I have a dedicated 50 amp 240 v circuit to a hot tub. Had it over 15 yrs no problems. Recently the GFCI that was in the sub panel would buzz and then trip or sometimes work just fine after resetting. The GFCI was an old one that had the 240 v wires running through a hole in the back…these are not used anymore. I bought a new one that goes into the main panel that feeds the sub panel. It has a center white ground wire that goes to the main ground. The circuit going to the hot tub has red, black, and white. In the main panel the white wire is connected to the main ground bus. When I connect the white from the new GFCI it trips the breaker. Is that because I need to take the white wire from the hot tub and connect it directly to the center lug in the new GFCI circuit breaker instead of the bus and then the pigtail from the GFCI to the ground bus? To me that makes sense and would stop the tripping. Please advise as these new GFCI are a bit different than 20 years ago.
New GFCI to replace one that was in the subpanel of a hot tub
240vgfcigroundinghot-tub
Related Solutions
Yes, you can add an insulated ground bar in the can (you should be able to get one specifically designed for your particular can, but here's what they look like):
.. and then connect it to the other ground bar using a piece of #4 AWG (solid bare copper, or stranded THHN insulated) assuming you're still at 200 amps. This guarantees that the green bonding screw that's actually bonding your neutral on the other bar will affect both bars if it is removed. It's common to add these for isolated grounds, where they're connected to a different ground altogether instead of the other bar.
Note - the one you buy may come with its own bonding screw, and the appropriate tapped hole to receive it - so check for that prior to connecting the two together (IOW, read the installation notes that came with it).
The correct answer is to call an electrician.....and get rid of that second GFCI. If you are on a forum wondering why you are getting shocked when touching the water, you really shouldn't be doing that electrical youself. Call a professional and have it done right.
Best Answer
Yes, you need to connect the white from the hot tub panel to the gfci breaker, and the pigtail from the breaker to the neutral bus.