When working with an AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters) breaker, or an RCD - then a small change is needed from the specified installation guide to prevent the breaker tripping. In these situations, the AFCI (RCD) breaker is comparing the neutral line returned current from the outgoing live current. When there's a mismatch, then the breaker should trip as that'd indicate a circuit issue related to safety. By moving the White wire from the wire-harness (device neutral) over to the circuit-neutral line of the AFCI (RCD) breaker that the Black wire from the wire-harness is attached to, that should complete the circuit as needed to prevent the AFCI from tripping. If you're running into any issues with this installation scenario, feel free to reach out to the Customer Support team.

A photo to show the circuit line, circuit neutral and neutral bus bar wire terminals on an AFCI breaker.

If the breaker is "unoccupied", i.e. does not have an existing circuit terminated, then the Black and White wire-harness wires can be terminated directly into the breaker.

If the AFCI breaker has an existing circuit line, you can pigtail the wire harness wires together with the existing circuit lines as well.

Feedback and Suggestions

This knowledge base is pretty new for the Emporia team. Our goal is to provide all of the information we can to help you manage your energy in better ways. If this article wasn't helpful, or we could be more clarifying on any points please reach out to the Customer Support team and we'll certainly work to improve these guides.