120v Spa Trips 20a Gfci

[Tubblin]

Hi,

I just bought a new Viking Eclipse spa. I have a dedicated 20a breaker with 12-2 wire to a new 20a GFCI. I have a 20a plug with 12-2 wire hard wired into the spa. I have the 120v jumper in place and the #10 dip switch in the on postion. Yet it still trips the GFCI during a jet cycle. Can anybody see any thing I am leaving out?

Thanks

[JerimiahR]

Hi,

I just bought a new Viking Eclipse spa. I have a dedicated 20a breaker with 12-2 wire to a new 20a GFCI. I have a 20a plug with 12-2 wire hard wired into the spa. I have the 120v jumper in place and the #10 dip switch in the on postion. Yet it still trips the GFCI during a jet cycle. Can anybody see any thing I am leaving out?

Thanks

Couple things come to my mind:

1) The wiring to the jet pump may not be correct. I've seen wiring that's been done wrong/backwards and causes a GFCI to trip off. If the GFCI trips off instantly, each time you activate the jets, it would suggest to me there is an electrical/wiring issue in that area.

2) It is possible (though not super common) that a GFCI can become "weak" or too sensitive. In some cases they can stay on for a few days, and suddenly trip off during load. It's always good to try turning the breaker on, and pressing the "Test" button to ensure it trips off instantly, just to make sure it's working right.

3) Re-Confirm jumper settings/changes.

I'm assuming your spa is convertible from 120v to 240v since you mention jumpers and such. Was the 120v power cord pre-installed by the factory? If so, it should have been pre-set internally for 120v settings.

[Tubblin]

Hi,

I just bought a new Viking Eclipse spa. I have a dedicated 20a breaker with 12-2 wire to a new 20a GFCI. I have a 20a plug with 12-2 wire hard wired into the spa. I have the 120v jumper in place and the #10 dip switch in the on postion. Yet it still trips the GFCI during a jet cycle. Can anybody see any thing I am leaving out?

Thanks

Couple things come to my mind:

1) The wiring to the jet pump may not be correct. I've seen wiring that's been done wrong/backwards and causes a GFCI to trip off. If the GFCI trips off instantly, each time you activate the jets, it would suggest to me there is an electrical/wiring issue in that area.

2) It is possible (though not super common) that a GFCI can become "weak" or too sensitive. In some cases they can stay on for a few days, and suddenly trip off during load. It's always good to try turning the breaker on, and pressing the "Test" button to ensure it trips off instantly, just to make sure it's working right.

3) Re-Confirm jumper settings/changes.

I'm assuming your spa is convertible from 120v to 240v since you mention jumpers and such. Was the 120v power cord pre-installed by the factory? If so, it should have been pre-set internally for 120v settings.

[Tubblin]

Hi,

I just bought a new Viking Eclipse spa. I have a dedicated 20a breaker with 12-2 wire to a new 20a GFCI. I have a 20a plug with 12-2 wire hard wired into the spa. I have the 120v jumper in place and the #10 dip switch in the on postion. Yet it still trips the GFCI during a jet cycle. Can anybody see any thing I am leaving out?

Thanks

Couple things come to my mind:

1) The wiring to the jet pump may not be correct. I've seen wiring that's been done wrong/backwards and causes a GFCI to trip off. If the GFCI trips off instantly, each time you activate the jets, it would suggest to me there is an electrical/wiring issue in that area.

2) It is possible (though not super common) that a GFCI can become "weak" or too sensitive. In some cases they can stay on for a few days, and suddenly trip off during load. It's always good to try turning the breaker on, and pressing the "Test" button to ensure it trips off instantly, just to make sure it's working right.

3) Re-Confirm jumper settings/changes.

I'm assuming your spa is convertible from 120v to 240v since you mention jumpers and such. Was the 120v power cord pre-installed by the factory? If so, it should have been pre-set internally for 120v settings.

Thanks for taking a stab at this.

1) The GFCI does not trip right away when I hit the jets.

2) The GFCI outlet is new and and it trip right away when I hit thetest button.

3) I'll recheck the settings tomorrow.

The tub was setup for 240v, I had to convert to 120v because the ground is frozen and can't dig for the 240v. I did install the plug and hardwired it to the tub. I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

[JerimiahR]

Thanks for taking a stab at this.

1) The GFCI does not trip right away when I hit the jets.

2) The GFCI outlet is new and and it trip right away when I hit thetest button.

3) I'll recheck the settings tomorrow.

The tub was setup for 240v, I had to convert to 120v because the ground is frozen and can't dig for the 240v. I did install the plug and hardwired it to the tub. I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

Great! Hope it turns out to be something simple. Good Luck!

[Tubblin]

Thanks for taking a stab at this.

1) The GFCI does not trip right away when I hit the jets.

2) The GFCI outlet is new and and it trips right away when I hit the test button.

3) I'll recheck the settings tomorrow.

The tub was setup for 240v, I had to convert to 120v because the ground is frozen and can't dig for the 240v. I did install the plug and hardwired it to the tub. I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

Great! Hope it turns out to be something simple. Good Luck!

The settings are correct, so I was going to replace the 20 amp gfci outlet with a standard 20 amp outlet and replace the 20 amp breaker in the the panel with a 30 amp gfci breaker, but I could not find one in the stores in my area. So, I am just going to switch to 240v and be done with it. Unless somebody has another idea?

Thank you for all your help

[JerimiahR]

Thanks for taking a stab at this.

1) The GFCI does not trip right away when I hit the jets.

2) The GFCI outlet is new and and it trips right away when I hit the test button.

3) I'll recheck the settings tomorrow.

The tub was setup for 240v, I had to convert to 120v because the ground is frozen and can't dig for the 240v. I did install the plug and hardwired it to the tub. I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

Great! Hope it turns out to be something simple. Good Luck!

The settings are correct, so I was going to replace the 20 amp gfci outlet with a standard 20 amp outlet and replace the 20 amp breaker in the the panel with a 30 amp gfci breaker, but I could not find one in the stores in my area. So, I am just going to switch to 240v and be done with it. Unless somebody has another idea?

Thank you for all your help

You're better off switching to 240V. If you ran #12 wire, and want to switch your 20amp breaker to a 30amp, you could potentially run into issues. Should anything ever try to draw over 20amp, your #12 wire is not large enough. That could spell trouble.

If you can do the 240V (which you had mentioned wanting to do in the future anyhow) I'd definitely go that route. You'll enjoy it more that way. Hot tub should heat a lot faster, and maintain temperature better while your spa is being used (cover off, jets on).

I would definitely contact your local Viking dealer, or the Viking manufacturer to get advice on how to proceed. You really want to make sure the settings are all correct so something does not get wired wrong. It's not to difficult to wire something and cause significant damage to your spa, yourself, or home.