pool pump gfi breaker

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jazer

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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...
 
Pretty conclusive that there is leakage to the shell (and probably the pipe if metal and to the water). Replace the pump motor.

Tapatalk!
 
jazer said:
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...
Click to expand...

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?
 
jazer said:
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...
Click to expand...

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

JAP.
 
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....
 
Knuckle Dragger said:
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?
Click to expand...

How could something leaking in the Eqiup Bond have any effect on a Branch Circuit GFCI? :)
 
jazer said:
It trips the breaker as soon as I go from housing to disconnected egc
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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?
 
xformer said:
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?
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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....
 
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?
 
is it a1 20v or a 240v pump and if it is a 240v pump do you have the 2p GFI Wired?
 
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>
 
jap said:
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>
Click to expand...

that would be an error...:eek:hmy::blink:
 
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.
 
jazer said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
jazer said:
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...
Click to expand...

If it is 120 Volt pump supply check and see if the equipment ground is in contact with the neutral terminal.
 
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