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Default Circuit Breaker Problem

We had a bad electrical storm yesterday and when I got home several
breakers were tripped. My 6 month ol hot tub which is on the back
porch and was not on. The breaker next to it is off and if I try to
switch it on it wont stay on. It won't power the tub. The breaker out
by the meter box is on and when I switch it off I can then switch the
one by the hot tub on and it will stay on untill I switch the one on
the meter box back on then it trips the one by the tub. Does this
sound like a bad breaker or a short somewhere in my hot tub?
Everything is 6 months old.

Thanks

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Default Circuit Breaker Problem

According to :
We had a bad electrical storm yesterday and when I got home several
breakers were tripped. My 6 month ol hot tub which is on the back
porch and was not on. The breaker next to it is off and if I try to
switch it on it wont stay on. It won't power the tub. The breaker out
by the meter box is on and when I switch it off I can then switch the
one by the hot tub on and it will stay on untill I switch the one on
the meter box back on then it trips the one by the tub. Does this
sound like a bad breaker or a short somewhere in my hot tub?
Everything is 6 months old.


It could be the breaker or the wiring. Or even both. It's perhaps
more likely to be the breaker - especially if it's a GFCI.

If you're unable to come up with your own method for isolating
which one is the problem, you're probably best off getting an
electrician in to look at it.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
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Default Circuit Breaker Problem



It could be the breaker or the wiring. Or even both. It's perhaps
more likely to be the breaker - especially if it's a GFCI.

If you're unable to come up with your own method for isolating
which one is the problem, you're probably best off getting an
electrician in to look at it.


I feel I could replace the breaker myself by killing the main. It is a
GFCI. I was thinking it it was a bad breaker it would not stay on with
the main power cut off to it, which it does. When the power is put to
it it won't stay in the on position at all, thats why i'm afraid that
there is a short in the tub.



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Default Circuit Breaker Problem


Jamessa wrote:
It could be the breaker or the wiring. Or even both. It's perhaps
more likely to be the breaker - especially if it's a GFCI.

If you're unable to come up with your own method for isolating
which one is the problem, you're probably best off getting an
electrician in to look at it.


I feel I could replace the breaker myself by killing the main. It is a
GFCI. I was thinking it it was a bad breaker it would not stay on with
the main power cut off to it, which it does. When the power is put to
it it won't stay in the on position at all, thats why i'm afraid that
there is a short in the tub.


nah breakers are cheap, try replacing breaker first and let us know the
outcome.

the storm likely fried the gfci sensor part of breaker

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Default Circuit Breaker Problem

According to Jamessa :

wrote:
Jamessa wrote:
It could be the breaker or the wiring. Or even both. It's perhaps
more likely to be the breaker - especially if it's a GFCI.

If you're unable to come up with your own method for isolating
which one is the problem, you're probably best off getting an
electrician in to look at it.

I feel I could replace the breaker myself by killing the main. It is a
GFCI. I was thinking it it was a bad breaker it would not stay on with
the main power cut off to it, which it does. When the power is put to
it it won't stay in the on position at all, thats why i'm afraid that
there is a short in the tub.


Uh, no. A bad breaker may or may not "stay on" with the power to
it cut off. Depends on what the problem with it is.

It could be overly sensitive. It could have a fried GFCI circuit.
The latching could have broken.

It could also be an electrical leak in the tub, whether it be high
enough to trip a regular breaker, or only enough to trip the GFCI
portion of the breaker.


nah breakers are cheap, try replacing breaker first and let us know the
outcome.

the storm likely fried the gfci sensor part of breaker


I will do that tonight! Thanks for your help and I will let you know
the outcome.


GFCI breakers aren't cheap. If you swap in a regular non-GFCI
breaker instead, you could kill yourself if there's something
wrong with the tub.

This is one time where blindly replacing components (particularly
with ones that don't meet code requirements) is a very bad idea.

If it were me, I'd not replace anything until I could prove exactly
what was broken, and what isn't.

For that, you need some electrical knowledge and some test equipment.
Bare minimum, a trustworthy volt/ohmmeter and preferably some sort
of dummy load (if only a lamp).
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.


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Default Circuit Breaker Problem

According to peter :
wrote in message
ups.com...


HeyBub wrote:
wrote:
We had a bad electrical storm yesterday and when I got home several
breakers were tripped. My 6 month ol hot tub which is on the back
porch and was not on. The breaker next to it is off and if I try to
switch it on it wont stay on. It won't power the tub. The breaker
out by the meter box is on and when I switch it off I can then switch
the one by the hot tub on and it will stay on untill I switch the one
on the meter box back on then it trips the one by the tub. Does this
sound like a bad breaker or a short somewhere in my hot tub?
Everything is 6 months old.


Could be either.


How can I tell? I need to know to call an electrician or the hot tub
people. I was leaning to it being the tub.


(1) put in a new breaker for the hot tub (cheap and easy). If the new one
also trips, then something has shorted out


GFCI breakers, particularly duals (240V) aren't cheap. Is this a dual
or a single?

Assuming that you feel confident in replacing a breaker, you should
be able to do this:

1) Kill the main power, and turn off the tub breaker.

2) Open the panel, and pull the "output hot" wires off the GFCI.
If it's a single breaker, it'll just be the black wire. If it's a dual
breaker, pull the black wire off one side, and the matching wire
off the other side (it'll either be white or red).

3) Wrap the loose ends of the wire with a bit of tape (safety paranoia).

4) Turn on the tub breaker (main is still off). If it tub breaker
won't stay armed, the tub breaker is busted (mechanically. You've
already ruled this out I think).

5) Turn on the main breaker. If the tub breaker stays on, the problem
is with the feed wire or the tub. If the tub breaker goes off, the
breaker is busted.

If the tub breaker stayed on in (5), turn off all the power again,
reconnect the breaker, and then repeat this after disconnecting
the feed wire _at the tub_. This will in turn isolate whether
the tub or the feed wire is at fault.

If the tub is outside, there's a distinct possibility that the wire
(especially in a box) got flooded during your rainstorm, and _that_'s
the problem.

[I have a garage GFCI that appears to trip occasionally. Outdoor
box.]
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
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Default Circuit Breaker Problem




GFCI breakers aren't cheap. If you swap in a regular non-GFCI
breaker instead, you could kill yourself if there's something
wrong with the tub.

This is one time where blindly replacing components (particularly
with ones that don't meet code requirements) is a very bad idea.

If it were me, I'd not replace anything until I could prove exactly
what was broken, and what isn't.

For that, you need some electrical knowledge and some test equipment.
Bare minimum, a trustworthy volt/ohmmeter and preferably some sort
of dummy load (if only a lamp).
--
Chris Lewis,


I wasnt recommending a non GFCI breaker,

a electrician will likely charge at least a hundred bucks just to check
it out, way more than a GFCI breaker costs

With the electrical storm its probably a over sensitive GFCI...

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Default Circuit Breaker Problem



GFCI breakers, particularly duals (240V) aren't cheap. Is this a dual
or a single?

Assuming that you feel confident in replacing a breaker, you should
be able to do this:

1) Kill the main power, and turn off the tub breaker.

2) Open the panel, and pull the "output hot" wires off the GFCI.
If it's a single breaker, it'll just be the black wire. If it's a dual
breaker, pull the black wire off one side, and the matching wire
off the other side (it'll either be white or red).

3) Wrap the loose ends of the wire with a bit of tape (safety paranoia).

4) Turn on the tub breaker (main is still off). If it tub breaker
won't stay armed, the tub breaker is busted (mechanically. You've
already ruled this out I think).

5) Turn on the main breaker. If the tub breaker stays on, the problem
is with the feed wire or the tub. If the tub breaker goes off, the
breaker is busted.

If the tub breaker stayed on in (5), turn off all the power again,
reconnect the breaker, and then repeat this after disconnecting
the feed wire _at the tub_. This will in turn isolate whether
the tub or the feed wire is at fault.

If the tub is outside, there's a distinct possibility that the wire
(especially in a box) got flooded during your rainstorm, and _that_'s
the problem.

[I have a garage GFCI that appears to trip occasionally. Outdoor
box.]
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.


I don't know if it is dual or single. I will check. I'm confused, if
I remove the hot wires why would the breaker trip?

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Default Circuit Breaker Problem

Short in tub. Call a repairman.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

wrote in message
oups.com...
We had a bad electrical storm yesterday and when I got home several
breakers were tripped. My 6 month ol hot tub which is on the back
porch and was not on. The breaker next to it is off and if I try to
switch it on it wont stay on. It won't power the tub. The breaker
out
by the meter box is on and when I switch it off I can then switch the
one by the hot tub on and it will stay on untill I switch the one on
the meter box back on then it trips the one by the tub. Does this
sound like a bad breaker or a short somewhere in my hot tub?
Everything is 6 months old.

Thanks




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Default Circuit Breaker Problem

According to Jamessa :

I don't know if it is dual or single. I will check. I'm confused, if
I remove the hot wires why would the breaker trip?


If your tub has a 240V heater and/or pump, it'll be a dual.

The hot wires are the _output_ of the breaker. If the breaker refuses
to stay armed after power is supplied to it (the main breaker via the
panel backplane) and the breaker output is disconnected, it means the
breaker is at fault. Probably the GFCI circuitry.

After a thunderstorm, the above is the most likely.

It is possible that the breaker is tripping at too low a current
(not a GFCI). You can rule that out by making sure that the tub
is 100% turned off (heater, pump off) and trying to power it up.
[Do this before disconnecting the breaker from the tub].

The "worst case" (from your perspective) is when the breaker will
stay armed with the tub completely switched off and then trips
when you turn on the pump or heater. You won't be able to tell
whether it's a weak breaker or a short in the tub. That needs
test equipment and/or experience.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
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Default Circuit Breaker Problem


Chris Lewis wrote:
According to Jamessa :

I don't know if it is dual or single. I will check. I'm confused, if
I remove the hot wires why would the breaker trip?


If your tub has a 240V heater and/or pump, it'll be a dual.

The hot wires are the _output_ of the breaker. If the breaker refuses
to stay armed after power is supplied to it (the main breaker via the
panel backplane) and the breaker output is disconnected, it means the
breaker is at fault. Probably the GFCI circuitry.

After a thunderstorm, the above is the most likely.

It is possible that the breaker is tripping at too low a current
(not a GFCI). You can rule that out by making sure that the tub
is 100% turned off (heater, pump off) and trying to power it up.
[Do this before disconnecting the breaker from the tub].

The "worst case" (from your perspective) is when the breaker will
stay armed with the tub completely switched off and then trips
when you turn on the pump or heater. You won't be able to tell
whether it's a weak breaker or a short in the tub. That needs
test equipment and/or experience.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.


I had an electrician come out today. The one that installed the
circuit in the first place. He said it was the breaker and he is
replacing it. $150.00 bucks!

Thanks for the help!

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Default Circuit Breaker Problem

I had an electrician come out today. The one that installed the
circuit in the first place. He said it was the breaker and he is
replacing it. $150.00 bucks!

Thanks for the help!Wonder what the regular retail price of the breaker is?


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