jmd445
Senior Member
- Location
- Hamilton Twp., NJ
This isn't an NEC matter but a troubleshooting question.
My friend has a hot tub supplied from his service with a 50A 4-wire sub panel. The sub panel contains a GE 220 GFI serving the pumps and a GE230 GFI serving the heaters.
The heater gfi was tripping last year, the heater elements were replaced then and all has been fine.
The heater gfi started tripping again this year and will not reset. He purchased a new GE 230 gfi and it still tripps.
Here's the interesting part...............................
Without any load conductors connected the gfi tripps when the sub-panel is powered. I had him isolate the ground and neutral conductors in the sub panel, the neutral buss is isolated from ground in the sub panel and the resistance from the grounded conductor to the ground in the sub panel is .01 ohms (reading through the bond in the main panel).
If the neutral pigtail from the GFI is removed from the neutral buss the gfi does not trip (remember, no load is connected), if the pigtail is touched to the neutral buss the gfi tripps immediatly.
By the way, The GE 220 gfi serving the pumps is fine.
My conclusion is that it is a new and defective 230 gfi circuit breaker.
Now, try to prove it to the supply house.....................
Your thoughts are appreciated..................................
Jim
My friend has a hot tub supplied from his service with a 50A 4-wire sub panel. The sub panel contains a GE 220 GFI serving the pumps and a GE230 GFI serving the heaters.
The heater gfi was tripping last year, the heater elements were replaced then and all has been fine.
The heater gfi started tripping again this year and will not reset. He purchased a new GE 230 gfi and it still tripps.
Here's the interesting part...............................
Without any load conductors connected the gfi tripps when the sub-panel is powered. I had him isolate the ground and neutral conductors in the sub panel, the neutral buss is isolated from ground in the sub panel and the resistance from the grounded conductor to the ground in the sub panel is .01 ohms (reading through the bond in the main panel).
If the neutral pigtail from the GFI is removed from the neutral buss the gfi does not trip (remember, no load is connected), if the pigtail is touched to the neutral buss the gfi tripps immediatly.
By the way, The GE 220 gfi serving the pumps is fine.
My conclusion is that it is a new and defective 230 gfi circuit breaker.
Now, try to prove it to the supply house.....................
Your thoughts are appreciated..................................
Jim