Hot tub @ gazeebo

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I have a custmer with a hot tub in his gazeebo. There is a 70 amp subpanel at the gazeebo with a 50amp ground fault breaker for the hot tub and a 15 amp breaker for his light/ceiling fan. When the hot tub is on and the light or fan is swithed on the ground fault trips. the subpanel is fed with 2 hots neutral and ground. The load is never high. Any ideas?
 

bphgravity

Senior Member
Location
Florida
There is a problem with the wiring of the two circuits that you are not aware of and/or the gfci device is defective. Are you certain how and where all branch circuit wiring is connected at the panel, loads and everytihng in between?
 

macmikeman

Senior Member
Check to make sure the neutral from the light is not tied into the hot tub neutral somehow for starters. Your gfi might be faulty, try a substitute gfi breaker to test it.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
macmikeman said:
Check to make sure the neutral from the light is not tied into the hot tub neutral somehow for starters.
This is my guess also.

Does the GFCI trip when the lights and fan are on by themselves or only when the tub is on also?
 

1793

Senior Member
Location
Louisville, Kentucky
Occupation
Inspector
You might want to make sure the GFI is wired correctly. I've run across a few where the breaker was mis-wired.

Are the ground and neutral at the sub separated? :cool:
 
The GFCI is 2 pole with the white pigtail being connected to the neutral bar in the subpanel as is the neutral from the light/ceiling fan. The hot tub just has the 2 hots and a ground feeding it , no neutral. The GFCI only trips when the hot tub is on and then the light or fan is switched on. I'm not sure how the light being switched on could have anything to do with the gfci.
 

1793

Senior Member
Location
Louisville, Kentucky
Occupation
Inspector
fisherman said:
The GFCI is 2 pole with the white pigtail being connected to the neutral bar in the subpanel as is the neutral from the light/ceiling fan. The hot tub just has the 2 hots and a ground feeding it , no neutral. The GFCI only trips when the hot tub is on and then the light or fan is switched on. I'm not sure how the light being switched on could have anything to do with the gfci.

Are the Neutral and Ground in the sub separated? "Floating Neutral"
 

RUWIREDRITE

Senior Member
Fan Wiring

Fan Wiring

All the connections at the sub panel may be correct, but if the fan neutral and ground are making contact (when the fan is turned on)in the canopy it might upset the gfci breaker when switched on.When the fan is turned on, it might be connecting or faulting the ground and neutral in the fan, or perhaps a defective grounded fan unit.It will work fine in a non -gfci situation, but not in this application.
 
RUWIREDRITE said:
All the connections at the sub panel may be correct, but if the fan neutral and ground are making contact (when the fan is turned on)in the canopy it might upset the gfci breaker when switched on.When the fan is turned on, it might be connecting or faulting the ground and neutral in the fan, or perhaps a defective grounded fan unit.It will work fine in a non -gfci situation, but not in this application.

I'm a little confused. How can the a fault in another device from another circuit affect the hot tub gfci. I thought the gfci just sensed an imbalance between the two hots feeding the hot tub.
 

quogueelectric

Senior Member
Location
new york
Gfci trip

Gfci trip

if the neutral wire is accidentally grounded say in the fan box somehow pinched or skined it will ground the neutral bus which has the piggy tail white wire on it this will trip it every time. What I dont understand is that if the fan light were over the tub it should also be at least on its own gfi ckt and possibly a total V I would have to review my code book to check compliance. As to clearance and suitability to have a fan light over a tub. Check that the neutral ground is separated in subpanel then check that gfi breaker is wired corectly piggy tail white to neutral bus and neutral wire from tub to white painted screw on breaker near white piggy tail wire. You state in a previous post that it is straight up 240 however many tub manufacturers use the neutral for 240heaters and 120 pump motors and blowers .
 
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quogueelectric said:
if the neutral wire is accidentally grounded say in the fan box somehow pinched or skined it will ground the neutral bus which has the piggy tail white wire on it this will trip it every time. What I dont understand is that if the fan light were over the tub it should also be at least on its own gfi ckt and possibly a total V I would have to review my code book to check compliance. As to clearance and suitability to have a fan light over a tub. Check that the neutral ground is separated in subpanel then check that gfi breaker is wired corectly piggy tail white to neutral bus and neutral wire from tub to white painted screw on breaker near white piggy tail wire. You state in a previous post that it is straight up 240 however many tub manufacturers use the neutral for 240heaters and 120 pump motors and blowers .
According to the book with the hot tub the neutral is not used. It states that only the two hots and a griund are required. I'll go and check the fan this morning.
 
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