Neutral for Pool Light Switch

[Topfox]

Hey everyone,

Trying to figure out how to get a neutral to my switch location so I can replace my switch with a smart switch. Im looking at the wires and Im a little confused. There was a white wire that looped through conduit that I though was a neutral, so i cut it and spliced in a wire to the switch. When connecting the new switch it trips the GFCI every time I hook up what I though was a neutral, so Im guessing I guessed wrong. Any ideas from the pictures Im uploading? There is a light switch and a cover switch mounted right next to each other. There conduit runs to a junction box, which then runs to another junction box for the lights. The GFCI is coming out of the ground a few feet in front of the light junction box. None of the conduits are labeled. Although the junction box behind the switches conduits goes top to bottom - Cover, Lights, Fuse box. The exist light switch has a red and black wire. The red wire is the hot wire.

Hopefully this is enough information. The white wires with the yellow wire nut is the wire I cut thinking it was a neutral line.

 

[JamesW]

It looks like you have a green ground wire connected to the white neutral connection.

You might want to call an electrician if you're not sure what to do.

 

[ajw22]

The GFCI works by monitoring the balance of current between its black and white wires. By tapping into the neutral wire you created a current imbalance that trips the GFCI. You can’t use a neutral connected to a GFCI the way you did.

 

[Topfox]

In which photo? I dont have any green to white connections.

 

[Topfox]

Ok. So how do I get a neutral to the switch location? Do I have to run a wire from the fuse box?

 

[JamesW]

In the second picture, it looks like there is a green wire connected to the gfci outlet white line in.

 

[Topfox]

In the second picture, it looks like there is a green wire connected to the gfci outlet white line in.

I see what you are talking about. The wire is actually white, but has something like a green stain on it.

 

[ajw22]

I don’t have a complete mental picture of your wiring. Where is the hot wire for your smart switch coming from? You need to match up a neutral that is not being GFCI monitored.

 

[JamesW]

Are you sure that the wire is white?

Is there a green ground wire going to the ground connection?

 

[Topfox]

If you look in the last photo (square junction box) The red wire going into the second conduit on the left is the Hot wire. Not really sure where it is being sourced from beyond that location. It is coming from another conduit that goes into the ground, presumably to the light junction box.

 

[Topfox]

Are you sure that the wire is white?

Is there a green ground wire going to the ground connection?

Yeah, there is a fifth wire going to the ground screw on the outlet. Hard to see in the photo I uploaded.

 

[ajw22]

Does the GFCI outlet then feed the light and that red wire?

I don’t understand if the GFCI outlet is connected with the light circuit. The GFCI outlet has a red wire feed coming out of it.

 

[Topfox]

I don’t have a complete mental picture of your wiring. Where is the hot wire for your smart switch coming from? You need to match up a neutral that is not being GFCI monitored.

The top left conduit has a white wire going to it. This conduit is to the keypad for my automatic cover. Could I potentially splice off that wire, assuming its a neutral.

 

[Topfox]

Does the GFCI outlet then feed the light and that red wire?

I don’t understand if the GFCI outlet is connected with the light circuit. The GFCI outlet has a red wire feed coming out of it.

I assume it is, since when the GFCI trips the hot wire goes cold.

 

[ajw22]

So the GFCI has a red and white wire that powers the light. You have to connect the switch to those wires after the GFCI.

 

[Topfox]

here is another photo from a distance

 

[ajw22]

You have four conduits running into the bottom of the junction box (pic 1) and two into the top. What do each of them lead to?

Same with the conduits in pic 3. Where does each go?

Which conduit contains the wires going to pic 2?

 

[Topfox]

Does that help? Im not really sure where the GFCI wires come out. Part of my confusion.

 

[Topfox]

The one conduit in drawing is the only conduit goinf to the fuse box that isnt the pump which is local to the fuse box.

 

[ajw22]

You have to spend time tracing wires and figuring it out. No way to guess how the electrician wired things.