Bad Transformer?

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T

tloomos

Gold Supporter
Nov 15, 2022
58
Dallas, TX
Pool Size
11000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Jandy Aquapure 1400
I had what I thought was going to be a small project this weekend to change out the junction box, GFCI and switch that feeds my pool equipment. It wasn't properly sealed and got water damage (rust). I've done a good amount of electrical work in the past so this seemed like a pretty simple project. Got everything back together and when I went to test, as soon as I flip the switch for the pool equipment, it pops the GFCI.

The controller is a Jandy Aqualink RS. The switch is a double pole for the 220V power that goes to 3 relays (Filter pump, water feature, blower). One leg of this splits off to feed the transformer that powers the controller.

I've narrowed it down to the transformer I think - if I remove the hot connection to the transformer, but leave everything else wired up, it doesn't trip. I've compared the new wiring to pics I took before changing anything and it looks like I have everything connected exactly the same way it was before. I haven't pulled the transformer out to test it yet, but that seems to be the culprit. It seems really odd that the transformer would suddenly go bad when everything was working fine before swapping the GFCI & switch.

Any ideas of anything else I should test or check besides pulling the transformer and testing it? I was thinking I'd pull the transformer, connect a plug to it so I can plug it into a GFCI outlet to see if it pops, and if not, use my tester to see if it's putting out 24V, is that the right way to test it?

If I do need a transformer, it may take a few days to get one, and I really don't want to leave my filter pump off that whole time. Can I wire my pump (Jandy VSPHP270AUT) directly to the switch to control it manually for a few days? Since it's a variable speed pump, how would it know what speed to run at? Or can that pump only be used with the controller?
 
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Are you sure you have the neutrals properly connected for the GFCI CB.

Why are you powering the Aqualink panel through a GFCI CB?

I think you have a neutral misfired for the GFCI.

Show us pics of all the wiring that we can follow the wires.
 
T,

If you have a standard 220 volt breaker, it is not an issue when you use one phase to power a separate 120 volt circuit.

But.. When you have a 220 Volt GFCI breaker, you can't 'steal' a phase to power a 120 volt circuit unless the neutral for the that circuit is returned to the neutral connection on the 220 volt GFCI breaker.

I agree with Allen that your circuit is just mis-wired and I doubt that your transformer is actually bad.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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I can't get a picture til tomorrow, but here's a diagram showing how it's wired. However, as I was putting this together, I started to question whether I may have put one of the neutral wires on the GFCI in the wrong place.

I know I have the one from the circuit breaker panel connected to the line side. There were 2 white wires going from the GFCI into the control panel - I connected those both to the load side of the GFCI, but I looked back at the "before" pics and I see that one of the white wires going into the panel was connected on the line side. I'm thinking that probably the white wire for the transformer was supposed to be on the line side and I put it on the load side. So essentially, the GFCI should only be protecting the pool lights.

1684644012788.png
 
As drawn/described the control transformer would create an unbalanced load and would cause a gfci trip.
That said, If neutral for the aqualink transformer is coming off of the 20 amp breaker/gfci, the line should also come off of there. Do you really want the controller switched anyhow?
 
Ahultin said:
As drawn/described the control transformer would create an unbalanced load and would cause a gfci trip.
That said, If neutral for the aqualink transformer is coming off of the 20 amp breaker/gfci, the line should also come off of there. Do you really want the controller switched anyhow?
Click to expand...
This is how it was wired by whoever installed it. I've never used the switch before, if I need to cut power I do it at the breaker. I have no idea why it was wired the way it was, but what you're saying makes sense to me. I assume the transformer should get power from the load side of the gfci so it's protected.
 
the control transformer does not need gfci protection (pumps require gfci protection under nec) so you can run to the line side of the gfci outlet so as not to risk nuisance tripping taking down the controller.
 
The black line neutral from the transformer should NOT be connected to the GFCI LOAD side. That is creating the GFCI trip. The neutral should go to the neutral bar on the panel since the hot side is not GFCI.

And as said above the pump CB should be GFCI and thus the transformer neutral should go to the GFCI CB when that is changed.

And the Aqualink transformer should not have switched power.
 
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