They all think I'm crazy for avoiding AFCIs in vintage wiring jobs
I was rewiring a 1920s house last week and said we should not put in AFCI breakers. My whole crew gave me weird looks. I know the rules say to use them, but in these old places, they trip too much from regular stuff like lamps and fans. A few months back, I got a call about a stove that kept killing the power. It was just the heating element cycling on, not a bad wire. Other sparkies tell me these breakers save homes from fires, and I get that for new work. With old systems like knob and tube, focusing on good joints and clean connections does more good. It gets to me when code feels disconnected from actual job sites.