Need help! Aqualink equipment dead, electrical issue?

[gdavidov]

You are now stuck with the problem of diagnosing which device is causing the breaker trip when many devices are fed by one breaker.

You need to use a process of elimination and disconnect everything you can and then connect then back one at a time.

I would begin with pulling the plugs from all the relay connections to the PCB. Label everything before you disconnect so you know where to reconnect.

If the breaker trips then you will need to start disconnect wires in the Aqualink.

If the breaker does not trip then connect one relay at a time and see which one trips the breaker.

Well I disconnected all relays from the board and the breaker still trips. I also dosconnected the pump load from its relay and still the breaker trips.

So the breaker doesn’t trip after I disconnected the jumper from the back left relay power line to the front left relay line which powers the aqualink and the blower with the heater connected to the line side for some reason. That heater connection seems strange to me. Why isn’t the heater connected to the load side of that relay?

Does this mean something has gone bad on the aqualink?

 

[gdavidov]

I disconnected the aqualink transformer cable from the front left relay and the breaker doesn’t trip anymore.

I disconnected the aqua link board and only reconnected the transformer resulting in a breaker trip. Is it normal for both the transformer’s white (neutral?) and green cable to connect to ground block?

I do not have a neutral cable run from the new gfci 30A breaker out to the pool system on that line.

I’m thinking I have a bad transformer. Does that sound right from this scenario?

I would consider replacing this old aqaualink with the Aqualink upgrade kit if it’s the transformer. But I’d like to be sure I won’t blow a new board transformer before going that route.

Do you think something may have caused the transformer to blow that still exists?

 

[ajw22]

Get a standard 30A CB and put it in instead of the GFCI CB. I think your lack of a neutral to the Aqualink and the transformer neutral wired to ground makes it look like you have an electrical leak.

I think you are getting a GFCI trip and not a short circuit trip on the CB.

The neutral should not be connected to ground wires and energizing the grounds.

 

[gdavidov]

Get a standard 30A CB and put it in instead of the GFCI CB. I think your lack of a neutral to the Aqualink and the transformer neutral wired to ground makes it look like you have an electrical leak.

I think you are getting a GFCI trip and not a short circuit trip on the CB.

The neutral should not be connected to ground wires and energizing the grounds.

Sure enough the aqualink system powered on with everything connected on a non gfci 30A breaker. Well, I’m half way there since I can’t actually turn on the pump yet due to the hard freeze which continues here in Dallas. I drained my equipment and will have to wait until we thaw out to run the new pump and the system.

That leaves me with two questions.

I noticed the aqualink transformer ground is connected to the back of the metal aqualink box and not the ground bar like the rest of the equipment. Could that have caused the gfci breaker to trip on a ground fault? So if I were to move this ground to the ground bar, would the gfci breaker work?

Also, along with that do I have to have a neutral wire at the aqualink in order to us the gfci breaker?

Thanks for all your help everyone!

 

[ajw22]

The GFCI breaker monitors the paths the electrons take in and out of the CB. All electrons need to be accounted for.

On a 240V circuit all electrons flow out one hot wire and in the other.

On a 120V circuit all electrons need to flow out the hot wire and back into the GFCI CB neutral wire connection which you lack.

Your wiring is dumping all the 120V electrons to ground and they are unaccounted for by the GFCI CB.

You need a proper neutral wire run from the GFCI CB to the Aqualink panel and all 120V neutrals connected to it and not the ground bar.

 

[1poolman1]

Sure enough the aqualink system powered on with everything connected on a non gfci 30A breaker. Well, I’m half way there since I can’t actually turn on the pump yet due to the hard freeze which continues here in Dallas. I drained my equipment and will have to wait until we thaw out to run the new pump and the system.

That leaves me with two questions.

I noticed the aqualink transformer ground is connected to the back of the metal aqualink box and not the ground bar like the rest of the equipment. Could that have caused the gfci breaker to trip on a ground fault? So if I were to move this ground to the ground bar, would the gfci breaker work?

Also, along with that do I have to have a neutral wire at the aqualink in order to us the gfci breaker?

Thanks for all your help everyone!

Very dangerous to use the ground circuit as the neutral.

 

[gdavidov]

Very dangerous to use the ground circuit as the neutral.

Yes, unfortunately this is how the system was setup since I moved in 4 years ago. It’s the first time I’ve taken a hard look at the setup since I was replacing my pump motor and ran into issues.

I’m guessing the system will work now with the current non gfci breaker and the transformer neutral at ground like it’s been.

Any recommendations on properly dealing with that aqualink transformer neutral wire?

The pool equipment is about 40 feet away from the main CB panel in the garage. Running a neutral wire from the main CB panel to the equipment will require digging up that line or running a neutral through the buried conduit. Both options sound like a pain to me. Are these the only options?

I’ve also got that other 20A breaker feeding into the aqualink box after a gfci outlet. Plus there is a 20A gfci breaker labeled as Jacuzzi in main panel but I haven’t traced out where that goes exactly. There is another junction box closer to the spa where I think maybe the jacuzzi labeled breaker line goes.

 

[ajw22]

I’ve also got that other 20A breaker feeding into the aqualink box after a gfci outlet.

I am not sure exactly what that means. When you describe a CB you should state both the voltage and amps.

Is that a 20A 120V breaker feeding a GFCI outlet in the Aqualink box?

If so then connect the Aqualink transformer to that circuit at the back of the GFCI outlet LINE screws.

 

[ajw22]

You need to determine if there are any other 120V connections in the Aqualink box that connect to a 240V hot line and neutral connection to ground.

Look at if the heater is wired for 120V or 240V.

If you get all 120V connections off of the Aqualink 240V CB the GFCI CB will work.

 

[gdavidov]

I am not sure exactly what that means. When you describe a CB you should state both the voltage and amps.

Is that a 20A 120V breaker feeding a GFCI outlet in the Aqualink box?

If so then connect the Aqualink transformer to that circuit at the back of the GFCI outlet LINE screws.

I have an additional 20A 120V non gfci breaker line which goes to a GFCI power outlet below the aqualink and then from the outlet into the aqualink. I believe the pool and spa lights are powered off this line in the relays. If you look at the pic, it’s the front left conduit incoming where there is a green, white, and red wire coming in.

I was wondering if somehow I can use that to properly terminate the neutral, maybe back before the gfci outlet connection.

 

[ajw22]

I have an additional 20A 120V non gfci breaker line which goes to a GFCI power outlet below the aqualink and then from the outlet into the aqualink. I believe the pool and spa lights are powered off this line in the relays. If you look at the pic, it’s the front left conduit incoming where there is a green, white, and red wire coming in.

I can see the red wire going up to the LINE side of the second relay.

I cannot see where the white wire goes to.

If you can connect the Aqualink transformer to the red and white wires you can power the Aqualink from that circuit.

I would rather the Aqualink be powered from before the light GFCI so that a light GFCI problem does not shutdown your Aqualink. I don’t know if that front left conduit wire is before or after the GFCI.

I was wondering if somehow I can use that to properly terminate the neutral, maybe back before the gfci outlet connection.

You don’t want to steal the neutral. GFCIs will not work when two different hot wires are connected to one neutral. So you need to connect to the hot wire all loads use for that neutral.

 

[gdavidov]

I can see the red wire going up to the LINE side of the second relay.

I cannot see where the white wire goes to.

If you can connect the Aqualink transformer to the red and white wires you can power the Aqualink from that circuit.

I would rather the Aqualink be powered from before the light GFCI so that a light GFCI problem does not shutdown your Aqualink. I don’t know if that front left conduit wire is before or after the GFCI.



You don’t want to steal the neutral. GFCIs will not work when two different hot wires are connected to one neutral. So you need to connect to the hot wire all loads use for that neutral.

The white wire goes down in the outgoing conduit behind it presumably to the junction box for the lights. The front left conduit wire I believe is after the gfci because when that gfci outlet has tripped in the past it take out the lights and I have to reset it for the lights to work again.

 

[ajw22]

The white wire goes down in the outgoing conduit behind it presumably to the junction box for the lights. The front left conduit wire I believe is after the gfci because when that gfci outlet has tripped in the past it take out the lights and I have to reset it for the lights to work again.

If you cut the red wire and wire nut the two ends with the black transformer wire; then cut the white wire and wire nut the two ends with the transformer white neutral wire it will be safer then what you have now and the 240V 30A GFCI CB should work.

If the light trips it’s GFCI you will lose the Aqualink.

 

[gdavidov]

Update for everyone:

I was going to try and start the pump once we thawed out here in Dallas last week but right before I realized some low pvc pipes hadn’t fully drained and cracked from the hard freeze we had earlier!

Fast forward to today and the pvc pipes plus de filter cracked valve have been changed and the pump comes on now and works!! First time in a month pool is running and first time with the new pump!

For now I’m going to leave the pump and main equipment off the new non gfci breaker with the aqualink neutral to ground. It’s not the best setup but I’d rather have that vs using the gfci outlet to correct the neutral and risking the pump not running if the outlet trips. Let me know if you think thats a bad decision.

Thanks everyone for your help on this! It was super appreciated and helpful! Special thanks to @ajw22 @HermanTX and @generessler!

 

[wireform]

This should be your next step and thanks in advance.
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