Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

HELP!

On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:44:24 GMT, cold ribs wrote:
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

he doesn't know his ass from his elbo.
Lowering the resistance will increase current draw at a given voltage and load
resistance.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
lower resistance. more current. more power.

HELP!

It is very simple. The spa is drawing more power than the circuit
breaker will permit. Only three things can cause it:
1) the heater is out of spec, resistance is too low. A controller could
possibly affect this if it is using PWM and the duty cycle is higher.
2) voltage is too high
3) the circuit breaker is triping at a current where it shouldn't.


I'd first replace the breaker with a new one of the same current rating.

With the heavier wire, maybe you can use a breaker of a higher rating? I
wouldn't make such a substitution on my own; an electrician has to do it.
6 guage is supposed to be good for 105 amps. but have an electrician do it
as your insurance won't cover it make a error on your own and your house burns
to the ground to say nothing about possible criminal charges.

Yikes, 6 gauge is not good for 105 amps. It varies, but generally 60 amp



"AZ Nomad" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:44:24 GMT, cold ribs wrote:
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

he doesn't know his ass from his elbo.
Lowering the resistance will increase current draw at a given voltage and
load
resistance.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
lower resistance. more current. more power.

HELP!

It is very simple. The spa is drawing more power than the circuit
breaker will permit. Only three things can cause it:
1) the heater is out of spec, resistance is too low. A controller could
possibly affect this if it is using PWM and the duty cycle is higher.
2) voltage is too high
3) the circuit breaker is triping at a current where it shouldn't.


I'd first replace the breaker with a new one of the same current rating.

With the heavier wire, maybe you can use a breaker of a higher rating? I
wouldn't make such a substitution on my own; an electrician has to do it.
6 guage is supposed to be good for 105 amps. but have an electrician do
it
as your insurance won't cover it make a error on your own and your house
burns
to the ground to say nothing about possible criminal charges.

You need to read the spec label for the spa and find the total amperage.
That will determine the size feeder and breaker necessary. It should also be
protected by a GFCI device. If the circuit breaker that's tripping is a GFCI
breaker, it could be tripping on a ground fault.




"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of 6ga,
which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

HELP!

"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of 6ga,
which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds resistance
and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate an
overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the overload. A
20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the breaker compared to a
60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast, but the thermal trip is slow
and is a function of the degree of overload.

On Feb 4, 11:44*am, cold ribs wrote:
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. *It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. *It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. *No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. *The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? *And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

HELP! *

I ran the no. 8 copper through with my online calculator and it says a
50 amp breaker is maximum and the continuous load is 40 amperes
maximum assuming using 90 degree C insulation on the wire and 75
degrees for the terminations.
With no other information NEC 110.14 says to use the 60 degree
termination rating and this gives a 40 ampere max breaker size and a
32 ampere maximum continuous load fro No. 8 copper.
For No. 6 copper with a 90 degree C insulation and a 60 degree C
termination a 60 ampere breaker is maximum for a 48 ampere continuous
load (three hours or more.)
Your breaker may be tripping because of over heating at the terminals
that is causing the breaker to over heat and trip.
The caculator is at: http://www.electrician2.com/calculat..._1_reverse.htm

REF:
110.14
(a) Termination provisions of equipment for circuits
rated 100 amperes or less, or marked for 14 AWG through
1 AWG conductors, shall be used only for one of the following:
(1) Conductors rated 60°C (140°F).
(2) Conductors with higher temperature ratings, provided the
ampacity of such conductors is determined based on the
60°C (140°F) ampacity of the conductor size used.
(3) Conductors with higher temperature ratings if the equipment
is listed and identified for use with such conductors.
(4) For motors marked with design letters B, C, or D, conductors
having an insulation rating of 75°C (167°F) or
higher shall be permitted to be used, provided the ampacity
of such conductors does not exceed the 75°C
(167°F) ampacity.

"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of 6ga,
which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

HELP!


Is this a GFI circuit breaker? If so, it doesn't take much to trip it.
It's possible that the service guy got something wet inside which would be
enough to trip it. He may have also done something with the neutral and
ground connections when he made the changeout. Since it worked fine before
I'm inclined to think that the service guy is at fault.

Check the installation manual as it usually gives the wiring specifications
to confirm if the wrong wire gauge was used. 60 amps is usually too much
for #8 wire, but I doubt that is what's causing your problem.

"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of 6ga,
which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

HELP!

Replace breaker. If it continues, contact a licensed electrician or spa
tech and have him fix whatever the problem is. The problem could be
electrical, or in the spa brain.

Steve

On Feb 4, 7:58*pm, "SteveB" wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message

news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...





Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. *It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. *It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. *No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. *The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of 6ga,
which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? *And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

HELP! *

Replace breaker. *If it continues, contact a licensed electrician or spa
tech and have him fix whatever the problem is. *The problem could be
electrical, or in the spa brain.

Steve- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


As others have asked, where is the GFCI? Most times, it is at the
breaker. If that's the case, it could be tripping from a ground
fault, not a current overload. I'd carefully inspect for any wet
areas wherever there is electrical connections. That include outside
the spa as well. The undersized wiring is a seperate problem. What
size circuit does the spa documentation say it needs?

Someone wrote:

As others have asked, where is the GFCI? Most times, it is at the
breaker. If that's the case, it could be tripping from a ground
fault, not a current overload. I'd carefully inspect for any wet
areas wherever there is electrical connections. That include outside
the spa as well. The undersized wiring is a seperate problem. What
size circuit does the spa documentation say it needs?

~~~

The documentation recommends 6ga if the spa is more than 150 feet from
the power source - in this case the breaker in the house. He used 8ga.

Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of 6ga,
which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds resistance
and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate an
overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the overload. A
20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the breaker compared to a
60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast, but the thermal trip is slow
and is a function of the degree of overload.



I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it
trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately
switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?

"cold ribs" wrote in message news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate an
overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the overload. A
20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the breaker compared to
a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast, but the thermal trip is
slow and is a function of the degree of overload.

I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it trips
daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately switch
back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?

Have you tried a new breaker yet?

Steve

On Feb 4, 6:24*pm, "RBM" wrote:
Yikes, 6 gauge is not good for 105 amps. It varies, but generally 60 amp

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message

...



On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:44:24 GMT, cold ribs wrote:
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. *It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. *It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. *No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. *The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

he doesn't know his ass from his elbo.
Lowering the resistance will increase current draw at a given voltage and
load
resistance.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? *And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
lower resistance. *more current. *more power.

HELP! *

It is very simple. *The spa is drawing more power than the circuit
breaker will permit. * Only three things can cause it:
*1) the heater is out of spec, resistance is too low. *A controller could
possibly affect this if it is using PWM and the duty cycle is higher.
*2) voltage is too high
*3) the circuit breaker is triping at a current where it shouldn't.

I'd first replace the breaker with a new one of the same current rating.

With the heavier wire, maybe you can use a breaker of a higher rating? *I
wouldn't make such a substitution on my own; *an electrician has to do it.
6 guage is supposed to be good for 105 amps. * but have an electrician do
it
as your insurance won't cover it make a error on your own and your house
burns
to the ground to say nothing about possible criminal charges.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That's why he's so concerned about insurance requirements and criminal
charges !!!

On Feb 4, 3:44*pm, cold ribs wrote:
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. *It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. *It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. *No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. *The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? *And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

HELP! *

As good as all of the other advice is -- esp when not knowing all of
the details -- I think there are other, non-wiring issues you should
explore. The first thing I would do is check for leaks. Make
absolutely sure that you don't have a leak somewhere that is screwing
up your electronics. For example, did the repairman get in there and
shove something around and make a small leak slightly bigger and
thereby cause the additional tripping? Did it dry out during the 2-
day hiatus?

Most hardware stores have boxes (like milk cartons) of stuff to reduce
humidity. Put some of that inside the shell and see how much water it
absorbs -- might indicate a leak. But get inside of there and poke
around a bit.

Of course all of the usual warnings apply like "don't go play with
electricity and water at the same time" so shut off the electricity --
the the worse case is that your drownd.

"cold ribs" wrote in message news:4a_qj.72$qV2.12@trnddc04...
Someone wrote:

As others have asked, where is the GFCI? Most times, it is at the
breaker. If that's the case, it could be tripping from a ground
fault, not a current overload. I'd carefully inspect for any wet
areas wherever there is electrical connections. That include outside
the spa as well. The undersized wiring is a seperate problem. What
size circuit does the spa documentation say it needs?

~~~

The documentation recommends 6ga if the spa is more than 150 feet from the
power source - in this case the breaker in the house. He used 8ga.



There should also have been a disconnect installed near the spa for service
people to kill the power as needed. Is the breaker in the house a GFI
circuit breaker?

John Grabowski wrote:

"cold ribs" wrote in message news:4a_qj.72$qV2.12@trnddc04...
Someone wrote:

As others have asked, where is the GFCI? Most times, it is at the
breaker. If that's the case, it could be tripping from a ground
fault, not a current overload. I'd carefully inspect for any wet
areas wherever there is electrical connections. That include outside
the spa as well. The undersized wiring is a seperate problem. What
size circuit does the spa documentation say it needs?

~~~

The documentation recommends 6ga if the spa is more than 150 feet from
the power source - in this case the breaker in the house. He used 8ga.



There should also have been a disconnect installed near the spa for
service people to kill the power as needed. Is the breaker in the house
a GFI circuit breaker?

There is not - the only breaker is in the house. Also, I have no idea
if it's GFI. How could I tell?

Pat wrote:
On Feb 4, 3:44 pm, cold ribs wrote:
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

HELP!

As good as all of the other advice is -- esp when not knowing all of
the details -- I think there are other, non-wiring issues you should
explore. The first thing I would do is check for leaks. Make
absolutely sure that you don't have a leak somewhere that is screwing
up your electronics. For example, did the repairman get in there and
shove something around and make a small leak slightly bigger and
thereby cause the additional tripping? Did it dry out during the 2-
day hiatus?

Most hardware stores have boxes (like milk cartons) of stuff to reduce
humidity. Put some of that inside the shell and see how much water it
absorbs -- might indicate a leak. But get inside of there and poke
around a bit.

Of course all of the usual warnings apply like "don't go play with
electricity and water at the same time" so shut off the electricity --
the the worse case is that your drownd.

There is no water inside the electrical box at all - no condensation, no
leaks, etc. There is usually some in the "shell" under the spa since,
when it rains, water gets and stays there for a bit.

SteveB wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate an
overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the overload. A
20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the breaker compared to
a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast, but the thermal trip is
slow and is a function of the degree of overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it trips
daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately switch
back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?

Have you tried a new breaker yet?

Steve


I tried at Lowe's and the Home Depot - neither carry a 60amp, 2 pole
Federal Pacific replacement - only up to 50amp. I'll be trying some
local electrical supply places this weekend - presuming there are some
in my area.

"cold ribs" wrote in message news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?

The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate an
overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the overload. A
20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the breaker compared to
a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast, but the thermal trip is
slow and is a function of the degree of overload.

I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it trips
daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately switch
back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?

You are still not providing adequate information to determine anything.
There is a nameplate on the support equipment that should tell you the exact
current draw of the unit. This will determine if the correct size wire was
used. Is the circuit breaker that's tripping a GFCI type breaker? knowing
this would give some possible clues as well.

"cold ribs" wrote in message news:IS5rj.204$qV2.75@trnddc04...
John Grabowski wrote:

"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:4a_qj.72$qV2.12@trnddc04...
Someone wrote:

As others have asked, where is the GFCI? Most times, it is at the
breaker. If that's the case, it could be tripping from a ground
fault, not a current overload. I'd carefully inspect for any wet
areas wherever there is electrical connections. That include outside
the spa as well. The undersized wiring is a seperate problem. What
size circuit does the spa documentation say it needs?

~~~

The documentation recommends 6ga if the spa is more than 150 feet from
the power source - in this case the breaker in the house. He used 8ga.



There should also have been a disconnect installed near the spa for
service people to kill the power as needed. Is the breaker in the house
a GFI circuit breaker?

There is not - the only breaker is in the house. Also, I have no idea if
it's GFI. How could I tell?


It will have a "Test" button on it

RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so. No
big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate an
overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the overload. A
20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the breaker compared to
a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast, but the thermal trip is
slow and is a function of the degree of overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it trips
daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately switch
back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?

You are still not providing adequate information to determine anything.
There is a nameplate on the support equipment that should tell you the exact
current draw of the unit. This will determine if the correct size wire was
used. Is the circuit breaker that's tripping a GFCI type breaker? knowing
this would give some possible clues as well.


The manual that a minimum 30amp breaker should be used. Also,
recommends a minimum of 6ga wire. As mentioned in another post, I don't
know if the breaker is GFCI - how could I look at it and tell?

"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:XV5rj.206$qV2.115@trnddc04...
SteveB wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so.
No big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate
an overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the
overload. A 20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the
breaker compared to a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast,
but the thermal trip is slow and is a function of the degree of
overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it
trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately
switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?

Have you tried a new breaker yet?

Steve
I tried at Lowe's and the Home Depot - neither carry a 60amp, 2 pole
Federal Pacific replacement - only up to 50amp. I'll be trying some local
electrical supply places this weekend - presuming there are some in my
area.
Probably not the best idea to use a 60 since the highest you can fuse #8 at
is 50 amps

RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:XV5rj.206$qV2.115@trnddc04...
SteveB wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so.
No big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate
an overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the
overload. A 20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the
breaker compared to a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast,
but the thermal trip is slow and is a function of the degree of
overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it
trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately
switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?
Have you tried a new breaker yet?

Steve
I tried at Lowe's and the Home Depot - neither carry a 60amp, 2 pole
Federal Pacific replacement - only up to 50amp. I'll be trying some local
electrical supply places this weekend - presuming there are some in my
area.
Probably not the best idea to use a 60 since the highest you can fuse #8 at
is 50 amps


Would there be any potential harm in trying the 50?

RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message news:IS5rj.204$qV2.75@trnddc04...
John Grabowski wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:4a_qj.72$qV2.12@trnddc04...
Someone wrote:

As others have asked, where is the GFCI? Most times, it is at the
breaker. If that's the case, it could be tripping from a ground
fault, not a current overload. I'd carefully inspect for any wet
areas wherever there is electrical connections. That include outside
the spa as well. The undersized wiring is a seperate problem. What
size circuit does the spa documentation say it needs?

~~~

The documentation recommends 6ga if the spa is more than 150 feet from
the power source - in this case the breaker in the house. He used 8ga.


There should also have been a disconnect installed near the spa for
service people to kill the power as needed. Is the breaker in the house
a GFI circuit breaker?
There is not - the only breaker is in the house. Also, I have no idea if
it's GFI. How could I tell?


It will have a "Test" button on it


Ah, no. It's a regular breaker like the others in the house box.

I'm starting to think he cut corners here. WHY, then, would it be
"okay" for a couple years then crap out now regularly?

"cold ribs" wrote in message news:8n6rj.54$qw4.8@trnddc02...
RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IS5rj.204$qV2.75@trnddc04...
John Grabowski wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:4a_qj.72$qV2.12@trnddc04...
Someone wrote:

As others have asked, where is the GFCI? Most times, it is at the
breaker. If that's the case, it could be tripping from a ground
fault, not a current overload. I'd carefully inspect for any wet
areas wherever there is electrical connections. That include outside
the spa as well. The undersized wiring is a seperate problem. What
size circuit does the spa documentation say it needs?

~~~

The documentation recommends 6ga if the spa is more than 150 feet from
the power source - in this case the breaker in the house. He used
8ga.


There should also have been a disconnect installed near the spa for
service people to kill the power as needed. Is the breaker in the
house a GFI circuit breaker?
There is not - the only breaker is in the house. Also, I have no idea
if it's GFI. How could I tell?


It will have a "Test" button on it
Ah, no. It's a regular breaker like the others in the house box.

I'm starting to think he cut corners here. WHY, then, would it be "okay"
for a couple years then crap out now regularly?

Anything is possible. Typically some wet control would cause a GFCI to trip,
but for an oversized Federal Pacific breaker to trip, you must have an
intermittent dead short somewhere. To conform to NEC he would have to have a
disconnect located five feet or more and within site of the tub, and a GFCI
outlet between ten and twenty feet from the tub. Unless the control box has
built in GFCI protection, the feeder or disconnect must have GFCI
protection. Yes, it sounds like he screwed up

"cold ribs" wrote in message news:Ik6rj.51$qw4.16@trnddc02...
RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so.
No big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate
an overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the
overload. A 20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the
breaker compared to a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast,
but the thermal trip is slow and is a function of the degree of
overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it
trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately
switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?

You are still not providing adequate information to determine anything.
There is a nameplate on the support equipment that should tell you the
exact current draw of the unit. This will determine if the correct size
wire was used. Is the circuit breaker that's tripping a GFCI type
breaker? knowing this would give some possible clues as well.
The manual that a minimum 30amp breaker should be used. Also, recommends
a minimum of 6ga wire. As mentioned in another post, I don't know if the
breaker is GFCI - how could I look at it and tell?

You've already determined that it's not a GFCI breaker. If the tub was made
to use a 30 amp circuit, it wouldn't require number 6 wire. Some tubs can be
run at 30 amp or 60 amp, these have jumper settings that get adjusted to the
amperage you are using. Often the documentation doesn't give the exact specs
of the unit, as I've said, that will be found on a nameplate on the control
panel . Look there, for the exact total amperage of the unit

RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message news:Ik6rj.51$qw4.16@trnddc02...
RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so.
No big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate
an overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the
overload. A 20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the
breaker compared to a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast,
but the thermal trip is slow and is a function of the degree of
overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it
trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately
switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?
You are still not providing adequate information to determine anything.
There is a nameplate on the support equipment that should tell you the
exact current draw of the unit. This will determine if the correct size
wire was used. Is the circuit breaker that's tripping a GFCI type
breaker? knowing this would give some possible clues as well.
The manual that a minimum 30amp breaker should be used. Also, recommends
a minimum of 6ga wire. As mentioned in another post, I don't know if the
breaker is GFCI - how could I look at it and tell?

You've already determined that it's not a GFCI breaker. If the tub was made
to use a 30 amp circuit, it wouldn't require number 6 wire. Some tubs can be
run at 30 amp or 60 amp, these have jumper settings that get adjusted to the
amperage you are using. Often the documentation doesn't give the exact specs
of the unit, as I've said, that will be found on a nameplate on the control
panel . Look there, for the exact total amperage of the unit



Actually, here is our spa. Page also has the specs you asked about:

http://www.uscovers.com/spasandsaunas/KB331DX.PDF

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip .... on occasion ......

take the legs off


(sorry G)
Tomes

RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message news:Ik6rj.51$qw4.16@trnddc02...
RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so.
No big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can tolerate
an overload for a period of time depending on the degree of the
overload. A 20% overload is going to take a long time to trip the
breaker compared to a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very fast,
but the thermal trip is slow and is a function of the degree of
overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it
trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately
switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?
You are still not providing adequate information to determine anything.
There is a nameplate on the support equipment that should tell you the
exact current draw of the unit. This will determine if the correct size
wire was used. Is the circuit breaker that's tripping a GFCI type
breaker? knowing this would give some possible clues as well.
The manual that a minimum 30amp breaker should be used. Also, recommends
a minimum of 6ga wire. As mentioned in another post, I don't know if the
breaker is GFCI - how could I look at it and tell?

You've already determined that it's not a GFCI breaker. If the tub was made
to use a 30 amp circuit, it wouldn't require number 6 wire. Some tubs can be
run at 30 amp or 60 amp, these have jumper settings that get adjusted to the
amperage you are using. Often the documentation doesn't give the exact specs
of the unit, as I've said, that will be found on a nameplate on the control
panel . Look there, for the exact total amperage of the unit


Also, on the inside of this new spa brain box, it recommends a minimum
of 6awg wire.

Tomes wrote:
I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip .... on occasion ......

take the legs off


(sorry G)
Tomes




I WAS thinking about getting it a walker. . . ;D

"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Sakrj.3872$0B2.2687@trnddc03...
RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Ik6rj.51$qw4.16@trnddc02...
RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so.
No big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can
tolerate an overload for a period of time depending on the degree of
the overload. A 20% overload is going to take a long time to trip
the breaker compared to a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very
fast, but the thermal trip is slow and is a function of the degree of
overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the
breaker off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days.
Now, it trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't
immediately switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the
day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?
You are still not providing adequate information to determine anything.
There is a nameplate on the support equipment that should tell you the
exact current draw of the unit. This will determine if the correct size
wire was used. Is the circuit breaker that's tripping a GFCI type
breaker? knowing this would give some possible clues as well.
The manual that a minimum 30amp breaker should be used. Also,
recommends a minimum of 6ga wire. As mentioned in another post, I don't
know if the breaker is GFCI - how could I look at it and tell?

You've already determined that it's not a GFCI breaker. If the tub was
made to use a 30 amp circuit, it wouldn't require number 6 wire. Some
tubs can be run at 30 amp or 60 amp, these have jumper settings that get
adjusted to the amperage you are using. Often the documentation doesn't
give the exact specs of the unit, as I've said, that will be found on a
nameplate on the control panel . Look there, for the exact total amperage
of the unit

Actually, here is our spa. Page also has the specs you asked about:

http://www.uscovers.com/spasandsaunas/KB331DX.PDF

OK, well they call for a 50 amp breaker and #6 wire, but the current draw is
less than 40 amps, so despite the abysmal and possibly dangerous wiring job,
it doesn't appear that the problem is the wiring. There is a possibility
that you have a bad main breaker,not likely though, and if you replace it,
use no larger than 50 amps. It's tough because it does run for a time before
it trips. I think you need a decent electrician or hot tub tech to put
meters on it and see exactly what each component is doing to try to find the
problem

RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Sakrj.3872$0B2.2687@trnddc03...
RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Ik6rj.51$qw4.16@trnddc02...
RBM wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:Gb_qj.75$qV2.14@trnddc04...
Charles wrote:
"cold ribs" wrote in message
news:IOKpj.19889$Ou1.14388@trnddc07...
Hi,

I have a spa outside my home. It was installed by a certified
electrician, etc. It used to trip the breaker on occasion (60amp, 2
pole), like if we left the high power jets on for 20 minutes or so.
No big deal.

We just had the main CPU of the spa replaced and now it trips daily,
regardless of jet usage. The guy who put in the new CPU said the
electrician who installed the spa initially used 8ga wire instead of
6ga, which he should have used.

Would this be the main reason for the tripping that used to occur on
occasion? And, if so, why would it trip more frequently now?
The guy who put in the CPU is finger-pointing to get off the hook!

A smaller gage wire could actually reduce tripping since it adds
resistance and thus reduces current flow.

There is more to your problem than can be easily established by the
information you provided.

Duty cycles are perhaps the issue here. Circuit breakers can
tolerate an overload for a period of time depending on the degree of
the overload. A 20% overload is going to take a long time to trip
the breaker compared to a 60% overload. The magnetic trip is very
fast, but the thermal trip is slow and is a function of the degree of
overload.
I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the
breaker off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days.
Now, it trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't
immediately switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the
day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?
You are still not providing adequate information to determine anything.
There is a nameplate on the support equipment that should tell you the
exact current draw of the unit. This will determine if the correct size
wire was used. Is the circuit breaker that's tripping a GFCI type
breaker? knowing this would give some possible clues as well.
The manual that a minimum 30amp breaker should be used. Also,
recommends a minimum of 6ga wire. As mentioned in another post, I don't
know if the breaker is GFCI - how could I look at it and tell?
You've already determined that it's not a GFCI breaker. If the tub was
made to use a 30 amp circuit, it wouldn't require number 6 wire. Some
tubs can be run at 30 amp or 60 amp, these have jumper settings that get
adjusted to the amperage you are using. Often the documentation doesn't
give the exact specs of the unit, as I've said, that will be found on a
nameplate on the control panel . Look there, for the exact total amperage
of the unit
Actually, here is our spa. Page also has the specs you asked about:

http://www.uscovers.com/spasandsaunas/KB331DX.PDF

OK, well they call for a 50 amp breaker and #6 wire, but the current draw is
less than 40 amps, so despite the abysmal and possibly dangerous wiring job,
it doesn't appear that the problem is the wiring. There is a possibility
that you have a bad main breaker,not likely though, and if you replace it,
use no larger than 50 amps. It's tough because it does run for a time before
it trips. I think you need a decent electrician or hot tub tech to put
meters on it and see exactly what each component is doing to try to find the
problem


Great, thanx. Well, they do have new FedPa replacement 50 2 pole
breakers at Home Depot. I'll try that and see if that helps. If not,
it's time for yet another "professional."

On Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:04:06 GMT, cold ribs wrote:

I had the spa off for several days out of frustration - left the breaker
off. Turned it back on, and it was fine for nearly 2 days. Now, it
trips daily. It'll stay when you turn it back on (doesn't immediately
switch back off) on but then trip at some point during the day.

Does this sound like the "thermal trip" you described?

Has water gotten into your circuit breaker box? This happened to ours
a couple of times, when windstorms drove the rain onto the side of the
house and some water found a small hole in the putty plug for the hot
tub power line, and it was enough to get the breaker to trip
repeatedly. After I realized what was going on, I fixed the putty
plug and made sure the entire electrical circuit breaker box was dry,
and the hot tub breaker has been fine ever since. Sometimes a simple
thing like this can wreak serious havoc.

In article ,
wrote:

From what you have posted to date, I would recommend that you not use the tub
at
all, or even run it, until a qualified person comes out and re-does the
wiring
properly. You have undersized wiring and no GFCI. This is nopt a hot tub,
it's a
death trap that has not sprung yet. Your life and your family's are worth
quite
a bit more than having this fixed. It's not even a "maybe".

At the risk of sounding like Floyd, I've been using my Hawkeye spa for
years with no GFCI, and feel quite safe. It was wired by a professional
electrician about fifteen years ago. Spa is fiberglass, piping is
plastic, controls are plastic pushbuttons that rely on compressing air
in tubing to actuate solenoids.

How did we all manage to survive in the days before GFCIs everywhere, I
wonder?

I'm in complete agreement with you, but it is the difference between safe
and extremely safe. Any time a series of malfunctions occurs and someone
dies as a result, is tragic,especially if it was easily avoidable



"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,
wrote:

From what you have posted to date, I would recommend that you not use the
tub
at
all, or even run it, until a qualified person comes out and re-does the
wiring
properly. You have undersized wiring and no GFCI. This is nopt a hot tub,
it's a
death trap that has not sprung yet. Your life and your family's are worth
quite
a bit more than having this fixed. It's not even a "maybe".

At the risk of sounding like Floyd, I've been using my Hawkeye spa for
years with no GFCI, and feel quite safe. It was wired by a professional
electrician about fifteen years ago. Spa is fiberglass, piping is
plastic, controls are plastic pushbuttons that rely on compressing air
in tubing to actuate solenoids.

How did we all manage to survive in the days before GFCIs everywhere, I
wonder?

"RBM" wrote

OK, well they call for a 50 amp breaker and #6 wire, but the current draw
is less than 40 amps, so despite the abysmal and possibly dangerous wiring
job, it doesn't appear that the problem is the wiring. There is a
possibility that you have a bad main breaker,not likely though, and if you
replace it, use no larger than 50 amps. It's tough because it does run for
a time before it trips. I think you need a decent electrician or hot tub
tech to put meters on it and see exactly what each component is doing to
try to find the problem

Some time ago, I suggested trying a new breaker. And if that didn't work,
to call an electrician and/or a spa tekkie to diagnose the problem.

I guess it got lost in all the bull****.

Steve

SteveB wrote:
"RBM" wrote

OK, well they call for a 50 amp breaker and #6 wire, but the current draw
is less than 40 amps, so despite the abysmal and possibly dangerous wiring
job, it doesn't appear that the problem is the wiring. There is a
possibility that you have a bad main breaker,not likely though, and if you
replace it, use no larger than 50 amps. It's tough because it does run for
a time before it trips. I think you need a decent electrician or hot tub
tech to put meters on it and see exactly what each component is doing to
try to find the problem

Some time ago, I suggested trying a new breaker. And if that didn't work,
to call an electrician and/or a spa tekkie to diagnose the problem.

I guess it got lost in all the bull****.

Steve


Heh. No, it wasn't. I picked on up today and will try it tomorrow.

cold ribs wrote:
SteveB wrote:
"RBM" wrote

OK, well they call for a 50 amp breaker and #6 wire, but the current
draw is less than 40 amps, so despite the abysmal and possibly
dangerous wiring job, it doesn't appear that the problem is the
wiring. There is a possibility that you have a bad main breaker,not
likely though, and if you replace it, use no larger than 50 amps.
It's tough because it does run for a time before it trips. I think
you need a decent electrician or hot tub tech to put meters on it and
see exactly what each component is doing to try to find the problem

Some time ago, I suggested trying a new breaker. And if that didn't
work, to call an electrician and/or a spa tekkie to diagnose the problem.

I guess it got lost in all the bull****.

Steve

Heh. No, it wasn't. I picked on up today and will try it tomorrow.

Well, got a brand new 50amp FedPac breaker. I hadn't done anything that
before but it wasn't bad at all. So far, about 8 hours no, no tripping. . .

In article ,
wrote:

On Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:49:47 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

A lot of people
were killed.

Cite?

Well, gee, I guess nobody ever got electrocuted in places with both
electricity
and water. I guess that's why no one ever bothered to invent GFCI protection,
and it has never become part of electrical codes anywhere in the world. Go
cite
yourself.

That's what I thought, you're just imagining things. The real truth is,
the number of people who are killed by electrocution in this country, by
120 VAC, in their homes, is negligibly small. You said "a lot of people
were killed" before GFCIs. That simply isn't true. More people die by
tripping and falling down on *level ground* than get electrocuted in
their home. My "smugness" as you called it, is actually based on
scientific fact.

Well, thank you everyone. A brand new 50amp breaker seems to have taken
care of the problem!