GFI breakers and wiring a 220v heating element

hey folks,

So I'm in the process of designing a system similiar to Kal's (electricbrewery.com). Not going to be as 'shiny', but eh.

i have two questions:

I installed a 30 amp GFCI breaker in my panel the other day, and hooked it up to a 4-wire dryer plug. Seems all good, voltage tests out dead on at 240, etc. However, when I push the test button the breaker nothing happens. I assumed it would 'pop' , like a regular GFCI plug in a bathroom. Am I missing something here? does there need to be a load on the circuit, or do I have a bum breaker??

As well, I notice that it LOOKS like Kal is using a ground with his 2 240 hot wire to his boil kettle. However, doesn't the GFCI measure the relationship between the neutral and the hot wire? so, don't you need to use the neural instead of ground, to make the GFCI effective?

THANKS!!!!!!!

<<P.S. I am going to have two electrical engineer friends check over my diagram and help with building the unit, I have no intention of killing myself >>

CanadianNorth said:

...
I installed a 30 amp GFCI breaker in my panel the other day, and hooked it up to a 4-wire dryer plug. Seems all good, voltage tests out dead on at 240, etc. However, when I push the test button the breaker nothing happens.
...

Click to expand...

One of 2 things. Either the breaker is not wired properly or it is defective.

thats unfortunate. i'm 99% sure it is wired right

Can you sketch a diagram on how you have it wired? Or - snap a picture? This way we can be sure it is set up right. I'm interested in how you have your 'white' wire connection set up to your GFCI breaker input and output.

I have a 60 amp GFI that I recently installed... I just tested it with no load and the test button tripped the breaker as expected.

Does the white wire from your 4 wire dryer plug go into the breaker and then the white wire installed in the breaker go to the white terminal bar?
I agree we need to see your wiring diagram.

acefaser said:

Does the white wire from your 4 wire dryer plug go into the breaker and then the white wire installed in the breaker go to the white terminal bar?
I agree we need to see your wiring diagram.

Click to expand...

yes,

The ground from the recepticle goes to the ground in the breaker panel. The hots go to breaker, of course, and the white wire from the recepticle goes into the breaker as well, just above a coiled white wire. That coiled white wire comes out of the breaker and goes in turn to the neutral bar on the panel.

sounds like a bad breaker to me. I assume you have cycled it a few times just to be sure the breaker switch throws properly.