I have a Pentair VSF and just purchased a PA220GF GFCI. The Pentair pump has two hots and a ground. The GFCI has three lugs for Load / Load/ Neutral. I hooked the white wire attached to the GFCI to the neutral Bus in the panel and I hooked the green from the pump ground to the ground in the panel and I hooked load 1 and load 2 to the GFCI. My question is what does the neutral lug on the GFCI breaker hook to. I've never seen a neutral on 220V
Pentair VSF Wiring GFCI
- Thread starter byu2beach
- Start date
Welcome 
The neutral is for the GFI to activate. You have it wired correctly.
Some devices have a both 220v and 110v needs so a neutral will also need to be run. That neutral would connect to the neutral lug on the breaker.
The neutral is for the GFI to activate. You have it wired correctly.
Some devices have a both 220v and 110v needs so a neutral will also need to be run. That neutral would connect to the neutral lug on the breaker.
So the GFCI is going to read leakage on the two hots and use the neutral to trip? Is that how it works?
There is a current coil inside the breaker that all current carrying conductors of electricity must pass through. A discrepancy greater than 5ma - like if the current went through your body, water, metal etc. - will be enough to trip the breaker. The line side neutral allows the electronics in the breaker to work
CJadamec
TFP Expert
The breaker from Pentair is a re-branded Siemens breaker. It is just a standard dual pole GFCI breaker.
The breaker will work in both 3 and 4 wire 220v applications. For your pump you have it wired correctly and you don't need to use the neutral lug on the breaker. The pigtail on the breaker should always be connected to the neutral bus even if the neutral lug on the breaker isn't connected.
The breaker will work in both 3 and 4 wire 220v applications. For your pump you have it wired correctly and you don't need to use the neutral lug on the breaker. The pigtail on the breaker should always be connected to the neutral bus even if the neutral lug on the breaker isn't connected.
I bought a ge 20 amp 220v. Gfci breaker for my new intelliflo and it keeps tripping the gfci. Is there a special breaker for the pumps? This post just confirmed my question on what to do with the neutral connection on the breaker. So I had it wired right. If they breakers are the same, any other things that I should check.
Ron,
Pentair sells a special breaker for the IntelliFlo, P/N PA220GF GFCI... It is manufactured by Siemens... It may or may not be identical to the one Siemens sells on the open market...
But.. In several places where I worked over the past 30 years, we would have the manufacturer "cherry pic" components from their normal production line, that fit our specific technical requirements. They would then rebrand them with our P/N... I have seen this done for thousands of different parts...
I have no way to know if this is being done with Pentair's GFCI or not, but I do know that my pool builder is one of the cheapest people alive and he went to the expense of installing the Pentair GFCI... My gut says he would not have done this if he did not believe that it was necessary...
Another thing to look at is that the Pump is supposed to be the ONLY thing powered by the PUMP's GFCI breaker... Many installers use this same GFCI to power other things... In most cases this is not an issue, but in some cases it is.. All it takes is a little noise from a relay to back-feed into the GFCI to pop it...
Thanks for posting,
Jim R.
- - - Updated - - -
If your GFCI is popping all the time, then the breaker is most likely not the issue... I'm talking about odd, random and intermittent trips or false trips...
Pentair sells a special breaker for the IntelliFlo, P/N PA220GF GFCI... It is manufactured by Siemens... It may or may not be identical to the one Siemens sells on the open market...
But.. In several places where I worked over the past 30 years, we would have the manufacturer "cherry pic" components from their normal production line, that fit our specific technical requirements. They would then rebrand them with our P/N... I have seen this done for thousands of different parts...
I have no way to know if this is being done with Pentair's GFCI or not, but I do know that my pool builder is one of the cheapest people alive and he went to the expense of installing the Pentair GFCI... My gut says he would not have done this if he did not believe that it was necessary...
Another thing to look at is that the Pump is supposed to be the ONLY thing powered by the PUMP's GFCI breaker... Many installers use this same GFCI to power other things... In most cases this is not an issue, but in some cases it is.. All it takes is a little noise from a relay to back-feed into the GFCI to pop it...
Thanks for posting,
Jim R.
- - - Updated - - -
If your GFCI is popping all the time, then the breaker is most likely not the issue... I'm talking about odd, random and intermittent trips or false trips...
Thank you for any advise
i may have to order the other breaker after I confirm that it will work with my sub panel
I have the breaker in a sub panel in the garage, black and red wires to a double pole double throw switch near the pump and then to the pump. Green runs from the breaker to the pump after connecting to the ground for the solar conteroller (0n a separate breaker)
the curly white wire is going to the neutral bus
no other white wire attached to the breaker
i may have to order the other breaker after I confirm that it will work with my sub panel
I have the breaker in a sub panel in the garage, black and red wires to a double pole double throw switch near the pump and then to the pump. Green runs from the breaker to the pump after connecting to the ground for the solar conteroller (0n a separate breaker)
the curly white wire is going to the neutral bus
no other white wire attached to the breaker
Ron,
Is anything being powered off the GFCI other than the pump?
I assume the switch is normally left in the on position.. and you only use the switch when you want to do maintenance on the pump...
All the installations that I am familiar with have the GFCI right at the equipment pad, but not sure what difference, if any, that would make...
Jim R.
Is anything being powered off the GFCI other than the pump?
I assume the switch is normally left in the on position.. and you only use the switch when you want to do maintenance on the pump...
All the installations that I am familiar with have the GFCI right at the equipment pad, but not sure what difference, if any, that would make...
Jim R.
The wires are straight from the breaker to the switch to the pump no other splits except for the ground
Update
ordered the pentair breaker and installed in the GE sub panel
did not change anything else,
everthing seems to be good now
ordered the pentair breaker and installed in the GE sub panel
did not change anything else,
everthing seems to be good now