Pool Light Tripping GFCI

Jump to latest Follow Reply
B

breweb01

0
Aug 22, 2011
27
Frisco, TX
Need some help with my pool light that is tripping the GFCI.

Pool light and spa light are on the same GFCI only trips when the pool light is on and it trips immediately. Rules out possible GFCI Issue.
Water in Light about half full. Replaced gasket looks good. Still Trips.
Discounted light at box the GFCI does NOT trip, believe this tells me it is most likely the light or the wire connected to the light.
Cleaned connections and reconnected. Still trips.
Let the light sit out overnight to dry. Still trips the GFCI.

Any other thoughts or do I need a new light. Is replacing the light a DIY?

Thanks
 
Your reasoning is sound but not 100% guaranteed. There can be weird GFCI issues that violate intuition. Your guess that it is the light fixture and/or cable is by far the most likely possibility, but you can't 100% rule out a bad GFCI. Personally, I would try a new GFCI, even though it is likely to be a waste of time, because trying a new one is easy and inexpensive and if the new one also trips you still have the old one as a spare.

Replacing a light is normally a reasonable DIY project, but there are occasionally issues that can make it more complex. To replace the fixture you need to locate the junction box, should be above ground somewhere fairly near the light, disconnect the light cable, attach a snake or string to the cable, pull it out of the conduit from the light end, attach the new cable to the snake/string, pull the new cable through to the junction box, and hook everything back up. The risk comes if your conduit is collapsed, jamming the cable, or if someone has epoxied the back of the light niche to stop a leak. If either of those come up it can be a far more complex job.
 
CUTiger78 said:
If you're replacing the light, could you cut off the light and attach/splice the new cable to the old cable as you pull the old cable out?
Click to expand...
No, that is a bad idea. The splice would be underwater and eventually, or most likely sooner, leak current into the water.
 
JasonLion said:
CUTiger78 said:
If you're replacing the light, could you cut off the light and attach/splice the new cable to the old cable as you pull the old cable out?
Click to expand...
No, that is a bad idea. The splice would be underwater and eventually, or most likely sooner, leak current into the water.
Click to expand...

I think CUTiger meant to pull the new cable when pulling out the old one by temporarily attaching them to each other.
 
Ah, that could work. If you cut the old cable off at the niche and connect the new cable to the cut end, you can pull the new cable through by pulling the old one out from the junction box end. The fairly minor disadvantage is that if the conduit has collapsed, you will have a useless cut cable stuck in there instead of whatever small chance there is of repairing the old fixture.
 
How do the connections look in the junction box?

Have you tried a known good lightbulb in the socket with it out of the water and the glass off?

Does it trip when you turn it on without a lamp in it?

I'd try to replace the gfci first. Then the switch. Make sure all connections are good, I'd probably put new wire nuts on just to make sure those are good.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
My light fixture, without the light in it, trips the GFI. Does this mean that the fixture is bad and needs replacement? If so, where's the best place to buy a replace fixutre and wire?
 
I have let it dry, and it indeed does not trip the GFCI any longer. Not sure what this means?

Historically, the light was working when I installed it in the pool about 3 weeks ago. It came on for two nights then tripped the circuit. When i removed it from the pool there was no visible moisture inside. I took it apart and found some condensation, but not much. It has set out in the Arizona sun for about 5 days now, and the fixture no longer trips the GFCI. Would this mean that there is still some level of moisture getting in, possibly around the power cord?

Any help?
 
If it is a standard white light, I would replace the bulb and gasket as this is the cheapest fix for now. Most likely the gasket developed a small leak and the moisture inside the light was causing the GFCI to trip. The cord could be bad but that would require a complete new light and will be more expensive than replacing the bulb and gasket.
 
Ok, so I have a Hayward Colorlogic 4.0 that went bad. They sent me a new one and it doesn't work either. The new one keeps tripping the GFCI breaker (the old one didn't). How can I test the GFCI? Would I be able to simply connect the hot line directly to the neutral line to bypass the light? If a GFCI is supposed to trip when the voltage is different on the hot line and the neutral line, then this should work, should it not?
 
GFCI's are tested by pressing the test button, if the GFCI trips when the button is pressed it's working. To check if the light is causing the GFCI to trip because the fixture is leaking electricity, after you turn off the power so you don't get shocked, you can disconnect the fixture at the deck box. But likely if the new unit is tripping after you had the fixture open, then the gasket isn't completely sealed and moisture is getting into the interior of the fixture. I'd suggest bringing the fixture up out of the water, taking the lens off and leaving it open to dry and reassembling it with a new gasket.
 
Thanks dtlight. Actually, it's an LED fixture that is sealed at the factory. So, if the gasket is letting moisture in, then I guess I need another replacement light. Ugh, I'm not very impressed with Hayward's quality. But at least they are taking care of me by sending out replacement lights very quickly...
 
Most likely the GFCI is functioning properly but they do fail on a rare occasions. Before you go to the trouble of replacing the GFCI, do the following steps.

1. Turn off all the pool equipment and remove power from the control panel box.
2. Remove the high voltage cover plate from within the control panel box and examine the wires leading into the GFCI.
3. Look for stray wires, uncovered wires or bare wires touching other wires.
4. Sometimes low voltage wires get too close to the 120/240 Volt power strips. Carefully remove any low voltage wires that have drifted within 2 inches of the power strips. The induced current can trip the GFCI, ##WARNING## Treat the power strip as if it were HOT. If you followed step 1 it shouldn't be but safety is free insurance.
5. Look for wires that are too close to exposed mounting screws. Sometimes insulation can be rubbed thin by vibrations of the house/box and this may cause the GFCI to trip. (These GFCI's are sensitive to unusual current)

Good Luck
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply