50 amp GFCI breaker for Hot Tub

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kda3310

kda3310

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Dry Prong, Louisiana
I have hooked up a GFCI breaker before but, not a 240 GFCI breaker. The house has a 50 amp GFCI disconnect already there with two legs of hot, neutral and grounding. Here is my problem. The hot tub is single phase 240 with a grounding bar. No neutral. So that's how I hooked it up. No neutral running to the breaker. I turned it on and it works. Is the occupants safe with out having something hooked to the neutral on the GFCI breaker to read the unbalanced load?
 
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GoldDigger

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Since there is no neutral, the only way there can be an unbalanced load is if there is a ground fault. That will properly trip the GFCI breaker.
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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As long as the line side neutral from the breaker is working the gfci will work fine. You must have the neutral from the breaker to the neutral bar connected. The load does not need a neutral
 
kda3310

kda3310

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Location
Dry Prong, Louisiana
Yes, that is what I am trying say. On a single phase 120 GFCI it reads the hot and nutral and trips if it is unbalanced or I guess you may say a differential between the two. So on a 240 GFCI does it read between the two hot only or does it calculate for the unbalanced load on the neutral? I am thinking the way I hooked it up is fine. Just want to see what others have to say about it.
 
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GoldDigger

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The two pole GFCI breaker is see up so that all three conductors (two hot and one neutral) pass through one current transformer. If there is no current through the neutral, then it is not necessary to connect it through the breaker. :)
 
Sierrasparky

Sierrasparky

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Electrician ,contractor
Dennis Alwon said:
I believe that the breaker will read an imbalance on the 2 conductors if a neutral load is not present.
Click to expand...

Generally only if the unbalance goes somewhere other than the two lines and Neutral. If there is no fault to ground or somewhere other than the conductors supplying the load the spa.

For instance a spa will have both 120v and 240 loads. Spa GFCI's do not trip when only 240 loads are utilized.
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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Sierrasparky said:
Got me there not Dennis.
I think you know what I meant.
If a non faulted 240v load is used it should not trip. :cool:
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Seriously I don't understand what you are saying. I thought you were saying that a gfci without a neutral would not trip on ground fault. Now I am not sure what you are saying
 
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GoldDigger

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All that he is saying is that an unfaulted 240 load will not trip a GFCI whether a neutral is run to it or not.
Now, interestingly, if a 240-only load somehow faulted to the neutral, it would not trip the GFCI as long as that neutral is also run through the GFCI.
 
Sierrasparky

Sierrasparky

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USA
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Electrician ,contractor
Dennis Alwon said:
Seriously I don't understand what you are saying. I thought you were saying that a gfci without a neutral would not trip on ground fault. Now I am not sure what you are saying
Click to expand...


OK I will try again. The GFCI will work on a 240v only load with no Nuetral attached. I will trip on a fault hot to ground.

is that more clear. :thumbsup:
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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Sierrasparky said:
OK I will try again. The GFCI will work on a 240v only load with no Nuetral attached. I will trip on a fault hot to ground.

is that more clear. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Yes that is clear but I guess I was unclear why you quoted me. I know that the gfci will do that but I guess you thought my post was limited to what I stated-
 
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LeeLee

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Location
NY
"For instance a spa will have both 120v and 240 loads. Spa GFCI's do not trip when only 240 loads are utilized."

The poster said there was no neutral in the spa. Would a spa maker really not put in a neutral when the spa also has 120V loads,instead relying on the ground to carry neutral current? Sounds ridiculous for a wet environment. Maybe this particular spa doesn't have any 120V loads(lighting,etc)?
 
Sierrasparky

Sierrasparky

Senior Member
Location
USA
Occupation
Electrician ,contractor
LeeLee said:
"For instance a spa will have both 120v and 240 loads. Spa GFCI's do not trip when only 240 loads are utilized."

The poster said there was no neutral in the spa. Would a spa maker really not put in a neutral when the spa also has 120V loads,instead relying on the ground to carry neutral current? Sounds ridiculous for a wet environment. Maybe this particular spa doesn't have any 120V loads(lighting,etc)?
Click to expand...

There are spas out there without neutral loads.
 
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