New GFI Pops as soon as Contactor Coil Gets Power

[ontum]

Hello,

I am building a new panel with a new 60 GFI sub panel. Here is the GFI I purchased.

My wiring is close enough to this for diagnostics.

I wired up the panel and turned on the home depot GFI. Then I turned on my key and POP. GFI blows. Power runs into brewery panel to a main contactor. The contactor is powered from L1 through a key and to the contactor coil. With neutral on the other side.

I disconnected everything in the brewery panel but the contractor, turned on GFI, then put power to contactor coil from L2 or L1 and POP goes GFI.

I then removed wires in GFI to brewery panel. I wired into the GFI panel a standard house outlet and plugged in a light. As soon as I twisted in the bulb the GFI pops.

Do I have a bad GFI or can this GFI not handle a 120 load on this 240v GFI?

Thank you for the help,
Craig

Brewery Panel by ontum, on Flickr

I am not wiring cleaning up the wiring until I know I'm done with it.
Brewery Panel by ontum, on Flickr

The purple wire in A1 and 1 is the wire going to the key and returning to the contactor coil.
Brewery Panel by ontum, on Flickr

 

[ontum]

I may have figured it out.

On the lower end of the GFI is has the hard wired neutral and it also has an additional port with a white dot and on the side it says "load." I bet that when pulling 120v off this GFI, the neutral must pull from this. I will rewire this after work and hope for success.

Has anyone experienced this?

-
Craig

 

[reynolds5520]

You've got it. Not running the panel neutral through the GFCI breaker will trip the breaker when you have 120 V circuits.

 

[Bill_in_VA]

I may have figured it out.

On the lower end of the GFI is has the hard wired neutral and it also has an additional port with a white dot and on the side it says "load." I bet that when pulling 120v off this GFI, the neutral must pull from this. I will rewire this after work and hope for success.

Has anyone experienced this?

-
Craig

This exact thing came up in the forums a few weeks ago...

 

[raouliii]

Yes, with a 120/240 GFCI, all three current carrying conductors must be monitored by the GFCI electronics.

 

[schematix]

I may have figured it out.

On the lower end of the GFI is has the hard wired neutral and it also has an additional port with a white dot and on the side it says "load." I bet that when pulling 120v off this GFI, the neutral must pull from this. I will rewire this after work and hope for success.

Has anyone experienced this?

-
Craig

I do not wish to incriminate myself, but I know that's your problem from your picture.

 

[stlbeer]

Seems to be a common problem. Maybe the admins can make this a sticky or add it to the electric brewing primer.