Maint. Receptacle Trips 60A GFCI Hot Tub Breaker

[b_electric]

Why would a standard 20A duplex receptacle trip the 60A GFI spa breaker (installed at service main)? Wiring is good, checked all connections, even megged out all conductors, no leakage. Circuit works great, powers/heats hot tube with.out issue, until I plug something into the maint recept... any sort of power draw whatsoever, the 60A breaker shuts down. Already swapped quad recepts for new, no difference.

maint recept is quad, fed off of A phase of 60A GFI breaker.

LED fixture above pedestal fed from B phase of 60A GFI breaker. Works fine, fully operational...

switch leg for LED fixture carried with 60A feed from pedestal to hot tub waterproof switch (in bell box, surface mount to tub wood-siding.

quad/LED connected via polaris, load side of standard 60A safety switch (also at pedestal), so as to be included with any safety switch operation.

tried multiple cord & plug load types, from smartphone and cordless power tool battery chargers to 6.5hp shop vac.

quad/LED neutral is #10 (not required for 60A spa circuit)

Also, I believe there's a section of code limiting circuit rating to max 50% if receptacle(s) added in series ...(?) (regardless, it should still work)

I feel like I'm missing something, but seems there's not much that can be missed with such a simple system.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Where is the neutral for the receptacle connected? Are you sure it is connected to the neutral on the load side of the 60 amp GFCI breaker?

 

[Little Bill]

Sounds like there is a different neutral path causing the GFCI to sense a fault.

 

[b_electric]

Where is the neutral for the receptacle connected? Are you sure it is connected to the neutral on the load side of the 60 amp GFCI breaker?

Thanks for the replies!

The 60A GFCI neutral (that is physically attached to the breaker itself) and the neutral that is dedicated to the quad/LED @ pedestal are both individually terminated directly to the grounded bus bar @ meter main (via their own individual terminal ports/set screws), same as all the other neutrals for the property.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Thanks for the replies!

The 60A GFCI neutral (that is physically attached to the breaker itself) and the neutral that is dedicated to the quad/LED @ pedestal are both individually terminated directly to the grounded bus bar @ meter main (via their own individual terminal ports/set screws), same as all the other neutrals for the property.

And that is why it trips. The neutral must be directly connected to the load neutral terminal of the GFCI breaker.

 

[texie]

And that is why it trips. The neutral must be directly connected to the load neutral terminal of the GFCI breaker.

Yep and the next question is does the breaker even support line to neutral load.

 

[b_electric]

Yep and the next question is does the breaker even support line to neutral load.

I sorta realized this was the case just as I was finishing typing my inquiry, but figured, what the hell. All that typing, might as well just submit it anyway, see if there's anything else I'm forgetting... can't really consider this a benefit to others, being that I'm probably the only "qualified" person on this planet to completely space on such a thing. Although, had I installed the breaker myself, I'd like to think I'd have noticed the extra terminal not to mention the sizable black & white label just above it

Not sure why or how I could forget such a thing... I've only installed a couple of GFCI breakers and that was during my first year in the trade. Kind of odd I haven't ever had to install one since then, now that I think about... just one of those things, I guess.

The hot tub control panel calls for multiple options, 60A being the highest so the heater can run same time as all pumps/motors.

They ran #6 THHN (exterior mount) in 3/4 EMT (can't just up-size the wire), but at least they used compression fittings, although not specifically raintight, but they aren't set-screw, which has gotta count for something, right?

Nope, epic fail... all terminals rated for 60°c... downsizing the breaker or starting from scratch on the pipe run kind of a no brainer

 

[Little Bill]

I sorta realized this was the case just as I was finishing typing my inquiry, but figured, what the hell. All that typing, might as well just submit it anyway, see if there's anything else I'm forgetting... can't really consider this a benefit to others, being that I'm probably the only "qualified" person on this planet to completely space on such a thing. Although, had I installed the breaker myself, I'd like to think I'd have noticed the extra terminal not to mention the sizable black & white label just above it

Not sure why or how I could forget such a thing... I've only installed a couple of GFCI breakers and that was during my first year in the trade. Kind of odd I haven't ever had to install one since then, now that I think about... just one of those things, I guess.

The hot tub control panel calls for multiple options, 60A being the highest so the heater can run same time as all pumps/motors.

They ran #6 THHN (exterior mount) in 3/4 EMT (can't just up-size the wire), but at least they used compression fittings, although not specifically raintight, but they aren't set-screw, which has gotta count for something, right?

Nope, epic fail... all terminals rated for 60°c... downsizing the breaker or starting from scratch on the pipe run kind of a no brainer

Must be an old tub if the terminations are 60 deg. I've not seen any terminations for 60 deg in years.