Spa GFCI breaker keeps failing...

[vicchan]

Hi everyone,
I have a 3 year old pool and spa controlled by Haywards Omnilogic panel. The spa has a 240v, 1.5HP, Jandy blower connected to 20-amp GFCI breaker. A few months ago, the blower started acting up - it would run for a few seconds and shut down. I replaced the blower, but it also stopped after about 30 seconds. Did a ton of rouble shooting (water in the line, obstructions, air holes in the pipe, thermal limiter switch etc). I then replaced the breaker (Sqaure D 20-amp dual pole, GFCI). Not a cheap replacement. That worked fine for about 3-4 weeks and now the same issue has returned. The breaker doesn't trip, the blower motor just stops spinning.

Does anyone have any ideas on what might be causing it? Would a 30 amp GFCI breaker help? My neighbor suggested using a non-GFCI breaker, any thoughts on that?
Thank you.

 

[danpik]

I would start by checking voltage at the motor connections when it stops spinning. It may be something bad in the motor that opens the circuit when it gets hot.

A 30 amp breaker is not advisable due to the fact that your wiring is sized for the 20 amp breaker you have installed.

What do you have to do to get the motor running again????? This may help us locate the problem.

As for no GFCI,..... no way, They are there for a reason.

Dan

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

If the GFCI is not tripping, then the 240V is still getting to the blower (most likely). Cheating and putting in a non-GFCI breaker won't help. I also agree that putting a bigger breaker on isn't a good idea. It could be dangerous.

If you are confident working around 240V, then put a multimeter on the output of the breaker and the input of the blower motor. If power is getting to the blower, then the problem isn't at the panel.

 

[CPS Reno]

We've had issues like this with blowers in the past. In our case, the blower wasn't big enough and didn't move enough air with enough power to "clear" the plumbing to the spa. When this happens, the blower CAN over amp/over temp itself and shut down without tripping the breaker. We've seen this 3 times and every time it was fixed with a bigger/better blower. Just FYI.

 

[vicchan]

I would start by checking voltage at the motor connections when it stops spinning. It may be something bad in the motor that opens the circuit when it gets hot.

A 30 amp breaker is not advisable due to the fact that your wiring is sized for the 20 amp breaker you have installed.

What do you have to do to get the motor running again????? This may help us locate the problem.

As for no GFCI,..... no way, They are there for a reason.

Dan

Thanks Dan. When I connect the motor to a 240v outlet, it runs flawlessly. To restart, I basically have to turn off the blower and turn it on again from the app or control panel. It runs for a few seconds and shuts off.

 

[vicchan]

We've had issues like this with blowers in the past. In our case, the blower wasn't big enough and didn't move enough air with enough power to "clear" the plumbing to the spa. When this happens, the blower CAN over amp/over temp itself and shut down without tripping the breaker. We've seen this 3 times and every time it was fixed with a bigger/better blower. Just FYI.

Thanks Randy. I currently have a 1.5HP blower, 6 jets, the distance between the blower and spa is about 65 feet. How many HP would you recommend? The builder says I need 0.25HP per jet, and the 1.5 is ideal.

 

[CPS Reno]

We do WAY more jets in our spas and the 1.5HP is never big enough. With 6 though, that may work. At this point, I'd say you should do as the other's are saying, you need to know if there is still 240V at the fan motor leads after it quits. Your automation will have a relay as well and that could be shutting the blower off. You need to troubleshoot a little to tell what's going on.