pool pump gfi breaker

Status
Not open for further replies.

jazer

Senior Member
Location
Gibsonia, Pa
Have a pool pump, between 5 and 10 years old, that will trip a gfi breaker, and will not trip it when the egc is disconnected (only done as an experiment). Runs perfectly fine at nameplate rating like this. Any thoughts or suggestions before I recommend a new motor/pump? Seems a shame to have to replace it...
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
Pretty conclusive that there is leakage to the shell (and probably the pipe if metal and to the water). Replace the pump motor.

Tapatalk!
 

Knuckle Dragger

Master Electrician Electrical Contractor 01752
Location
Marlborough, Massachusetts USA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Have a pool pump, between 5 and 10 years old, that will trip a gfi breaker, and will not trip it when the egc is disconnected (only done as an experiment). Runs perfectly fine at nameplate rating like this. Any thoughts or suggestions before I recommend a new motor/pump? Seems a shame to have to replace it...

Did you test from the EGC to the motor housing to find out how much voltage was leaking.
For giggles test from the #8 solid to the EGC and see what you have. Could something be leaking in the equipotential bond?
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
Have a pool pump, between 5 and 10 years old, that will trip a gfi breaker, and will not trip it when the egc is disconnected (only done as an experiment). Runs perfectly fine at nameplate rating like this. Any thoughts or suggestions before I recommend a new motor/pump? Seems a shame to have to replace it...

You would think it would trip whether the EGC was disconnected or not.

JAP.
 

jazer

Senior Member
Location
Gibsonia, Pa
All good points. Old pool with 5-10 year old pump, according to owner. Will check for bonding conductor when I return, didn't notice it.....probably wasn't there.....if it was it would probably trip the gfi breaker even with egc disconnected like mentioned above....
 

xformer

Senior Member
Location
Dallas, Tx
Occupation
Master Electrician
Did you test from the EGC to the motor housing to find out how much voltage was leaking.
For giggles test from the #8 solid to the EGC and see what you have. Could something be leaking in the equipotential bond?

How could something leaking in the Eqiup Bond have any effect on a Branch Circuit GFCI? :)
 

xformer

Senior Member
Location
Dallas, Tx
Occupation
Master Electrician
It trips the breaker as soon as I go from housing to disconnected egc

If the GFIC trips as soon as this connection is made, IMHO the housing is a source to ground therefore the pump needs replacement. Can you MEG the pump?
 

jazer

Senior Member
Location
Gibsonia, Pa
If the GFIC trips as soon as this connection is made, IMHO the housing is a source und therefore the pump needs replacement. Can you MEG the pump?

I will meg the pump, thanks. I had already concluded the pump needs replaced but I wanted to feel out some brainstorming. My biggest concern now is installing a equipotential grid....
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
Did this just start tripping an existing GFI Breaker recently, or did you just now put in a GFI to feed the pump and it tripped as soon as you turned it on?
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
is it a1 20v or a 240v pump and if it is a 240v pump do you have the 2p GFI Wired?
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
If I invision a 240v pump where you just recently put in a 2p gfi breaker and happened to run the EGC from the pump to the neutral terminal on the GFI and the Neutral Pigtail from the breaker to the Neutral bar,

Then I'd have a pretty good Idea what was wrong......


JAP>
 

xformer

Senior Member
Location
Dallas, Tx
Occupation
Master Electrician
If I invision a 240v pump where you just recently put in a 2p gfi breaker and happened to run the EGC from the pump to the neutral terminal on the GFI and the Neutral Pigtail from the breaker to the Neutral bar,

Then I'd have a pretty good Idea what was wrong......


JAP>

that would be an error...:eek:hmy::blink:
 

jazer

Senior Member
Location
Gibsonia, Pa
120 volt on an existing 15 amp gfi breaker. Customer has mentioned this to me in the past, she would notice the pump not running, check the breaker to find it tripped and would be able to reset it no problem. Now this year, she just opened the pool, was able to run pump for a day or two then it tripped and wouldn't reset. This is when I tracked the circuit out and found the pump causing the instant trip.
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
120 volt on an existing 15 amp gfi breaker. Customer has mentioned this to me in the past, she would notice the pump not running, check the breaker to find it tripped and would be able to reset it no problem. Now this year, she just opened the pool, was able to run pump for a day or two then it tripped and wouldn't reset. This is when I tracked the circuit out and found the pump causing the instant trip.

My diagnosis would be steadily increasing current leakage in the pump motor over time.
Water intrusion, insulation breakdown, mechanical wear, the reason does not matter much.
 

david

Senior Member
Location
Pennsylvania
Have a pool pump, between 5 and 10 years old, that will trip a gfi breaker, and will not trip it when the egc is disconnected (only done as an experiment). Runs perfectly fine at nameplate rating like this. Any thoughts or suggestions before I recommend a new motor/pump? Seems a shame to have to replace it...

If it is 120 Volt pump supply check and see if the equipment ground is in contact with the neutral terminal.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top