Why would my GFi on my spa disconnect trip every time I turn it on?

Question

Put a new heater element in the heater tube. I re-connected all the wires and now when I set the breaker it instantly trips!

Answer 1

There are 3 possibilities:
1) You have a ground fault (wire reconnected improperly, shorted to ground or ground missing)

2) The new heater is not identical to the one that you replaced and is pulling more amps than the breaker is rated for (a GFI breaker is STILL a breaker)

3) The breaker is possibly faulty. GFI breakers are not as "robust" as "plain old breakers". In time, they have a tendency to trip easier.

On a high note, the GFI breaker is there to protect you. It is doing it's job. Whatever you do, find and correct the problem BEFORE using your spa.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Double check your wiring connections and make sure they are correct. It is also possible that you got a bad heater element out of the box. Check it with a continuity meter.

Answer 3

That GFCI is there to protect you against voltage going to ground through a short or a poorly insulated or damp wire. It is trying to keep you from killing yourself. Go back and recheck the wiring carefully, looking for incorrect connections or poorly insulated joints or frayed wires or strands sticking out.

Answer 4

in addition to what people are saying, you could also have a small current leak to ground and hence the tripping, double check your connections, make sure you did not nick any wires

Answer 5

You have a short to ground. Period. probably wired it backwards

Answer 6

Ground problem, or something is getting wet.

Answer 7

if it has a ozonater try to unplug it and try again