Would it change much if I said I mis-spoke, and it's actually an arc fault circuit interrupter? (the breaker says AFCI, the hand-written label on the door says GFCI).
Absolutely!
AFCI breakers are required by code for all circuits that service bedrooms. They are designed to detect electrical arcs, both parallel (hot to neutral or ground) and series (over a high-resistance contact). The idea there is that electrical arcs can cause fires, and fires that start in the bedroom are more likely to kill people before smoke alarms can wake them up, when compared to fires started outside of bedrooms.
AFCI's work by detecting current spikes, which are indicative of the electrical arcing (like when you shuffle your feet across the carpet and touch a doorknob).
So, why is this tripping for your vacuum? If it were a DC motor, that would be easy to answer. DC motors use slip-rings or brushes to conduct power to the rotating part of the motor. These connections open and close as the motor spins, and every time it opens or closes, there's the opportunity for a spark to happen. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about AC motors to answer the question, though :(
Absolutely!
AFCI breakers are required by code for all circuits that service bedrooms. They are designed to detect electrical arcs, both parallel (hot to neutral or ground) and series (over a high-resistance contact). The idea there is that electrical arcs can cause fires, and fires that start in the bedroom are more likely to kill people before smoke alarms can wake them up, when compared to fires started outside of bedrooms.
AFCI's work by detecting current spikes, which are indicative of the electrical arcing (like when you shuffle your feet across the carpet and touch a doorknob).
So, why is this tripping for your vacuum? If it were a DC motor, that would be easy to answer. DC motors use slip-rings or brushes to conduct power to the rotating part of the motor. These connections open and close as the motor spins, and every time it opens or closes, there's the opportunity for a spark to happen. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about AC motors to answer the question, though :(
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