Electricity and GFI tripping

[dalejanus]

I have 24'round AG, about 12,000 gallons. The pump is only 2 or 3 years old and is probably 1 hp.

I have an electrical circuit running the perimeter of my back yard with lots of outlets. some have GFI. The main (first)GFI, where the circuit leaves the house, keeps tripping. I replaced it with a high quailty Pass & Seymour GFCI receptacle, but it often trips when the pump is starting, or often times at random intervals. Sometimes it trips on rainy days, sometimes sunny days. some nights. very random.

An electrician friend says electric motors often trip GFI. I know GFIs are supposed to protect us from shocks, faults, etc, but when they fail so often (false positive) they no longer server their purpose. I'm about ready to yank it.

[BigDave]

... I know GFIs are supposed to protect us from shocks, faults, etc, but when they fail so often (false positive) they no longer server their purpose. I'm about ready to yank it.

I'm sure there are places on the internet where you are welcome and encouraged to confess your bad acts like "How I Killed My Kids" above but this site is about pool care.

Does your electrician friend hold a license or work under someone else's?

The great majority of pools are compliant with the last several versions of the National Electrical Code and have GFCI protection. Very few experience the troubles you are.

The GFCI tripping, especially a new one, is a very loud voice telling you something is wrong.

Please hire a licensed electrician with pool experience to correct the problems before someone gets hurt. When GFCIs fail, they often fail closed meaning you have power but no protection.

[Pappy]

I'm going to reinforce what BigDave said. I worked many years in commercial and industrial plant maintenance. If you have installed a high quality GFCI and it is regularly tripping, you have a problem that is NOT the GFCI. You NEED to find your problem and get it corrected BEFORE a person(maybe you) gets electrocuted.

[dalejanus]

My friend is a licensed union industrial electrician, but that's neither here nor there .I have done simple electrical work myself for years, like extending circuits and replacing receptacles, but have hired electricians for more complicated work.

I guess what I am looking for is how to troubleshoot and diagnose. If an electrician can locate the problem, that is worth hiring for.

Hoiwever, it seems to me that trying to find the problem will involve digging up the cable and replacing it whether I hire an electrician or do it myself. The circuit in my yard has an outlet at each corner with an extra one in the middle across the back. So the problem has to be in the receptacles or the wire in between.

Or could the problem be my pump draws more amps at startup than the GFI is rated for? (of course I don't remember the GFI rating)

I hope my little ASCII drawing formats ok

gfi never not gfi gfi rarely
R_______________R_________________R
| |
| pump |
| R not gfi
|
R GFI that keeps tripping
house

[dalejanus]

no, the formatting did not work. Oh well

[Watermom]

Maybe take a picture of your drawing and post the picture instead? (Use Flickr, Picasa, etc.)

[dalejanus]

The picture is not important. I have done more google searching and came up with a few things to try. I will have my electrician friend help me check that I don't have hot and neutral reversed at the pump. He may have a megger (and know how to us it) which is a supposed to be a very useful test device for these situations. I will replace the non GFI receptacle with a new one in case it got corroded . I will replace the one receptacle cover that is worn and not sealing correctly any more. Then I will see how it goes.
I also learned that when the gfi trips, pressing the test button first resets it completely. then press the reset button.