Electrical - Trips GFCI as soon as plugged in

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Jun 26, 2016
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NY
Hey everyone, this forum was a huge help last year. I was hoping my opening would go much more smoothly this year but....
I'm having some electrical issues. Last year the pump would occasionally trip the GFCI outlet, but I figured it was moisture related. Going to open the pool today and the issues appear deeper. The plug and outlet both looked a little rough, so I replaced both. The problem is persisting however, the outlet is still tripped immediately on either power on or plugging in.

It rained hard yesterday but the pump pad is dry, and outlet is completely dry.


Any ideas?

Some photos below:
Shared album - Will Gunther - Google Photos
Shared album - Will Gunther - Google Photos
Shared album - Will Gunther - Google Photos
 
Are you sure you installed your GFI correctly or when you replaced outlet and plug did not reverse a wire? Do you have something else to plug into GFI? I assume it is a 220 line and you may not have any other 220 appliance to plug in, but improper installation of GFI is a common reason they trip.
 
I'll double check my work. I'm almost certain it is installed correctly.

The outlet is a 120, and the pump is wired to run on 120.

The problem was occurring before I replaced the outlet as well.
 
Try plugging something else in and see if it trips the outlet. If it does you need to check the wiring if not you may need to either have the motor rebuilt or replaced. I have bought brand new GFCI outlets that are bad so that is possible.
 
Outlet worked fine with my flood light.
Pump appears to be toast, tried it again and it hummed this time before tripping the breaker inside.

With the corrosion in the case is a rebuild worth the 125-150? Or should I just pick up a new one for 350ish?

Should I be considering other brands or models? I have a hayward 4820 DE filter.
 
If you take it to a motor refurb place, they will clean it up and make it look new
as part of the job...that's what I would do. (maybe ask them to make sure. The places around my area do the cleanup)

It could also be it just needs a new capacitor. those don't cost much
and you can replace it yourself...maybe try that first?

Those are really good pump motors in my opinion. I have one now.

I'm fairly certain though that the motor needs to be hard wired
to meet electrical code safety requirements. I could be wrong,
but just saying so as you can never be too safe on electrical stuff.
 

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I remember, a thread on this site, where you can turn the shaft of the motor to "unstick it", wish I remembered more, sorry but worth a search. Also, make sure nothing stuck in pump, may be a relative easy and free fix. No electrical expert. Just a thought.
 
Hey thanks for the tip. Was just out back trying that. I was able to get it to rotate but it did not turn easily. Not sure what is expected.

Pretty sure the capacitor is toast, I think most of the corrosion is from the capacitors fluid leaking out. The capacitor would also not spark when I laid a screwdriver across it. I can't find my multimeter to test it, but I just ordered a new capacitor - they are cheap enough that its worth a shot.

I'll follow up with results.
 
If it sticks in one or more specific spot while your rotating it there is a very good chance a bearing is bad and it needs to be rebuilt. With the motor out of the pump housing it should spin freely.

While your waiting you could start adding chlorine to the pool and brushing it to mix it in. Test the water and get started!
 
Also, now that you checked the outlet you can check the wiring going to the pump. Disconnect the wires from the pump, cover them with tape or wingnuts, then turn power back on (or plug in). That will confirm if its the pump or not. You making sure the wiring itself isn't compromised.
 

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