sjmonty99 Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 I just brought home a used Sundance and hooked it to my new Cutler-Hammer 50A GFI/Cutoff panel. Problem is the breaker trips immediately when I flip it on. I saw the spa working before I brought it home so I don't think there is a problem with the spa. If I disconnect the wires at the spa and cap them off the breaker stays on. I thought the problem might be with the breaker so I purchased a 50A (non-GFI) breaker (all they had at 9:45pm at Lowes) and put it in just to test. It worked fine. Does it really sound like I have a bad breaker or could something else be wrong? Could the GFI be detecting an additional problem that the non-GFI is not? I only have a 3 wire spa setup (240v 2 hot/1 GND). There is no Neutral on the spa. I have connected the Neutral from my main panel to this spa panel and it is internally tied by design to one pole of the breaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soakerman Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 I just brought home a used Sundance and hooked it to my new Cutler-Hammer 50A GFI/Cutoff panel. Problem is the breaker trips immediately when I flip it on. I saw the spa working before I brought it home so I don't think there is a problem with the spa. If I disconnect the wires at the spa and cap them off the breaker stays on. I thought the problem might be with the breaker so I purchased a 50A (non-GFI) breaker (all they had at 9:45pm at Lowes) and put it in just to test. It worked fine. Does it really sound like I have a bad breaker or could something else be wrong? Could the GFI be detecting an additional problem that the non-GFI is not? I only have a 3 wire spa setup (240v 2 hot/1 GND). There is no Neutral on the spa. I have connected the Neutral from my main panel to this spa panel and it is internally tied by design to one pole of the breaker. Whatever you do, get a gfi installed and wire the spa per instructions. If you are unsure then pay a competent electrician and run new wire for a four wire hookup if needed. This is one area you don't want to guess or take a short cut in. Also check your spa and make sure it isnt a 60 amp rather then a 50 amp. I also use a Cutler hammer panel but it is designated for spa use...BR series 50 amp and also available in 60 amp. Mine was staright foward to hookup but required a four wire setup. again, get help if unsure and pay whatever it cost to ensure a safe hookup to enjoy your spa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjmonty99 Posted July 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 Whatever you do, get a gfi installed and wire the spa per instructions. If you are unsure then pay a competent electrician and run new wire for a four wire hookup if needed. This is one area you don't want to guess or take a short cut in. Also check your spa and make sure it isnt a 60 amp rather then a 50 amp. I also use a Cutler hammer panel but it is designated for spa use...BR series 50 amp and also available in 60 amp. Mine was staright foward to hookup but required a four wire setup. again, get help if unsure and pay whatever it cost to ensure a safe hookup to enjoy your spa. The spa is definitely a 50 amp. It is written inside the spa's panel. The diagram inside the spa and the .pdf both say it requires 3 wires. It is a Cutler Hammer Spa panel. Specifically made for that use. Does the neutral wire go to from the panel to the spa in conjunction with another wire? Like should it connect to the grounding terminal on the spa? Black and red hot leads are definitely going to the right place and ground is ground so I don't know what the problem is. The only thing I can think of is this neutral white wire should go somewhere too. The picture of their .pdf wiring diagram is here: http://torranceweb.com/temp/spa240.gif Anyone else have an idea before I call an electrician? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderjack Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 The neutral that is supposed to be coming out of the GFCI should not be connected at all. If it is connected to the neutral on the GFCI and the ground on the spa, it will trip every time. Instead, the neutral wire should be grounded at the spa end and at the breaker box. There should be no wire hooked up to the load neutral section of the GFCI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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