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New Tub Heater Failure?


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--editing... no mucking with it... considering dead, getting replacement asap... gunna put a bit of hurt on the well, but so it goes.

/de-lurk

Hello-

Long time lurker, first time poster. Just installed a new Artesian Pelican Bay. After startup it will kick the breaker. Did some troubleshooting and disconnecting the heater allows the tub to run (and stay running). Yes, I've already called the local dealer. But is there anything more I can troubleshoot (they're not the quickest to reply)

I'm a Mech Eng and I'd like to figure out more to make sure they show WITH parts (as its really becoming winter now). The heater clicks into a small daughterboard in the spa pack. Unplugged all is good. Plugged, breaker pops after first purge. Can I lift the ground to check it (and not get in of course). The breaker trips VERY fast when the heater is engaged, thus I think its a ground fault issue. I assume the tub will need to be drained to replace the defective heater (or part of heater)?

Thank you in advance,

WL

\re-lurk

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\de-lurk

This one strikes me as quite interesting. The spa (tub) calls for a 60amp breaker. The setup is all SquareD QO stuff. SquareD has a perfectly nice 2=pole GFCI 60amp breaker. The breaker is the disconnect, it's in a nice external panel, greater than 5 feet, in line of sight. (sounds good right?)

NOPE. It seems in the line of SquareD QO GFCI 2-pole breakers (20, 30, 50, 60) the 60 is odd. Its not like the others. All the breakers (except the 60) can handle single and two pole loads. Seems in complicated devices such as a spa pack sometimes one leg is used to make '120v'. The 60 can't do this; its pure 240v (2-pole). SO, it was never the heater. It seemed to be as every pump could be run (in the purge/test/startup time). But after a uniform period, the breaker would trip. Most certainly seemed like the heater. Nope, no clue what it is but resolved the issue. Installed a SquareD QO 2-pole 50amp (too close but seems to work to the stated 48a max draw). Tub runs fine. All is fine.

(also no service gate valves...)

So, warning to those out there who like SquareD. QO 60a.... not good for this (no clue what it might actually be good for if not a spa)

WL

/re-lurk

footnote:

From the Square D FAQ website:
Where do you connect the load neutral wire on a QO260GFI?
Answer: The QO260GFI does not have a load neutral connection and is to be used on 240vac 2 wire applications only. Not to be used on 120/240 vac applications where two hot wires and a neutral is required. If a 60 amp GFI breaker is needed on a 120/240 vac system, divide the 120/240 vac loads and put the 240 vac loads on the QO260GFI and put the 120 vac loads on a single pole GFI breaker like the QO115GFI
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Any voltage taking the neutral path back to the house was not being picked up by one (or the other) line's on the GFCI, was interpreted as current leakage, and would subsequently trip the GFCI.

Frankly, I'm surprised it worked at all, assuming you ran a neutral.

At any rate, you're right, that is an odd duck.

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PS-

Yes, ran neutral. Breaker has neutral tail (was wired to the bar). Was nicely wired, kinda wonky to be different than all other in the line. Put a clamp on it. Optimistic won't hit its limit (but not a clue).

WL

Any voltage taking the neutral path back to the house was not being picked up by one (or the other) line's on the GFCI, was interpreted as current leakage, and would subsequently trip the GFCI.

Frankly, I'm surprised it worked at all, assuming you ran a neutral.

At any rate, you're right, that is an odd duck.

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