Pentair VFD Pool Pump

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Fred B

Fred B

Senior Member
Location
Upstate, NY
Occupation
Electrician
Got a customer that had purchased a new Pentair Pool Pump Motor, NYS has forced all pool pump motors to be VFD. Typically VFD will trip GFCI and hearing reports that others are having tripping issues when the pool pump motor switches to low speed. Anyone aware of a work around or means to provide 240V GFCI to the pool pump that won't be nuisance tripping?
Told Pentair make a pool control panel that uses a special GFCI (not available outside of Pentair panel) that is not tripping, but don't know for fact.
 
Been mentioned before that Siemens GFCI's tend to hold better with these variable pumps than other brands.
Supposedly the Pentair branded GFCI's that come with some their control panels are rebranded Siemens units.
 
Fred B said:
Got a customer that had purchased a new Pentair Pool Pump Motor, NYS has forced all pool pump motors to be VFD. Typically VFD will trip GFCI and hearing reports that others are having tripping issues when the pool pump motor switches to low speed. Anyone aware of a work around or means to provide 240V GFCI to the pool pump that won't be nuisance tripping?
Told Pentair make a pool control panel that uses a special GFCI (not available outside of Pentair panel) that is not tripping, but don't know for fact.
Click to expand...
As far as I know, that is rebranded Siemens GFCI, so it is available outside Pentair panels.
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
As far as I know, that is rebranded Siemens GFCI, so it is available outside Pentair panels.
Click to expand...
Checked with Siemens and it is a rebranded BUT to some specifics criteria so that the Regular Siemens available off shelf doesn't function quite the same and it is proprietary to Pentair. (According to the Siemens Rep.) Also checked with local pool companies and the Pentair product are not available, back ordered.
 
Fred B said:
Checked with Siemens and it is a rebranded BUT to some specifics criteria so that the Regular Siemens available off shelf doesn't function quite the same and it is proprietary to Pentair. (According to the Siemens Rep.) Also checked with local pool companies and the Pentair product are not available, back ordered.
Click to expand...
Wonder why? Prior to the rebranding, Pentair was specifying the use of Siemens GFCIs because they did not trip with their pumps and other brands did.
 
Fred B said:
Checked with Siemens and it is a rebranded BUT to some specifics criteria so that the Regular Siemens available off shelf doesn't function quite the same and it is proprietary to Pentair. (According to the Siemens Rep.) Also checked with local pool companies and the Pentair product are not available, back ordered.
Click to expand...

At this point, you might as well try the standard Siemens breaker. Nothing to lose.
 
Fred B said:
Checked with Siemens and it is a rebranded BUT to some specifics criteria so that the Regular Siemens available off shelf doesn't function quite the same and it is proprietary to Pentair. (According to the Siemens Rep.)
Click to expand...
That might be what Siemens is instructing their people to say, as part of their brand-label deal with Pentair. That kind of deal is not uncommon. When I was at Siemens, we got memos like that when someone had struck a big juicy national agreement. We had a similar deal with Dover Elevator, who brand labeled Siemens / Furnas NEMA starters as Dover brand, we were supposed to say they were different. They were not.

For the OP: you might want to check this out, especially at the end,,,

Pentair VSF pool pump trips GFI (continued)

It actually does...some of the GFCI devices trip at a level below 4mA when they see high frequency leakage current. The members of the technical committee for UL 943 are working a proposal that, if passed and published, will require GFCIs to have some immunity to high frequency current. I...
forums.mikeholt.com
 
Fred B said:
Got a customer that had purchased a new Pentair Pool Pump Motor, NYS has forced all pool pump motors to be VFD. Typically VFD will trip GFCI and hearing reports that others are having tripping issues when the pool pump motor switches to low speed. Anyone aware of a work around or means to provide 240V GFCI to the pool pump that won't be nuisance tripping?
Told Pentair make a pool control panel that uses a special GFCI (not available outside of Pentair panel) that is not tripping, but don't know for fact.
Click to expand...
Department of Energy required in July of 2019 nationwide that all new pool pumps larger than 1 HP must be VS. Pentair has had ongoing problems with this. Have the customer return the pump and get a Jandy. :cool:I have no issues with them. Been a dealer for 37 years.
 
Mystic Pools said:
Department of Energy required in July of 2019 nationwide that all new pool pumps larger than 1 HP must be VS. Pentair has had ongoing problems with this. Have the customer return the pump and get a Jandy. :cool:I have no issues with them. Been a dealer for 37 years.
Click to expand...
Many types and brands of equipment that have been forced to go to power conversion equipment to save energy have issues with GFCIs tripping. In many cases it is because power conversion equipment can produce high frequency leakage current that can cause some GFCIs to trip, even when the leakage current is less than 4 mA.
 
I highly doubt there is any difference between the Siemens and Pentair branded breakers.

I’ve been using Siemens brand GFCI’s for maybe 3-4 years now with zero trip issues.


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