GFCIs are put on the pool light circuit to protect the pool user from stray voltage or electrocution. For the pool light, the installer said I do need GFCI protection. Most manufacturers recommend once a month. Look and make sure that your subpanel has the neutral and ground bars separate and the neutral bar is insulated from the panel. The very reason the original GFCI circuit breaker tripped indicates that there is something wrong with the circuit, and the GFCI circuit breaker was providing the … A resistance of 48k or less will cause the GFCI to trigger. Make sure to follow every possible safety precaution and to turn off the power at the main circuit breaker, and mark it to be left off while you are working. Most visitors online was 3404 , on Jan 24 2020, Hayward Pool Heater - Breaker keeps tripping when in use. It's not uncommon for GFCI outlets or breakers to fail, though yours seems to be acting oddly. Because this runs off a breaker you have to check (as Clown points out) everything on the circuit. When I connect the white neutral wire from the GFCI breaker, it trips. I have a ColorLogic LED light (2) that work great in the fixed mode, but trips the GFCI outlet when it enters the "show multi-light" mode. If the bulb is burned out, replace it and try to turn it on for a few seconds to test it. The conduit that the cord goes through has water in it and the splice will be underwater. When I reset the breaker and turn on the light again it works fine. With over 200,000 members, TFP is the largest and most influential pool & spa website on the Internet. If the 120v power goes into the niche you need the GFI. Than in need to push the reset button. They put the filter in and I never had an issue since. GFCIs are also known to trip from extreme humidity. The breaker is already installed. When that maximum load is exceeded, the circuit breaks open, and the breaker trips, which cuts off power to your pool lights. Be sure that the breaker, GFCI, and pool light switch are all off. I have no issue with the breaker tripping as long an I dont try to turn on the pump. If that spa light is on the same GFI as the pool light (probably), they should be both sharing the same neutral, and in most cases the neutral is not switched. The pool light must be installed on a GFCI circuit. Ranger. When I push the pool light button it trips the gfci breaker. Our latest blog offers a few troubleshooting tips you can try to see if it fixes your pool light for you. 3. This can be due to a small amount of water being inside your light fixture which the light may heat up and vaporize. Underwater pool lights with 15 or higher voltage. About 48 hours later the circuit breaker (the one inside the house, in the breaker box, not the GFCI) tripped. This junction box could be inside your dive stand. Thanks for any help. If the circuit breaker is tripped, turn off the light to the pool and try turning on the circuit breaker. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. These are often easy to spot by the yellow Test button, and are usually 20 amp breakers. What kind of light? If it isn't crazy expensive, try a new one or swap one from another location to see what happens. I think Clown is on the correct track here. going to try what you are suggesting today clown.....by turning off the main breaker for the pool pad will that eliminate power to the box that the wiring is going to near the pool as well? For deep fixture lights, you can wrap the cord around the fixture. If you don't understand this, just know that it is designed to prevent electric shock to swimmers from your pool lights. Testing. The GFCI could be found in several locations. I installed a GFCI breaker to an L5 twist lock receptacle for a pool pump. It is a good idea to put a piece of tape over the breaker to help keep someone from turning it back on. If I would just turn on the light while the GFCI breaker was on I have no issues r but when I turn on the pool pump it pops. If you wanted to find out if the bulb or the fixture is the cause, or it it is the breaker, AND YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH DOING THIS, you can disconnect or take the spa light out of the circuit. After drying thoroughly put the bulb back in and try turning on the light for a few seconds. 1 decade ago. Next, put the fixture back into the niche. That is how I interpret 680.23(A)(3). Probably by your electrician. It is a safety monitoring device that should be tested several times a year and swapped out every couple of years by a qualified pool repair electrician. And I don't see any GFCI breakers in my main panel. I am replacing the junction box for my swimming pool light with a G.E. After questioning the ancestry of the idiot who installed the light, you will need to go to the junction box that the light cord is connected to. GFCI receptacles and GFCI circuit breakers are similar in the way they protect your home, but there are key differences to know about their use. To check if the light is causing the GFCI to trip because the fixture is leaking electricity, after you turn off the power so you don't get shocked, you can disconnect the fixture at the deck box. Now, screw in the pilot screw or snap in the clipable type. Learn the differences between a GFCI receptacle and a GFCI circuit breaker. You will find one of two types of fixtures. Lv 7. make sure that your subpanel has the neutral and ground bars separate and the neutral bar is insulated from the panel. If it does hold, try turning on your pool lights. https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/pool-light-trips-gfci-breaker.132679 Do not leave the light on for more than a few seconds. If you wish to correct the short cord problem, you will have to replace the whole light fixture. So if I'm reading this correctly if the spa and pool are both on the gfi outlet the spa (because it has water in it) could be tripping the breaker? If your panel and gfci outlet are more than 5 years old, I will bet of the gfci is starting to go and becoming overly sensative. First make sure that the breaker, GFCI, and pool light switch are all off. The previous owner we bought the home from wasn't very keen on certain things like "building codes" so when I went to change my pool light yesterday it occured to me there very well may be no GFCI connected to it. If the GFCI doesn't trip and the light is off, you probably have a burned-out bulb. 20.00 vs > 50.00. It is designed to trip if it detects a very small current going to ground. Sometimes it will stay on for a few minutes. It is easiest to locate by the test button that is part of it. You shouldn't need to empty your swimming pool to fix a broken light. You may have too long a wire or the wrong size wire for the GFI, or there may be a connection that is heating up and causing Resistance. If the circuit breaker is not tripped, you can now proceed to check the GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter). It's a gfci outlet. That means that the wires coming to the pool light J-box must come from a GFCI breaker. I have a pool and spa light wired to the same 20 amp GFCI breaker in my pool panel. JavaScript is disabled. The answer on needing a GFI for your light is "it depends". If it is a low voltage LED type light with a transformer at the control panel, then no GFI is required but you need to use the correct isolation trasformer {px300 transformer}. With the pool light switch still off, push the test button. Or just insert the plug from a lamp and see if there is power. I recently replaced the bulb in one of these fixtures, reassembled the fixture incorrectly, and re-installed it. Source(s): https://owly.im/a8CpH. Remove and Replace the Broken Pool Light Fixture, How To Check Your Brake Lights Without Help, Replace Your Car’s Burnt-Out Bulbs in 4 Simple Steps, How to Change Your Headlight Bulb in 5 Minutes, Servicing the Multiport Valve on a Swimming Pool Filter, What to Do When Your Car Won't Start or Turn Over, Directions for Priming Your Swimming Pool Water Filter Pump, Changing the Sand in Your Swimming Pool Filter, How to Clean Swimming Pool Hand Rails and Ladders, What to Do When Your Swimming Pool Cover Falls In, How to Winterize Your In-Ground Swimming Pool, Identifying That Yellow-Brown Stain on Your Swimming Pool's Walls, 9 Reasons Your High Beam Headlights Are Not Working. Woody McDowell is a pool service professional. I want to make sure that it … Pool lighting systems are connected to a GFCI breaker designed to carry 100 amps for most residential installations. Little did I know that I bought one of the new VFCI breakers. Turning off the breaker for the pad should kill all the power. 0 0. It doesn't say GFCI protection for the pool light it says GFCI protection in the branch circuit supplying the light and that includes all of the branch circuit. My question here is whether or not I need the light on a dedicated circuit? Along that circuit I have separate switches for a light and pool pump. Turn the pool light on agin and it works fine. Very possibly built in 1960 the same year as the house. You cannot install a longer cord because it is sealed during the manufacturing process. A Ground Fault Interrupter acts on Resistance. My pool was built last year with a Colorlogic led. GFCI as an outlet / receptacle, combo or circuit breaker, automatically cuts off the main power supply within millisecond against electric shock. A subpanel box at your pool filter system. The equipments are about 8 feet away from the pool. Thinking that the breaker could be faulty, I replaced the breaker with one from Home Depot. If you had to disconnect the cord at the junction box, you will need to pull the cord back as you put in the fixture. I know that this thread is 3 years old, however I'm having an issue with the Colorlogic led light working fine, but tripping the gcfi once it goes into the color switching mode. It (the outlet), is not a Pentair part. Hi everyone as the title says I'm having issues with my pool light tripping my gfci breaker. You should find resistance is infinite. The pool light is attached to a gfci outlet in my pentair easytouch control panel. This screw is usually a. If I do not … The person that installed the intellitouch panel said the lights needed to be connected to it. I heard that one should have GFCI protection for pool equipments and light to prevent any potential electrocution. I had for about 10 pool seasons. My pool pumps are hardwired (via Pentair Suntouch controller for the solar system) and they are not plugged to any receptacles. If, after turning on the pool light switch, the GFCI trips, the most likely cause is water inside your light fixture. Also, the lights for the pool and spa may not be the only things on the circuit. Before I go out and get a new GFCI breaker, could it be a bad breaker. If it "pops," you know that there is power to this point and that it was on. Lighting circuit will supply (2) 12v transformers for (2) LED pool lights; Convenience receptacle is required within 20' of the pool edge; I would appreciate any guidance on the following: Main panel: 30A 2-pole GFCI; Sub panel (Intermatic PE20000): 15A 2-pole breaker (non GFCI) (pump) 15A 1-pole (non GFCI… 680.23 (A) 3. After loosening this screw, you should be able to bring the light fixture out of its niche and up out of the water and onto the deck. Is this correct that I don't need a GFCI breaker? You can think of a GFCI as a circuit breaker that is much more sensitive than your standard 15/20 amp breaker in an electrical panel. Thanks a ton for all of this. How can I tell if there is one? After reading about VFCI, I realized that I needed a GFCI for a pool light. You must log in or register to reply here. I apologize. If you can get the light to work indefinitely after you reset the outlet the first time, then i would try getting a new outlet (GFI type of course). The reason is simple: TFPC (Trouble Free Pool Care) is a methodology, not a product that you must purchase. As components age they change and you may (or may not) be getting a bit of leakage here and there. Do not splice an extension to your cord. It is in many ways as important as a smoke detector for your house. The breaker blew after about 15 seconds. Don't forget to check for those too. The first thing you will need to do is to make sure that the circuit breaker is not tripped. When I turn on the pool light it pops the gfci outlet. BUT double check with a tester in the GFCI. A fresh gfci outlet is around $20 and have improved, look for the version that has a "WP" marking. The builder warned me of an issue that required a "filter" in the housing that handled color switching that was backordered from the manufacturer. GFCI Outlet Electrical Problem The GFCI Outlet must be wired from the wiring of the same circuit, therefore the wiring must be contiguous, and not connected to other circuit wires because this could cause the GFI Outlet to trip, but there is more to this problem as described below. Remember, it is supposed to be water cooled. You should remove the bulb and dry the connections thoroughly. It's supposed to rain here pretty good this weekend so if I get a chance when we get a break in the weather I'll try all of your suggestions. If your pool light seems to be on the fritz, you might be thinking you need to replace the bulb, which can be a tedious and difficult process. Sometimes the cord may not be long enough for the light to reach the deck. I took off the panel and tested the leads going into the breaker. Note: Be very careful when working with electricity and water. Don't forget to disconnect the neutral too. At this point, your light may come back on. If it still trips, reconnect and try the pool light. To prevent shocks and short-circuiting, most electrical equipment near and around your pool or spa is required to be protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter. https://www.liveabout.com/swimming-pool-light-repair-3169239 If it trips immediately, you have a short circuit, in which case you need to get an electrician to correct this problem. At this point, you may find the bulb is burned out and needs replacing. 4. Ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) circuit breakers work faster and at more sensitive thresholds than conventional household circuit breakers. Now that you have the fixture on the deck, you can open it up. The most likely locations for the GFCI are: Once you have found the GFCI, check to see if it has been tripped. This can then cause the GFCI to trip. In addition to what he suggests you should probably go back and check that all the connections are tight. G. Electrical Problem with an LED Light Tripping a GFCI Outlet. Turn your breaker and the GFCI back on and check your light. In either case, you can now proceed with pulling your light fixture out of the pool. You can use a towel and/or hairdryer for this. Both hot and neutral. It is being practiced by thousands of pool owners just like you. However, you might be surprised to learn that the flaw might be related to something other than the bulb itself. Be careful not to break the lens when you do this. With the fixture now open, you may see the water that was causing the GFCI to trip, in which case you will need to dry out the inside of the fixture. You probably have the wiring for the spa light coming up in the E/T box and can disconnect it there. GFCI's are tested by pressing the test button, if the GFCI trips when the button is pressed it's working. Be sure that the outlets that may be on the same GFCI circuit are covered to help prevent this. Hold the fixture underwater and look for bubbles coming from around the gasket. One type has many screws around the back of the fixture rim; the other has one screw that tightens a band clamp that holds the fixture together. The GFCI protecting your pool light(s) is often located under the circuit breaker panel in the pool equipment room, or within the circuit breaker panel. Pool Light Breaker Keeps Tripping. The background: My swimming pool has underwater light fixtures, on GFCI circuits. Re: Pool light GFCI If I were inspecting that installation I would require a GFCI breaker in the panel. Something to do with changing the colors and once it hit a certain color ( I don't remember which ) the frequency it put out would cause it to trip. If it doesn't hold or immediately trips, you will need to call an electrician to track down the problem and correct it. The VFCI breaker did seem to work perfectly. Devices that fall under that category are: Outlet receptacles 20 feet or closer to the pool. If it doesn't "pop," try pushing in the reset button and see if it holds. Most often it will stay on for 5-15 minutes then trip the breaker. 2. I have this odd situation where the pool light breaker trips if I turn on the pool pump on. You should be ready for your night swim. A new 680.21(C) was added for swimming pool motors that states, “outlets supplying pool pump motors connected to single-phase, 120-volt through 240-volt branch circuits, rated 15- or 20-amperes [A], whether by receptacle or by direct connection, shall be provided with ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection (GFCI) for personnel.” There is a notch on the bottom of the fixture that catches on the bottom of the niche. And do I need a 20A breaker, when the pump literature specifies only 10A? As far as I know my Pool is very old. What is the "filter" that was discussed? This can be the reason the GFI is tripping even though the light is not on. As components age they change and you may (or may not) be getting a bit of leakage here and there. GFI outlets are considerably cheaper than the breaker type. I can have the pump on and then turn on the lights and it immediately trips. The National Electrical Code – Article 680-20a1 states that a pool light fixture over 15 volts must be GFCI Protected. If it works, you can proceed with reassembling the light fixture. You will need to disconnect the light cord at the junction box and be sure to attach a piece of wire or strong string to allow you to pull the cord back when you are finished. After removing the clamp or screws, you may need to pry open the fixture. The TPX300 is a step down transformer 120 primary / 14 v secondary. 60 amp spa panel with a gfci breaker. Does the NEC 2017 require a gfci circuit breaker to be used to feed pool lighting circuit if the lighting system in using a NSI Industries TPX300 pool light transformer? I also have a spa light that is filled with water but wired separately in the same control panel that doesn't have a bulb in it (when I can afford it I'll be replacing that next) if it makes any difference. If this happens, you may need to reopen the fixture, dry it out, and reassemble. There can be a sump pump in an observation well, or other outlets around the pool, Pool cover motor, etc. Now, to get the light fixture out, you will need to unscrew the small pilot screw that holds the fixture in. With the circuit breaker off and the pool light switch on and spa light switch off measure resistance between the hot and earth ground. Sometimes the light will stay on as long as I want. GFCI Circuit Breaker. Required by the National Electric Code (NEC) standards for pool pumps, these GFCI breakers are the right choice in load centers supporting IntelliTouch® and EasyTouch® Control Systems. I first thought it was a water leak issue in the lights but they and the connections are dry. That outlet was mounted in the box after it left the factory. Often the same circuit is used to power a GFCI electrical outlet underneath the pool … Any idea what he issue could be when I first turn the light on? Always complete tests while no one is in the pool.