Pump question GFI Tripping

[LJT]

New topic created. Please ask new questions in your own thread instead of on someone else's.

Thank you, Patrick (AKA Brushpup)

Hi, I am unsure if doing this correctly. We installed a new Hayward pro series sand filter and every time we plug in the pump the GFI trips. The first we turned it on I had mixed up the waste and return lines which I have now corrected. I still can not get electricity to stay on. The instructions say there is an air relief valve that is suppose to be open, that I can not find. Any help greatly appreciated, as two ducks have decided the pool is a pond!

 

[danpik]

Sounds like something is messed up in the wiring on the motor. If you plug anything else into the GFCI does it trip?

 

[JasonLion]

The air relief valve is usually at the top of the filter. Filters with the multi-port valve directly on top of the filter don't have air relief valves.

 

[PridgNYC]

Could be a bad gfci outlet as well. I had this problem with one of my outlets in the kitchen. The outlet would trip whenever I turned on the toaster oven, worked fine in other outlets, replaced the gfci outlet and all is good.

 

[LJT]

No everything else will stay onanistic not trip the gfi

 

[LJT]

My valve. Is on the top, it would be nice if that was clear in the directions that came with the filter. Thank you for the clarification.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm puzzled, the pump and outlet both will turn on briefly but then the GFI will pop

 

[PridgNYC]

Standard gfci outlets will trip at around 15amp draw whether or not there is a ground fault. Older outlets tend to degrade and trip at lower amperage. You can get professional grade gfci outlets that can go up to 20 amps. What pump do you have? What is the rated amperage draw for the pump? Keep in mind, your circuit will need to support higher than that due to the initial surge current required to start the pump.

 

[LJT]

We have an older power pack II from dough boy. That we have used in the same outlet. We just replaced our sand flter that cracked over the winter, with a hayward 18 in s180t. When we hooked up the new filter we somehow miss read the little picture and mixed up the waste and return. We quickly realized something was wrong but not before the GFI popped. Now everything starts but won't stay on. Don't know if we shorted the pmp, or the outlet? I have read and retread and hoses are all correct.

 

[JasonLion]

Mixing up the ports on the filter would not have done anything to the pump or GFCI unless they got water strayed on them. If you did spray water on the electrical equipment, it won't work until they dry out. Otherwise the two problems are unrelated.

 

[danpik]

Standard gfci outlets will trip at around 15amp draw whether or not there is a ground fault.

Do you have verifiable documentation to back up this statement? GFCI's do not contain overcurrent protection

Older outlets tend to degrade and trip at lower amperage.

The trip threshold of GFCI's is approx. 5mA. Official trip threshold specs are required to be 4-6mA to be UL listed. The internal working charactaristics of a GFCI do not degrade over time.

You can get professional grade gfci outlets that can go up to 20 amps. What pump do you have? What is the rated amperage draw for the pump? Keep in mind, your circuit will need to support higher than that due to the initial surge current required to start the pump.

The circuit breaker has the proper "slow-blow" characteristics needed for short term overcurrent events such as a motor starting. A GFCI does not worry about these events as it's only function is to monitor incoming and outgoing current flow and compare them. If there is a difference of more than the trip threshold (~5mA) it will shut off the circuit. The only way a high current event can trip a GFCI is if there is an insulation degradation problem that is allowing a current leak at the high current flow.