GFCI tripping when using120v outlets on control panel - help!

[luckybeagle]

My dad installed a 240v plug in my garage the other day. It is connected to a 50A Siemens spa sub panel, which is running from a 2 pole 30A breaker in my main electrical panel.

When I plug my control panel in (a pre-assembled Auber Cube 2E), it turns on, and the EZ boil display lights up. When I turn anything on that's plugged into the auxiliary outlets (pump 1 and pump 2), it trips the 50A GFCI spa panel breaker. I've tried pumps, a simple desk lamp, etc--all pop the breaker.

I have not tried the heating element yet, so I do not know how the 240A power output side of things is working.

Does anyone know what might be going on? What might've been done or wired incorrectly, based on this issue?

 

[IslandLizard]

Is the circuit from the main panel to the spa panel wired with 3 or 4 conductors? To use the 120V you need a dedicated Neutral. The ground wire is the reference, can't carry any current. Same for the wiring from the spa panel to your brew panel. 4 leads are needed.

Well, the more I think about it, that may not be the case. ^

See @Bobby_M's post below, he's got it right. As always!

 

[Bobby_M]

The spa panel is wired wrong. You have the neutral wire coming from your controller connected to the spa panel neutral bus instead of the neutral lug on the breaker. Simple and common mistake but that is the answer.

 

[rodflys]

The spa panel is wired wrong. You have the neutral wire coming from your controller connected to the spa panel neutral bus instead of the neutral lug on the breaker. Simple and common mistake but that is the answer.

Hi, this is the dad that wired the spa panel wrong.
The spa panel is wired to a sub panel in my sons garage. This sub panel has just enough room for a double breaker for the 220. He bought a GFI from a local hardware store for the existing panel in his garage and the spa panel has a 50 amp breaker. The spa breaker has a neutral wire on it pre installed and going to the bus. Where does the neutral wire from his controller end up getting plugged into? the breaker has 3 lugs. The preinstalled white wire is between two lugs.
please help...

 

[doug293cz]

Hi, this is the dad that wired the spa panel wrong.
The spa panel is wired to a sub panel in my sons garage. This sub panel has just enough room for a double breaker for the 220. He bought a GFI from a local hardware store for the existing panel in his garage and the spa panel has a 50 amp breaker. The spa breaker has a neutral wire on it pre installed and going to the bus. Where does the neutral wire from his controller end up getting plugged into? the breaker has 3 lugs. The preinstalled white wire is between two lugs.
please help...

Please post a picture of the load side terminals/lugs on the spa panel GFCI breaker. Some pics of the spa panel wiring in general would also be helpful.

Brew on

 

[luckybeagle]

This is the inside of the spa panel.We know we need a grommet for the wire leading to the outlet (unpictured, to the left).

Thanks everyone

Edit:the photo is not the best. The garage is cold and I'm in my jammies. If sense can not be made of this photo, I will take more tomorrow morning from a few different angles...

Does this help?

 

[Redpappy]

Out of curiosity, why are you running a 30 amp circuit to a 50 amp breaker?


I am no means an electrician, but here a few things that I see that I would question...

Looks like you may have your wires crossed? Trying to trace the wires. From the picture it looks like you have the outlet red wire going to breaker, and the hot wire going to the leg.

where’s the second black wire?
Do you have a white wire coming from the center screw in the GFI breaker to n/ground leg?

 

[doug293cz]

The load side neutral should probably connect to the center screw terminal on the GFCI breaker, rather than the neutral bus.

Brew on

 

[doug293cz]

Out of curiosity, why are you running a 30 amp circuit to a 50 amp breaker?


I am no means an electrician, but here a few things that I see that I would question...

Looks like you may have your wires crossed? Trying to trace the wires. From the picture it looks like you have the outlet red wire going to breaker, and the hot wire going to the leg.

where’s the second black wire?
Do you have a white wire coming from the center screw in the GFI breaker to n/ground leg?

The 30A breaker in the main panel provides the over current protection for the 10AWG wire. The 50A GFCI breaker is only used for the GFCI function. It will never trip due to over current because the main panel breaker will trip first. Nothing wrong with this, as the wire is properly protected by the main panel breaker.

I don’t see any crossed wires. You can’t see the source side black wire connection because of the view angle of the picture.

Brew on

 

[luckybeagle]

The spa panel is wired wrong. You have the neutral wire coming from your controller connected to the spa panel neutral bus instead of the neutral lug on the breaker. Simple and common mistake but that is the answer.

This fixed it! Thanks so much Bobby and others for your help! I moved the neutral wire from the neutral bus to the neutral lug on the breaker. Problem solved in 10 minutes. Time to clean the kettles now and get ready for the first batch on the new eHerms Very excite.

 

[bovine_OB]

Y'all are awesome. Spent 3 weeks (among work, 3 small kiddos, etc, etc) tracking down what I thought was stripped insulation in my pump wiring causing the GFCI to trip in the face of functioning hlt element. Quick search through hbt and bingo, problem solved.

 

[Bobby_M]

For future attendees of this thread that like pictures. The breaker has a white neutral wire that cannot be removed. THAT one does go to the neutral buss. The incoming neutral from an upstream main panel (if this is a spa panel or subpanel) would ALSO go on the neutral buss. The OUTGOING neutral, aka LOAD NEUTRAL connects to the center neutral lug as circled in RED below.

GFCI breakers typically monitor all current leaving and coming back. It better be equal, or it trips. Therefore, you can imagine that if the neutral bypasses the breaker, any current running on it (120v devices) will immediately cause an imbalance in current and trip.