GFCI / AFCI Breaker Testing & Trip Codes
General field practice for qualified electricians. The equipment manufacturer's instructions, your adopted code edition, and the AHJ govern where they differ.
1 · Testing basics
- Breaker TEST button: with the panel energized and the breaker ON, press TEST. The handle should move to the tripped (center) position. Reset by moving the handle fully OFF, then ON. If it doesn't trip, the protection isn't working. Replace the breaker. Manufacturers call for a monthly test.[1][2]
- Receptacle GFCI: press TEST (power should drop), then RESET. A plug-in tester's GFCI button may not trip a GFCI on an ungrounded (2-wire) circuit. The device's own TEST button is the real test.
- Don't megger or hi-pot with AFCI/GFCI breakers connected. Remove them or isolate the circuit first.[3][2]
- Shared neutrals: single-pole AFCI, GFCI, and dual-function breakers can't share a neutral. A multiwire circuit needs a 2-pole device or a separate neutral for each circuit.[2][3]
- Common causes of tripping: the load neutral landed on the panel bar instead of the breaker, a neutral touching ground in a box (grounded neutral), neutrals swapped between circuits, moisture in outdoor boxes, leaking appliances, and damaged cords or staples through cable.
- Isolate a trip: unplug or turn off all loads and reset. Then add loads one at a time until it trips. If it trips with no load, lift the load wires and reset. If it holds, the fault is in the wiring.
2 · Square D (Schneider Electric) — QO & Homeline AF / AFGF with Time Saving Diagnostics
When you turn the breaker back on, its LED shows the cause of the last trip. If a code is stored, tap and release TEST quickly to replay the LED pattern without tripping the breaker.
| LED at power-up | Last trip |
|---|---|
| Solid ON 10 s, then OFF | Arc fault |
| 2 pulses | Ground fault |
| 4 pulses | Grounded neutral |
| 7 pulses | Arc-fault protection unresponsive. Schneider says to contact them for a replacement breaker (888-778-2733). |
| LED does not turn on | No fault stored, thermal overload, or short circuit |
TIME SAVER fault indication (hold-TEST method, AFGF)
- Turn the breaker OFF.
- Press and hold TEST.
- Keep holding TEST and move the handle to ON.
- Note when it trips: instantly (<1 s) = fault to ground; 2 s = arc fault; 5 s = procedure complete (no fault, thermal overload, or short circuit); 10 s = out of memory.
To clear the stored indication, run the procedure 6 times in total. A trip at 5 s confirms it's done. The breaker also clears itself after 27 days of continuous power.[4] Older Square D CAFI/DF breakers without the TSD LED: ✖ NOT verified here. Use that breaker's instruction bulletin.[6]
3 · Eaton — Type CH & BR dual-function AF/GF
Startup blinks (within ½ s of turn-on): 1 quick blink = electronic overload detection OFF (uncommon); 2 = 15 A handle rating; 3 = 20 A handle rating. About 3 s later the red LED blinks the trip code, repeating 30 times with a pause between repeats.
| Blinks | Trip cause | Eaton's resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Series arc (low current) | Find and repair or replace the equipment, cord, or loose connection |
| 2 | Parallel arc (high current) | Find the damaged wiring (nail, screw, staple) and replace it |
| 3 | Short delay (electronic backup to short-circuit trip) | Find and repair the short |
| 4 | Overvoltage (160 V rms or more) | Check utility power for phase imbalance or a lost neutral |
| 5 | Ground fault | Find and repair the leakage path |
| 6 | Self-test failure | Replace the breaker |
No code is recorded for a thermal overload, a mechanical short-circuit trip, a TEST press, or switching OFF by hand. In those cases the breaker shows the last recorded code. A new breaker shows its factory-test code.
Recall the last code
- Handle OFF.
- Press and hold TEST.
- Handle ON.
- Release TEST. The code blinks 30 times, starting about 3 s later.
If it trips before you can read the code, disconnect the branch hot and neutral and try again. The code is erased 2 hours after a recall, so write it down.[7]
4 · Siemens — AFCI / dual-function (trip-indicator LEDs)
Turn the breaker OFF, then ON, and watch the LEDs. On dual-function breakers they show for about 5 s each time you turn it ON, for up to 30 days after the last trip.[1] Check the generation on the label.
| 1-pole Gen 1–3A CAFCI and Gen 2 DF | ||
|---|---|---|
| LED 1 | LED 2 | Last trip |
| Off | Off | Overcurrent |
| On | Off | Arc to neutral or series arc fault |
| On | On | Ground fault or arc to ground |
| 1-pole Gen 3B CAFCI (one LED, no GF protection) | |
|---|---|
| Off | Overcurrent |
| On | Arc to neutral, arc to ground, or series arc |
| 2-pole Gen 1–3A CAFCI | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Last trip |
| Off | Off | Off | Overcurrent |
| On | Off | Off | Arc to neutral or series arc (leg A) |
| Off | Off | On | Arc to neutral or series arc (leg B) |
| On | On | On | Ground fault or arc to ground |
| 1-pole Gen 2 GFCI, 2-pole Gen 1B GFCI, 1-pole Gen 2 GFEP | |
|---|---|
| Off | Overcurrent or ground fault |
| Blinking | Breaker needs to be replaced |
Older Gen 1–1B branch/feeder AFCIs and Gen 1 GFCIs use a yellow window or LED. See section 2.2 of the Siemens diagnostic guide.[9] On the dual-function install sheet, both LEDs blinking means replace the breaker. Clear the stored indication: handle OFF → press and hold the test button → handle ON → release after 3 s.[1][10]
5 · GE / ABB — Q-Line dual-function (DFCI, e.g., THQL…DF)
Test with the rocker: press toward AF to test arc-fault detection, or toward GF to test ground-fault detection. It passes if the TRIP flag appears. After you reset a tripped breaker, the LED in the trip-flag window shows:
| After reset | Meaning (ABB installation instructions) |
|---|---|
| ORANGE, then RED | Ground fault detected (from TEST or the load circuit) |
| ORANGE, then YELLOW | Arc fault detected (from TEST or the load circuit) |
| Trips again immediately after reset | Short circuit, ground fault, or grounded neutral. If the fix doesn't work, the GF sensing may have failed. |
| Constantly blinking RED and YELLOW after push-to-test | The breaker has lost its ability to detect arc and ground faults. Replace it. |
⚠ Sources disagree. ABB's Residential Electronic Circuit Interrupters brochure (1TQC1136E0002) lists "Orange-Red = arc fault, Orange-Yellow = ground fault," which is the reverse of the installation instructions above. Follow the instruction sheet that came with the breaker, or ask ABB (800-782-8061). Copy used: a third-party-hosted copy of ABB's DFCI installer instructions[2]. ABB's official library[11]. GE/ABB AFCI-only breakers (THQL…AF2) use a PAR ARC / SER ARC test rocker[12]. Their LED code table: ✖ NOT verified.
6 · Leviton — AFCI / GFCI / dual-function branch breakers
The LEDs are powered from the line side, so they stay lit while the breaker is tripped. The handle window color shows the status.
| Window | AF LED | GF LED | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Off | Off | ON |
| Green | ON/OFF LED solid (smart breakers) | Remote OFF | |
| Red | Off | Off | Overload or short-circuit trip |
| Red | Solid | Off | Series arc-fault trip |
| Red | Blinking (1 s) | Off | Parallel arc-fault trip |
| Red | Off | Solid | Ground-fault trip or grounded neutral |
| Red | Off | Blinking (0.5 s) | Grounded neutral |
| Red | Off | Blinking (3 s) | Neutral miswired |
| Red | Blinking (0.1 s) | Blinking (0.1 s) | Electronics self-test failure. The breaker is locked out and must be replaced. |
| White | Off | Off | Manual OFF |
Reset: OFF, then ON. Leviton breakers won't reset if protection is compromised. Leviton's load-center sheet lists 1 s for the self-test-failure blink, and the dual-function instruction sheet lists 0.1 s. Go by the sheet for your breaker.[3][13]
7 · Not verified — use the breaker's own label or instructions
✖ NOT verified Murray, Crouse-Hinds, Westinghouse, Challenger, Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Wadsworth, Connecticut Electric and other classified replacements, older Cutler-Hammer and GE generations, and any Square D, Eaton, Siemens, GE/ABB, or Leviton line not listed above. No LED codes are given for these because none were checked against a manufacturer document.
Sources
- Siemens Dual Function AFCI/GFCI installation instructions (Pt. No. 812420A), distributor-hosted copy — https://cdn.gescan.com/PIM_Docs/Docs/STEP_ASSETS_PDF/299438938.pdf
- ABB/GE Dual Function Circuit Interrupter (DFCI) installer instructions, third-party-hosted copy — https://manualzz.com/doc/66001271/abb-dual-function-gfci-afci-ground-fault-and-combination-ar...
- Leviton 1-pole Dual-Function AFCI/GFCI branch circuit breaker instructions — https://leviton.com/content/dam/leviton/residential/product_documents/instruction_sheet/leviton-1-pole-dual-function-breaker-instruction-sheet-enfrsp.pdf
- Schneider Electric, TIME SAVER Diagnostics brochure 998-21300402_GMA-US — https://www.se.com/us/en/download/document/998-21300402_GMA-US/
- Schneider Electric FAQ000221049, AF/AFGF breaker with blinking LED — https://www.se.com/us/en/faqs/FAQ000221049/
- Schneider Electric instruction bulletin GDE27608 — https://www.se.com/us/en/download/document/GDE27608/
- Eaton IL003022EN, BR/CL/CH/QB AFCI, GFCI, GFEP and dual-function AF/GF instructions — https://www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/products/electrical-circuit-protection/molded-case-circuit-breakers/eaton-resi-installation-instructions-il003022en-en-us.pdf
- Eaton knowledge base, blinking red light on CH/BR dual-function breaker — https://eaton.my.site.com/publicknowledge/s/article/Blinking-red-light-on-CH-BR-dual-function-breaker
- Siemens AFCI-GFCI Circuit Breaker Diagnostic Guide — https://assets.new.siemens.com/siemens/assets/api/uuid:d10cec71-f518-4f35-83c4-cd40e8c308ab/afci-gfci-guide-compressed.pdf
- Siemens CAFCI troubleshooting white paper — https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/711/109774711/att_1008749/v1/SIE_WP_CAFCITroubleshooting.pdf
- ABB Electrification publication library, DFCI installation & instruction — https://electrification.us.abb.com/publibrary/product/dual-function-circuit-interrupter-dfci/installation-and-instruction
- ABB THQL1120AF2 combination AFCI installer instructions, distributor-hosted copy — https://uisupplies.com/Portals/1/Downloads/ABB%20THQL1120AF2%20Installation%20Instructions.pdf
- Leviton Load Center status indicator sheet — https://leviton.com/content/dam/leviton/residential/product_documents/load_center_misc/Load-Center-Status-Indicator-Sheet.pdf