Pool light trips GFCI outlet

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biotron2000

Member
Apr 9, 2022
20
Bakersfield, CA
Pool Size
22000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hello!
I'm trying to troubleshoot a light issue. It would trip the GFCI outlet immediately after turning on.
I shut off the breaker, checked the wiring in the junction box, and it looked like moisture got in the box.
I cut the ground and binding wires and stripped them to expose clean wire, then I cleaned the connections with a wire brush. (I'll need to find a new gasket for the box, of course). No change. I pulled the light from the pool and opened it up, and found some moisture inside. The gasket mating surface is not clean, looks like old gasket material so I'll have to clean that off, too.
I let it sit in the sun for a while, and now it turns on, but then it will trip the GFCI after a few minutes. Pretty sure if it was still wet, it would trip immediately.

I noticed the GFCI outlet is 15 amps, but the breaker in the panel is 20. Could that do it?

I'm trying to do everything to get it working before I just put in a new light. I'm going to replace the GFCI outlet, and I'm thinking of pulling new white from the junction box to the outlet.

Thanks for any advice!
Patrick
 
Pat,

Since it is a GFCI trip, the size of the breaker has nothing to do with your problem.

GFCI trips can always be a bad GFCI breaker. To me, it makes sense to replace the breaker first, as it costs a lot less than the light itself. If you do replace the breaker, I would go with a 15 amp breaker.

Sorry, I thought you had a GFCI breaker. I agree that the first thing to do is replace any GFCI outlet first, as they are much less expensive than the light itself.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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My experience with GFCI's is they almost always fail due to water intrusion around the gasket to the junction box and/or the cover to the receptacle (if there is one). Every now and then the receptacle itself fails. I usually open it all up and blow compressed air then it fixes itself plus re-seal the box. If you're a diver a neat trick is to convert and old regulator into a supply for an air hose and trickle air slowly into the box. Dive air is dried so it sucks up moisture like no tomorrow. I'll call a couple other folks in that seem pretty good with electrical, calling @ajw22 , @Newdude . In the meantime can you please post a signature? It really helps our experts be more efficient with their volunteer time. Here's how. Also, can you please let us know the brand and model of light plus the wire size that is supplying the junctions box.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 
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You need to do some troubleshooting.

Disconnect the pool light at the junction box.

Connect a 75 watt light bulb to the junction box as a load and power it on. If it stays on then it rules out the GFCI outlet or the wiring to the junction box.

A 15 amp GFCI outlet on a 20 amp circuit is not recommended but not a source of your problem. When you replace the GFCI outlet get a 20 amp one.

GFCI outlets do wear out and become overly sensitive.

If your circuit to the junction box tests good then replace the GFCI outlet with a 20 amp version and if it still fails put a new pool light in.
 
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I really agree with divide and conquer. You have access at the splice and can see which leg is the fault. If it's towards the pad then the outlet is the likelier culprit, proving no landscaping had been done between A and B.

My switch died which was on the load side of the GFCI controlling the light from the pool panel. I wasted a good amount of time starting at the pool when it was 5 inches from the gfci. Of course I got a new gfci outlet out of the deal. I wasn't taking the new one off once it was proven to not be the issue.
 
In answer to questions above, it's an Amerlite light. Unsure of the model but it has a 500 watt bulb. 14 gauge wire to both switch and outlet.
I left the switch turned on for a few hours by accident. No issues without a bulb installed, so I'm reasonably sure the cable is fine. I bought a new seal so I will install that (lube or no lube?) and replace the GFCI outlet.
 
Sounds like it was the bulb. Another way to dry things is, if you have a shop vac, hook up the hose to the discharge port, so it blows air, in few minutes the air will get quite warm. Just rig it to blow on what you want and let run for a while. That’s how they dry cylinders for fire extinguishers, airpak, and diving cylinders after hydrostatic retesting.
By the way, if that’s 14 gauge wire, it should be protected by a 15 amp breaker, not 20. Might consider replacing it. 20 amp breaker protects 12 gauge wire.
 
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arvil said:
By the way, if that’s 14 gauge wire, it should be protected by a 15 amp breaker, not 20. Might consider replacing it. 20 amp breaker protects 12 gauge wire.
Click to expand...

Good catch.

Or change the breaker to a 15 amp. Lights don’t need more then that.

Wire size needs to match the breaker.
 
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biotron2000 said:
No issues without a bulb installed, so I'm reasonably sure the cable is fine.
Click to expand...
The hot leg is likely ok. But if the nuetral had a ground fault, the unintended ground wouldn't be seen by the GFCI without the bulb installed, and on. It measures the current leaving (hot) and returning (nuetral). If the difference is more than 5 (?) millamps, it trips.

Now we are down to GFCI, bulb or nuetral. The switch gets ruled out not having a neutral, but the wires may be janky behind it depending on its location. Or damp/green and kinda touching the ground all shoved up in the recepticle

The light bulb is probably a standard base bulb and would fit in a shop/work light. Plug it in to your kitchen/bath GFCI to test it, but make it quick. It noramlly has the water cooling the housing around it. Just need to know if it works or blows the other GFCI.
 
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Without a bulb installed and the circuit not carrying current you learned nothing. The GFCI will never trip without a bulb in.
 
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Thanks for all the replies.
I put it all together, and the light ran for over an hour before the GFCI popped. I reset the outlet and the light came back on and stayed on. I still want to replace the outlet but I wanted to test it first.
 
Are you running the pool light with its bulb?

Do you have it submerged in water?

Running pool lights outside of the water for more then a few minutes can overheat and damage them. Pool loghst depend on the water to cool them.
 
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ajw22 said:
Good catch.

Or change the breaker to a 15 amp. Lights don’t need more then that.

Wire size needs to match the breaker.
Click to expand...
Oops! That’s what I meant, change the breaker, not the wire, if the load is less than 15 amps, easier. The problem is that if there’s a minor overdraw of, let’s say 18 or 19 amps on 14 gauge, it could overheat, especially if it’s inside conduit where it can’t blow off heat.
 
I rechecked and the wiring is 12, not 14 gauge. The will teach me to guess!
So, I went through everything and the bulb burned out on me! I thought it was gone when I first pulled it out, due to noise when I shook the bulb, but it still lit, so I thought it was good. Apparently it was dying anyway. I've ordered a 120V LED bulb to replace it. Hoping that solves everything.
 
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Nope. Pulled the fixture out and changed the bulb, nothing. Tried a regular sized bulb, nothing moved the housing around, flickering light.
All voltages in the junction box are good. Wiring is good. Switch is good.
Looks like I have to pull a new light.
Here's what I have to go on:
20220416_081646.jpg
20220418_194542.jpg
20220418_194552.jpg
20220418_194603.jpg

On the inside of the ring it says AMERICAN PRODUCTS CO. NO. HOLLYWOOD CA and AMERLITE
Same thing on the glass. No labels on the housing. It had a 500 watt bulb. Any ideas on a model that will fit?

I really want LED with color changing, but I'm leaning toward a housing with a bulb I can replace instead of an entire fixture that will need to be pulled through the conduit again in a year or two when the colors go out.

Thanks again for all the help thus far!

Patrick

By the way, I disconnected the switch and capped the individual wires with wire nuts, and disconnected the light's wires and capped them individually as well before cutting the fixture off at the housing. I don't want any juice getting into the pool!
 

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