TL;DR
An AFCI, or arc-fault circuit interrupter, is a protective device that recognizes the erratic electrical signature of dangerous arcing, as from a nicked wire, loose terminal, or crushed cord, and shuts the circuit off before the arc ignites surrounding material. It addresses fires rather than shock, which is the job of a GFCI.
What it means
An AFCI, or arc-fault circuit interrupter, is a protective device that recognizes the erratic electrical signature of dangerous arcing, as from a nicked wire, loose terminal, or crushed cord, and shuts the circuit off before the arc ignites surrounding material. It addresses fires rather than shock, which is the job of a GFCI. NEC 210.12 has required this protection in bedrooms since 1999 and now in most living areas of new homes. It is delivered through a breaker in the panel or a special receptacle, each identified on its label and reset after tripping.
Where it sits in the glossary
AFCI is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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