage and frequency  and generally more 'wild'  that a typical UK mains.

As such all our installations would include LC filtering and build in SPD (not the overpriced DIN rail stuff that is just coming into the shops now but components built into the fitlers) at the origin. As far as I know the commercial AFDs all fail if the non 50Hz components are removed , and so are effectively neutered by  such  filters.

I feel the IET recommendation is premature, especially as there are currently no easy ways to verify AFD correct operation, or indeed a proper guarantee of what they will and will not detect.

Consider that it took the RCD concept from the 1920s to the 1980s to make it from prototype to mandated in regs, and during that time a great many refinements were made, and blind alleys explored and rejected, and even now they are still an unreliable part of the installation.  In comparison AFD technology is extremely immature.

 I am not surprised to say I have yet to see any in normal use, and I won't be adding any just yet.

I think the benefits are very marginal in an existing installation, and as such I would not generally recommend retrofitting.

Personally I tend to be involved in the specification of supplies for things that involve radio communication equipment, or other electronics kit for use by military establishments.  Operation needs to be rock solid when run on  'power of opportunity' which may well be less clean, not well earthed, the wrong voltage and frequency  and generally more 'wild'  that a typical UK mains.

As such all our installations would include LC filtering and build in SPD (not the overpriced DIN rail stuff that is just coming into the shops now but components built into the fitlers) at the origin. As far as I know the commercial AFDs all fail if the non 50Hz components are removed , and so are effectively neutered by  such  filters.

I feel the IET recommendation is premature, especially as there are currently no easy ways to verify AFD correct operation, or indeed a proper guarantee of what they will and will not detect.

Consider that it took the RCD concept from the 1920s to the 1980s to make it from prototype to mandated in regs, and during that time a great many refinements were made, and blind alleys explored and rejected, and even now they are still an unreliable part of the installation.  In comparison AFD technology is extremely immature.

 I am not surprised to say I have yet to see any in normal use, and I won't be adding any just yet.