Quote:
Originally Posted by ledhedsymbols
Look at the circuit running out to the water feature. If the pump doesn't trip a different GFCI circuit then I think something is wrong with your pump circuit.
The GFCI looks for an imbalance between your hot and the returned current on the neutral. They are very sensitive by design and trip on something like 4-6 ma.
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Remember that plugging a different pump into the same outlet/circuit doesn't trip the breaker. I would think that if there was a problem in the wiring between the GFCI breaker to the outlet, that any grounded electrical device plugged into it would cause it to trip. Not just a single pump. I tried plugging two different pumps from the water feature into that outlet -- no problem. Only that one pump.
Which makes me suspect the pump. But, the same pump on an extension cord doesn't trip a GFCI outlet on the side of the house. (At the moment I can only guess that the GFCI breaker is more sensitive, either by design or something to do with the way the circuits are grounded.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by rwest
Would it be possible to remove the breaker, install a standard breaker and then put a GFCI outlet in the outside box instead? I think that would take a lot of wire out of the equation?
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The single circuit branches to three outlets that are in the same box. Each branch is controlled separately -- allowing different pumps to operate independently, but protected by the same GFCI breaker.
I was told by the electrician that local code wants you to have any 110v line in a landscape area to be controlled by a GFCI breaker. Otherwise you could have an issue between the line and the GFCI and hurt someone. (The GFCI outlet might shut off the outlet, but the line would still be hot between the panel & the outlet.)
This has run without issue for over 10 years.