All breakers are designed to prevent the wiring from becoming overloaded and will automatically turn off if the circuit is overloaded. Arc fault breakers have the additional ability to sense arcing in a circuit. Arcing happens when loose or corroded wiring connect and cause an electrical current to spark - or arc.  The hot wire touches a ground, but doesn’t trigger a traditional circuit breaker. Arcs are extremely hot and a serious fire hazard. Click here to learn more.