The three receptacle circuits in my house are 2-wire NM, but have 3-prong receptacles. My electrician recommended and installed GFCI breakers to provide "grounding" to these circuits. I now realize that arc-fault protection on these circuits would be a good-idea for safety. The wiring for the branch circuits was not being "modified, replaced, or extended" (NEC 210.12(B)), so I don't think AFCI is technically required by code, but I am surprised the electrician didn't recommend it in addition to GFCI protection.
I can call the electrician to come back and fix, but I'd like to know what my options are in advance. I think the options are:
- Replace GFCI breakers with CAFCI breakers and add GFCI receptacles to the first-outlet on each circuit. (Cost: 3x$50 + 3x$20 = $210 plus labor)
- Keep GFCI breakers and add AFCI receptacles to the first-outlet on each circuit (allowed by 210.12(B)(2) and 406.4(D)(2)). (Cost: 3x$30 = $90).
- Replace GFCI breakers with Dual Function AFCI/GFCI breakers. May not be available for my GE panel. GE makes them, but I don't see them available for purchase anywhere.
Option 2 sounds nice, but I haven't heard of this before and the NEC appears to be ambiguous on this specific situation. AFCISafety.org also appears to be ambiguous:
An AFCI can be used in conjunction with GFCI protection to provide both arcing fault protection as well as 5mA ground fault (people) protection. A common way to provide both types of protection is to use an AFCI circuit breaker and a GFCI receptacle.
Am I missing anything?