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Nothing against electricians, or otherwise knowledgeable
do it yourselfer's, but the number one problem with situations of this type is a mis-installation
of the GFCI.
Even the most experienced veterans of the electrical
trade can make this mistake from time to time.
Please don't make the common mistake of assuming that
all is perfect with the installation since you paid in excess of 300-1000 dollars to have it done,
as you MUST visually check it first before you can say "It's done RIGHT!".
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220 Volt Spa Installation
Most 220 Volt spas require a GFCI that has Neutral
protection capability. This type of GFCI will have three power line outputs, and a white
"pigtail" line that must be connected to the neutral bus of the circuit breaker box.
Most common errors are:
- Connecting the Neutral pigtail to the Neutral Line
going to the spa.
- Connecting the
Neutral Line going to the spa to the Neutral bus, (along with the pigtail from the
GFCI).
If this isn't the problem, then here's a classic
one:
- Connecting the neutral line coming from the GFCI to
the ground at the outside power disconnect box, or, possibly connecting it to the ground input at
the spa. Remember, the Neutral Line and the Ground Line MUST remain isolated from each
other all the way to the power input of the spa control system.
-
Reversing the Ground and Neutral lines at the remote disconnect box.
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110 Volt Spa Installation
If you have a single pole GFCI breaker providing power
to the spa, then check the neutral line installation (as in a 220 Volt spa above) first. If
everything is correct, then proceed below:
If you have terminated the 110 Volt line to a standard
outlet at the spa, be sure that the hot (normally black) line is connected to the hot line of the
outlet - (gold tone screw); Neutral is connected to the neutral side of the outlet - (silver tone
screw); and that the ground line is connected to the bottome ground screw, sometimes green in
color. Also ensure that the neutral line hasn't been reversed with ground.
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