Pentair Pool Pump GFCI trips

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i am trying to find #'s on that 8SOIC, hard to see, but i will assume its a comparator or possibly a opamp.
the whole thing is sprayed with some waxy/sticky substance.

the D1 chip is a bridge rectifier
https://www.arrow.com/en/products/d...=arrow_findchips_2017&utm_content=inv_listing

the blue SVR is surge protector, so i wonder when this SVR dies the next surge kills the rest of the ckt probably making gfi useless, i guess thats why they say test every 30days. it has a gnd fault indicator bezel (no led) but this would not show a dead SVR.
https://fccid.io/UL/cert.php?ULID=102665903
 
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I have a current job with a Pentair VS pump that was just confirmed to trip a Pentair GFCI breaker that was installed to replace the Siemens GFCI.

I just bought a Fluke 368fc leakage current meter with a 3ma-60a range and will campout on site today or early next week.

The East cost Pentair reps are coming Tuesday or Wednesday to have a look and talk about it I guess...not sure what they plan to do. Siemens is responsive and seems to be trying but has not been nuch help.

Hopefully Irma will slow down so we can spend some time on site next week.

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post #103 - its the Siemens 15a 1pole QPF, but the "Pentaire" version is made by Siemens (from what the posts here say).
post #104 - try wrapping the wires through a ferrite ring just before they attach to the pump. can you provide some more info about the wiring, size/type of wire, install method, how far from main panel, is there a sub panel, etc etc. when was the pump made?
 
Post 103 - and both Siemens and Pentair has recently said they're the same

Poat 104 - I don't have ferrite rings but have ferrites to clamp around cords and such. The pump is wired with 12 gauge THHN solid in Carflex. We have a 240v, 3HP rated contactor controlled by a single pole switch that is in between the pump and breaker.

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Post 104 continued.

We installed an 80 A, 4wire feeder in PVC from the Main panels in the house 200'+/- to a Jandy Aqualink sub panel where the Siemens and Pentair breaker have been installed. I'm not sure of the pump manufacturer date but can add it later.

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bclumen said:
Post 104 continued.

We installed an 80 A, 4wire feeder in PVC from the Main panels in the house 200'+/- to a Jandy Aqualink sub panel where the Siemens and Pentair breaker have been installed. I'm not sure of the pump manufacturer date but can add it later.

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Click to expand...
CORRECTION...

It's an Intermatic Sub Panel enclosure that has two DPST timeclocks integrated in the enclosure.
This is where the Siemens and Pentair GFCI pump breakers have been Installed.

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bclumen said:
CORRECTION...

It's an Intermatic Sub Panel enclosure that has two DPST timeclocks integrated in the enclosure.
This is where the Siemens and Pentair GFCI pump breakers have been Installed.

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Click to expand...
i think your new Fluke will come in handy. but just to note, you only need a mA range amp meter to measure the leakage if its on the egc wire, just wedge meter between egc wire and pump, etc. if the pump is true 240ac L-L only but still has N connected to it, any leakage onto the N should not trip the gfi.

well, take the egc off of the pump and measure voltage between pump and egc wire. is there a small voltage??

1 of 2 things. 1) there is true leakage from the pump controls right near trip mA, or 2) the VFD is inducing a high frequency onto the ckt wires and the GFI ckt board is not happy and causes it to trip.

a ferrite ring may help with #2, but not #1.
 
bclumen said:
On site now and reading 12mA on ground...hmmm

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I suppose you can hope that at least 7ma of it is in the wiring and the rest of the system and not in the pump and controller.
I do not know of any true GFCI that can be set up to ignore 12ma of actual leakage.

And a product with that much leakage would seem to be unable to pass UL testing.

If the pool equipotential grid is tied to the pump bonding terminal there could be a number of other sources for that current.

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All breakers off I get 12ma when i clamp the ground. With the pumps on it fluctuates but never higher than 15.
I can't measure the difference in mA on both phases but I can say that I've been here for an 1.5hr and it hasn't tripped.

I'm sure it will 20min after I leave.


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So here's what's connected to this panel.

* 1.5hp single speed Pentair whisperflow filter circ. pump on a 240v, Siemens GFCI.
* .75hp Polaris cleaner pump (Century motor) on a 240v Siemens GFCI
* Pentair Intelliflo 2VST pump, P/N 011055 on a 240v Pentair GFCI
* 3 led pool lights on a Intermatic px300 pool of transformer.
* Raypak gas heater. Ignition on 240v cb with filter pump
* Auto pilot salt system on 240v cb with filter pump.

11.5 - 12mA with all circuit breakers off
13.75 - 15mA with just the VS pump
15 - 16.75mA with the VS pump and filter circ pump
16 - 18.5 mA with all 3 pumps







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bclumen said:
So here's what's connected to this panel.

* 1.5hp single speed Pentair whisperflow filter circ. pump on a 240v, Siemens GFCI.
* .75hp Polaris cleaner pump (Century motor) on a 240v Siemens GFCI
* Pentair Intelliflo 2VST pump, P/N 011055 on a 240v Pentair GFCI
* 3 led pool lights on a Intermatic px300 pool of transformer.
* Raypak gas heater. Ignition on 240v cb with filter pump
* Auto pilot salt system on 240v cb with filter pump.

11.5 - 12mA with all circuit breakers off
13.75 - 15mA with just the VS pump
15 - 16.75mA with the VS pump and filter circ pump
16 - 18.5 mA with all 3 pumps
Click to expand...

doesnt seem right if all you get is an occasional gfi trip.

the breaker breaks the hots, is there still mA on the N wire too? the 12mA could be making its way back to earth that is at main panel. are there any ground rods near the pool? or that 12mA is using egc and N to make the loop. does the 12mA stop if you lift the N from sub?

was that AC or DC mA ? if DC in what direction?
egc bonded to pool water will create a gradient as the pool is like a battery.
 
No neutral wire to the pump.
Not on site now to take any more readings but will be Tuesday.
No ground rods driven but pool and equip is thoroughly bonded with large concrete patio with rebar on 3 sides of pool.
AC mA

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bclumen said:
On site now and reading 12mA on ground...hmmm

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That can easily be stray current from nothing related to your pump circuit, could even be coming from the service grounded conductor and finding a path through your pool's equipotential bonding.
 
That's what I figured. The added mA from each pump operating was clear though. I just don't think the meter, at 4 readings a second, will pick up a spike as fast as a breaker will.

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I just completed a install of a 230V pentair vs pump and this thread had me seriously worried I'd be tripping the GFI.

I ended up having to install a boost transformer to get from 208v to 232v. Could this have anything to do with why the QO gfi installed has (knock on wood) is working without issue?
 
did the Pentair folks come for a visit? what did they find?
 
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