Pool Pump Trips Breaker / GFCI

December 8, 2014

3 Minute Read

Electrical problems can be among the most mysterious and frustrating that pool owners experience. They are also dangerous to the untrained DIYer so great caution – or a licensed electrician – is required when attempting to diagnose. Here are the most common reasons we see when it comes to pool pumps tripping.

Moisture

GFCIs are quite sensitive to moisture so if your breaker trips after a storm, you might just need to let the sun do its thing for a day or two. If it’s not summer, you can probably just leave the pump off for a day and try again once everything has had a chance to dry. In the summertime, you can still get by with your pump not running for one or two days but it will require some extra chlorine (shock) and manual circulation with a pole or paddle a couple of times per day.

Keep in mind that rain isn’t the only possible source of water. A misdirected sprinkler, spray from power washing, even high humidity can affect a GFCI.

Bad or Wrong Breaker

Sometimes breakers just fail due to age or inferior quality. If the problem does not appear to be with your pump and/or motor, try replacing the breaker.

You could also have the wrong size breaker if you recently bought a new pump or motor that was not an exact match to the previous model. Confirm you have the correct breaker size by checking how many amps the new motor requires.

Short in Pump

You might be able to spot an obvious pump motor short by disconnecting power and taking off the motor end cap. Make sure all wiring is properly connected and nothing appears obstructed or burnt. Insects who decide your motor makes a really cozy home can create an electrical short by blocking contacts.

Wrong Voltage

Most complete pumps and replacement motors leave the factory set at 230v to prevent installers from accidentally running 230 volts to a motor that is set to 115v. This has saved many motors from premature frying but it also results in many confused homeowners. Typically in this scenario, the pump will initially come on, then shut down, repeat. Check to see which voltage your motor is set to and what voltage you have running to it.

A Quick Fix

One quick thing to check is if the “reset” button on the GFCI simply needs to be pressed back in. If the GFCI trips, then you will need to press the reset button to restore electricity back to your equipment. Watch this helpful GFCI outlet video for more details.

Always remember that addressing electrical issues requires proper knowledge and safety precautions. If you are in any doubt, enlist the help of a qualified pool professional.

Matthew Simmons Technical Writer & Pool Product Expert

Swimming pool expert at InyoPools and host of Poolside Chat, brings over a decade of experience in the pool industry.

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Troubleshooting Topics

Controls / Automation

Chlorinators

Skimmers / Drains

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163 responses to “Pool Pump Trips Breaker / GFCI”

GREG

July 1, 2016

Thank you in advance of any advice you can give me. I have breaker that operates a single line going to a GFCI attached to my deck, and then continues to run to a pole with another GFCI to operate my pool pump, which also has a GFCI built into the plug itself. When I plug into the GFCI on the pole the pool pump never trips, but when I attach an outdoor timer to have the pump come on at specific times, it ALWAYS trips but ONLY at the pool plug GFCI that is built in. Can you please help me figure why and what I may need to do (if anything can be done)? Also, I considered cutting off pool pump plug end and attaching a normal plug to it. Considering I would still have two GFCI to protect the pump, can this be done? Thanks!

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  July 4, 2016
  
  Greg, I am just a tinkerer and not an electrician so your problem is a little over my head. But maybe if you pose you question in our Forum, maybe one of our wiring guys can take a look at it.
  
  Reply
2. David
  
  August 8, 2020
  
  Greg, did you ever get this resolved? I’m having that exact issue right now. I have a time plugged into a GFCI at the house, then an extension cord to the pump. The pump has the GFCI built into the cord. Without the timer, no issues. With the timer, pump’s cord GFCI trips with ever on/off cycle.
  
  Reply
Mike

June 30, 2016

I have an aquarite salt chlorine system. The power and generate lights were not coming on and pool was turning green. I purchased the quarter sized resistor thing from digikey and had it saudered on by a computer technician. He noted some burned marks on the board around the resistor and another area. I reinstalled the board and as soon as I turn on the pump it trips the breaker (runs for about a second then trips it). This was not happening before. Do you think this could be the PCB board? It was burnt before but the capacitor thing was broke so it didn’t trip. Now capacitor thing is fixed so burnt marks are causing the breaker to trip?
I would troubleshoot pump and breaker but none of that was the issue before. Fuse is not blown either. Thank you for your time

Reply
1. Mike
  
  July 1, 2016
  
  Never mind. It was the recent rain. Just needed to let the sun do its thing for awhile.
  
  Reply
Paul

June 30, 2016

Hi, we just purchased a 1.5 HP In-Ground Pool Pump With Strainer Basket Dual Voltage 110V/220V and when we installed it it trips the breakers for the whole house. What are we doing wrong? Please help.

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  June 30, 2016
  
  Just to get confirmation, is it flipping all the breakers in the breaker box or just the single breaker the pump is connected to?
  
  Reply
Anonymous

June 28, 2016

breaker trips when I turn it on and pump hums what’s my problem

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  June 28, 2016
  
  Test your breaker, and your motor’s capacitor to determine which one is bad.
  
  Reply
Schelly

February 25, 2016

I was wondering if you know of any way to better insulate an outdoor breaker. Our electrician installed an emergency breaker (as required by law for an outdoor spa) within the specified distance from the spa. It looks like he did a good job. It is inside a metal box with a hinged cover. The spa works fine and stays on until we have a big temperature shift during the night. (If you have ever lived in Texas, you know this occurs quite frequently during our twice a year shift in seasons from summer to winter and back to summer). I know the breaker is tripping because of the moisture in the air during these shifts (usually around 35 degree shift within a 6-7 hour time frame).
We had the electrician come back out to check it, and he said it was most likely this moisture, or condensation causing the problem and there was really nothing to be done about it.
I would love to hear if you have any insight on possible solutions to this. Thank you

Reply
Nathan Bell

December 1, 2015

Hi, I have an outdoor pool and when I plug it into my garage it trips the breaker. But when I plug it into a GFCI outlet inside my house using an extension cord it works fine.. obviously this isn’t safe so if anyone has any ideas as to what is wrong please reply.

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  December 8, 2015
  
  Hello, Nathan, with the facts you gave me it sounds like there is an issue with the breaker tied to the plug in your garage. Have you tried changing the breaker? Also, just as a precaution, test your GFCI to make sure it is working properly. It may not be tripping because it is faulty too.
  
  Reply
Michael

November 24, 2015

I have a Hayward Super Pump and it’s about 4.5 years old. I was away on vacation for 3 weeks and I had the pump turned off during the time. When I got back last week I turned it on but it tried to run a second or two and trips breaker. My breaker box is inside garage so there is no moisture problem. Can anyone help?

Thanks

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  November 25, 2015
  
  The first thing I would do is put the motor on a different breaker; this will help you isolate the issue, whether it be motor or breaker related. Once you figure out which is bad, then the real troubleshooting begins.
  
  If you put the motor on the new breaker and it doesn’t flip, then you would replace the busted breaker and be done with it. If you switch the motor to a different breaker, and it still flips then you have a motor issue that requires a deeper look.
  
  Is there any humming/buzzing from the motor, before it trips?
  
  Reply
  1. Eduatdo
    
    August 28, 2016
    
    I have a motor that does that buzzing noise and when it does I turn the shafts little and the motor goes on but after an ahore or so it trips off . And l have to wait for buzzing noise to turn shaft again .. what do you think the problem is ?
    
    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons
      
      August 30, 2016
      
      A few people have had that problem on this article thread. The problem is almost always a bad capacitor, which is a very easy fix. Find the capacitor on your motor, match the rating to a cap on either one of these lists: Start Capacitors or Run Capacitors.
      
      Here is a guide that will walk you through installation: How To Replace a Pool Pump Capacitor
      
      Reply
  2. Vicki
    
    September 5, 2016
    
    Mine has the humming/buzzing before it trips, most of the time.
    
    Reply
  3. Dan
    
    July 11, 2018
    
    I have the same issue. Its dry as a bone here and the pump humms for about 10 secs then trips the breakers. I let it sit a day and same but it did start finally and the pump runs fine once it starts??
    
    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons
      
      July 19, 2018
      
      Did you do any of the troubleshooting mentioned in the article, first? In situations like these, not everyone’s pool equipment is the same. It always helps to give some insight into what you have already checked for, so time is spent suggesting troubleshoot methods that have already been covered.
      
      Reply
2. Mike in wisconsin
  
  May 29, 2018
  
  I plugged mine into a non gfci outlet in the house Got the heater to work and fire up. Once it bakes out water residue plug it back into the gfci again.
  
  Reply
crork fiverr

September 27, 2015

Thank you for your blog.Really thank you! Really Cool.

Reply
Too much rain

July 18, 2015

Mine has tripped after every major storm in Louisville this summer(making me think it’s directly caused by the rain). But didn’t trip at all the prior two years, and we had similar big storms. I haven’t changed anything with the system this year… HFCs is only three years old- any ideas? Thanks!

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  July 20, 2015
  
  The first thing that came to mind was, water getting in somewhere to pop the circuit. When you first open the breaker box after a rain do you see any residual water? Or have you tried checking the wire/conduit going to your pool equipment for open wires or cracked insulation?
  
  Reply
  1. Noah
    
    July 8, 2017
    
    Hello Matthew. I recently installed a intex pool and up graded the pump with sand filter. I also put in a salt water Eco system. I ran 2 12-3 electrical cables in the attic and installed a dual pole 15amp breaker for each unit. The plug s are in the attic and out of the elements so I just used the gfi plugs that came with the units.
    
    I have the units inside a weather proof cabinet away from the pool. The filter pump will run on selected time as required but it trips its protection breaker at the plug. Is the pump getting hot and doing this? or do I have the wrong breaker? I did the math and the pump pulls 4.6amps and a 15amp breaker should provide the power as required? Please help as this is driving me nuts…
    
    Best regards,
    Noah
    
    Reply
  2. Kathy
    
    May 27, 2019
    
    Our pump stopped working..we opened the plug water ran out..so we are waiting for it to dry out. We can’t open the top part of the plug. We need a weird screwdriver.
    
    Reply
    1. Anonymous
      
      June 9, 2019
      
      Use an extractor set. Use smallest bit, a couple hammer taps the remove.
      
      Reply
2. Rosie
  
  May 2, 2017
  
  I am having the same problem in Louisville. It think my breaker box got soaked. Can you shed any light on what you did to fix problem. Last big rain really kill both of my pumps. Good lord it never ends.
  
  Reply
3. Laban
  
  June 13, 2018
  
  I am having the exact same issue. The pump only trips the GFCI when it rains. I’ve check all components of the electrical circuit and the rest of the pool. Issue only occurs with the pump plugged in.
  
  Reply
  1. Matthew Simmons
    
    June 14, 2018
    
    Rain is reaching the circuit somehow. It is not a coincidence the pump is tripping only when it rains. I would call an electrician to find the issue.
    
    Or buy the pump an umbrella. 🙂
    
    Reply
    1. Anonymous
      
      April 15, 2021
      
      I called 2 electricians and they didn’t find anything wrong and all my motors have cases
      
      Reply
      1. Matthew Simmons
        
        April 16, 2021
        
        I’m sorry, but I am not sure what else I could tell you to check if two professional electricians inspected the site and came up with nothing. Working blind to find an electrical fault is not the easiest thing to do.
        
        Short of rewiring the circuits and switching out a breaker I don’t know what you could do besides replacing the motors.
Lorna Berkshire

July 14, 2015

Hey, thanks for the blog.Really thank you! Cool.

Reply
1. Don
  
  November 29, 2020
  
  I bought a brand new pb4-60 Polaris booster pump to Replace my old Pentair booster pump. Both pumps run 230 or 115 But the new Polaris pump trips the breaker immediately when I turn it on. I have no idea what’s going on?
  
  Reply
  1. Matthew Simmons
    
    December 3, 2020
    
    The PB460 can run on 115 or 230 voltage, but the motor has to be set to the specific voltage you are using. The motor is set to accept 230 voltage during the manufacturing process. If your original pump was running 115, you would need to switch the new pump motor to that setting. We have a guide on how to wire a pool pump; give it a look: How To Wire A Pool Pump
    
    Reply