Pentair GFCI Load Center Breakers

[thomasjwhalen]

I have a breaker sub panel behind an outdoor kitchen that comes from the house main breaker panel. The sub panel had a double 60Amp GFCI that feeds a Pentair Load Center in the pool pump room. The double 60 GFCI would trip every couple of weeks then now daily. My plan was to place a normal double 60 in the sub panel and put GFCI breakers for each component in the Pentair Load center. I have 2 Pentair 3hp intelliflo pumps each with a double 20 amp (pool filter and the other for a waterfall into the pool), pool lights 20amp, waterfall lights 20 amp, heater 20 amp. Everything 6 years old, except new pool pump.
I replaced the sub panel double 60 GFCI with a standard trip and the Pentair load center with GFCI breakers. The 2 pump double 20 GFCI work fine but the single 20amp GFCIs to the lights and heater immediately trip. The sub panel has line 1, line 2, neutral and ground coming from the main house panel. I put line 1&2 to the breaker and the neutral to the neutral bar and left the ground on the ground bar.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Any advice appreciated.
Thank you

 

[thomasjwhalen]

As noted in the picture, I put the single 20amp standard breakers back in and left turned off for now.

 

[fishbait]

I believe the neutral from the gfci breaker goes to the neutral bar and the neutral from the light goeas to the neutral lug on the gfci breaker. Hot from light goeas to hot lug on gfci breaker. Assuming light is 120v? If light is 12v, then neutral from transformer for light goes to gfci breaker neutral lug and hot from light goes to transformer secondary 12v side.

 

[RLP]

It could be that the 60 amp gfi was just doing its job. Thats the problem when the entire panel is protected with a gfi breaker. You may have narrowed it down to the circuits that are still tripping.

are you certain that the overcurrent protection on all of the 120v circuits is 20 amps? Its odd that there are no 15 amp circuits at all.

14 ga wire typically requires 15 amp, 12 ga wire= 20 amp. But you have to take into consideration the rating on the devices as well.

 

[ajw22]

In the EasyTouch Load Center pic above I see two 240V GFCI breakers on top of three non-GFCI 20 amp 120V breakers.

Which breaker is your heater and light connected to?

Which breaker is tripping?

 

[ajw22]

14 ga wire typically requires 15 amp, 12 ga wire= 20 amp. But you have to take into consideration the rating on the devices as well.

Breakers are to protect the wires, not the devices, from causing fires.

14ga wires should never be used with a 20 amp circuit.

 

[Ahultin]

Gfci breaker 1 is double stabbed which is wrong, looks like the swg transformer is going to it with the pump wires. Breaker 1 should go to relay 1 line side, circ pump wires to line 1 and line 2 of relay 1(circ pump) swg transformer to load 1 and load 2 of relay 1.

Looks like the lights are 120 but wired with line and neutral to the relay. Wire gfci breaker to line 1 of relay. Neutral from gfci breaker to the neutral bar, neutral of lights to gfci breaker load neutral

Same with heater, looks like its wired 120v but the neutral lands on the relay then to the neutral bar and it should have gone to gfci breaker neutral load.

 

[thomasjwhalen]

The 3 lower single 20 amp breakers are pool lights, waterfall lights and the heater, all three trip when trying to turn on with GFCI breakers installed. The salt cell was wired into the water fall pump instead of the pool filter pump. The control panel transformer was wired into the pool lights breaker.

 

[Ahultin]

The salt cell was wired into the water fall pump instead of the pool filter pump

This should be wired into the load side of the pump relay so that the swg will only run when the circ pump is running

The control panel transformer was wired into the pool lights breaker.

Since you have room, and the extra non gfci breakers, put this on it's own non gfci breaker.

The 3 lower single 20 amp breakers are pool lights, waterfall lights and the heater

Install them one at a time to isolate the issue. Make sure the neutral to each is landed on the load neutral on the gfci breaker, not thru the relays
120v lights or 12v lights on transformers ?

 

[ajw22]

You don’t switch neutrals through relays.

 

[thomasjwhalen]

Gfci breaker 1 is double stabbed which is wrong, looks like the swg transformer is going to it with the pump wires. Breaker 1 should go to relay 1 line side, circ pump wires to line 1 and line 2 of relay 1(circ pump) swg transformer to load 1 and load 2 of relay 1.

Looks like the lights are 120 but wired with line and neutral to the relay. Wire gfci breaker to line 1 of relay. Neutral from gfci breaker to the neutral bar, neutral of lights to gfci breaker load neutral

Same with heater, looks like its wired 120v but the neutral lands on the relay then to the neutral bar and it should have gone to gfci breaker neutral load.

My control panel transformer fried. I should have a new transformer tomorrow. I wired the pool pump and salt cell directly to the 1st breaker to keep things going. The salt cell was wired to the pump 2 (waterfall) relay load side. I will move to the pool pump relay when I install the transformer.
I left the 2 light circuits going to the light relays and just not using.

My 2 pump and heater GFCIs are working now.
Will install the GFCI breakers to the lights.

Thank you
Tom

 

[thomasjwhalen]

This should be wired into the load side of the pump relay so that the swg will only run when the circ pump is running

Since you have room, and the extra non gfci breakers, put this on it's own non gfci breaker.

Install them one at a time to isolate the issue. Make sure the neutral to each is landed on the load neutral on the gfci breaker, not thru the relays
120v lights or 12v lights on transformers ?

The lights are 120v in the load center going to separate transformer boxes. Probably dropping down to 12v, I'll have to verify.
Thank you

 

[thomasjwhalen]

I have both pumps, all lights and heater on the new GFCI breakers and all good so far.
Planning to put the panel on its own 15 amp when I get the new transformer.
Thank you for your help