GFCI Breaker Tripping At One Temp But Not Another.

BigJon3475

Okay sparkies work with me here on lingo.


Name possible reasons for GFCI tripping for pool lights @ 93*F but not at 92*F.......


I can provide any info needed just ask.

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mdshunk

Makes perfect sense to me, but I'd like to know what your leakage megohm readings are for the pool light?

MALCO.New.York

Pool Light? 93*F. Are you burlin' chickens or did you mean spa? Or did you mean 93*F air temp????

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BigJon3475

try to better explain tomorrow...not tonight

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BigJon3475

93* air temp +/- 1*

No Megaohm meter yet sorry working on it. I can't really use it effectively where I'm at now so it's hard to justify although I may have access to one of the hand crank models I'll have to check into that......MO meters are worthless without baselines. 20 years later is a little late for baselines.

The best thing I can think of is higher resistance from such a long run of wiring with the higher temps....maybe 1 or two degrees is all it takes if it's at it's maximum @ say 90*.....

I'm an HVAC guy...I know resistance, amperage, voltage and VD......probably enough to get myself killed.....not enough to figure this out.....it doesn't help all of it was redone right before I got here.....with no info as to what they did. I plan on getting it fixed through my electrician or at least get him to see if he can figure it out. Just curious as to some ideas or possibilities.


if it didn't seem to be random times when it is happening or when I'm not there to observe I could at least see whats going on at the breaker. Maybe I have a bad GFCI breaker.....excuse me if my electrical lingo is not on point.

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Bubbles

did you try another gfci breaker and maybe a regular breaker just to test from 92-93F and see what happens? Is it ground fault for sure or something else? Was that pool temp or rectal temp?

mdshunk

What, are you kidding me? A "bad" reading will stand out like a sore thumb, and I fully expect very much that you'll find that your numbers are sorely low. Doesn't take much leakage to equal 5 milliamps, and even if your leakage is only near that, it probably hits 5 from time to time.

BigJon3475

Let me explain as a HVAC guy....we take mega ohm readings of compressors on startup...when graphed over a series of regularly checkup compressor failure can be verified before it happens or at least know when it's out od tolerance.......I wasn't aware you could take MO readings without baselines and still use that info for diagnoses.

Mo readings as I know them indicate small internal short in motor windings. Cant eh same be true for electrical runs....without baselines.



I know I can figure ohms, voltage, amps and determine why it's tiupping. If I was ever there when it happened....I was just trying to get some ideas if it was even possible.


I suppose megaohm readings could tell me if the wire that's there can handle the load.....that much electrical i leave to electricians usually......I wouldn't ask them to fine tune my A/C but I will ask them what they expertise in.

scold me if I'm on the completely wrong path.

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BigJon3475

Pool temp 84*.....outside ambient 93*


No I hadn't tried a new breaker.......this one requires GFI and the did it t the breaker box which I understand used to be okay bu t not anymore....?


It was $80 last I checked for the same breaker.....I'd rather not be guessing and get an electrician for that amount of money and get it fixed right.

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Waco

Hmmmm. I'd first measure the current draw of the protected circuit to make sure the breaker isn't running near maximum and if it isn't, I'd put a little no-ox on its poles, both load and line and I'd make sure the load side connections are clean and tight.

Pool water is an excellent conductor and it doesn't take much in the wrong place to trip a GFI breaker.

BigJon3475

I'm sorry I'm a moron I knew I should have provided more info.....

4 13 watt separate ballast fluorescents.

2 500 watt in pool lights.

20 amp GFCI breaker.

120 volts.

Now heres where I get a little confused.


52 watts of fluorescents with external ballast......old lights.
1000 watts worth of pool/flood lights.

8.76 amps......that should all be resistive loads correct? Is there startup amperage on fluorescents like on HVAC compressors....I know resistive heating usually has little to none until stabilized...other than the temp of the bulb itself might slightly change it...



Am I speaking out of the side of my neck.????..this is why I hire electricians do solve these problems.....Got a bad A/C I can figure that out all day....kinda funny since they run on electricity. anyways....hope this give a little more info I should have known better than to ask a question so vague.



P.S. The call for power is by a photocell.

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Bubbles

Did it ever work? I would put a regular breaker in its place and see if it holds for a bit(stay out of pool). If so, then its either a ground fault or a bad gfci breaker. How quick does it kick? 1/2 way or all the way over? You got me fixated on this thread now...gfci still works like regular breaker as well. Just seeing if it's really a ground fault.

BigJon3475

Half way......now that you start mentioning that.....when trying to cut off after tripping sometimes it won't go all the way it goes back to the middle. I might have to try and cut it on twice for it to stay on.....


Public pool I can't take the chance of taking the GFCI factor out of it.


You say it's like a regular breaker.......I should take off and look at connections....I bet it's arched now that your mentioning other possibilities.......

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Waco

I might have to look at the fluorescents since GFI breakers can be awfully sensitive to their transformer characteristics. I'm assuming they are not electronic ballasts. I haven't had enough experience with electronic ballast fluorescents on GFI breakers to know how they behave.

jrclen

Big red flag just jumped up. Call an electrician. Tell him to bring his megger.

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John