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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163 responses to “Pool Pump Trips Breaker / GFCI”

Olga

May 13, 2017

We just moved in to a house with a pool th ighys we’re working properly until the last two days the gfi breaker keeps shutting off???

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  May 14, 2017
  
  Have you followed any of the tips in the article?
  
  Reply
Jim L

May 10, 2017

I have had a pool for 30years. When I started the pool this year, the two year old pump ran for about 8 hours and then the GFI breaker tripped. I restarted and the pump ran for about two hours and then the breaker tripped. This variable time for the breaker to trip went on for a few days. Impeller seemed to turn easily when I tried to move by hand. I finally changed the breaker and same result. I had decided I needed a new motor. When I finally took the motor and impeller apart I found a small rock that was bouncing around in the impeller compartment. I removed the rock, put everything back together and the pump is now running fine.

Reply
Stephanie

April 24, 2017

My breaker box located at the pump got wet. In reading your comments I see that it can cause it to trip. It’s running fine now on “filter”, but when I switch it to “backwash” it works a sec a trips. The power box for the switch is right beside my pump. It never trips the big breaker on the house, just the one beside it. Why would it only trip on backwash? Do I need to let it dry out some more?

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  April 26, 2017
  
  Does the waste water from your backwash splash on the pump or electrical components? Is your making any unusual noises during regular filtering or when you backwash?
  
  Also, try putting the pump on a different breaker. If backwashing doesn’t trip the new breaker then the original breaker may have been the issue.
  
  Reply
Brandon

April 15, 2017

I have an indoor pool and the breaker keeps flipping after replacing the motor multiple times. Any ideas?

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  April 18, 2017
  
  Have you checked the voltage of the lines coming from the breaker? Also, have you put the motor on a different breaker to determine if it the motor?
  
  Reply
John

March 26, 2017

I have and outdoor circuit breaker . had the filter pump and booster pump all night shocking the water. Woke up this morning the booster breaker was off but everything else was not off but not working. I turned the booster back on but there is no current anywhere not even the display. I turned all circuit breakers off then back on still no current anywhere. If I change only the booster breaker, the only one off would it all get back to work?

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  March 27, 2017
  
  I am having following the issue. Which items were off and breakers were tripped, and which were not tripped?
  
  Reply
Vett y

March 6, 2017

My pool stop working change the breaker I went to turn the timer on the breaker that I change the timer thinking that was the problem and it still makes the breaker trip I change the Outlet GFCI and the breaker still Trip no motor pump does not come on do you think it’s the capacitor or the motor

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  March 7, 2017
  
  If it was the capacitor the motor would likely not turn on without flipping the breaker, or it would hum when power was applied. You can test the capacitor by following the instructions at the bottom of this article: Using the Proper Test Equipment to Troubleshoot Pool Motors
  
  Reply
Jr

February 2, 2017

A read all the post and did what I read . Pump trips the breaker as soon as I turn it on. Mind pool was working fine for the last couple years. I check the imprellear and its fine the motor spines so it’s not stuck. What can I do? I shocked and cleaned connections tested again and same no results.

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  February 7, 2017
  
  So you have changed breakers? Checked the wires ends for correct voltage coming from the breaker? Changed the wires?
  
  If you have truly done everything other than change the motor, then you probably just need to change the motor.
  
  Reply
2. Jd
  
  June 20, 2020
  
  My breaker kept tripping and I think that I didn’t have the shaft seal inserted correctly.
  
  Reply
  1. Jd
    
    June 20, 2020
    
    I had taken it apart and put it back together and breaker started tripping. I’m still not sure but that was one possible reason a rep gave me hear. Evidently those shaft seals must be put in 100% correctly or it’s an issue.
    
    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons
      
      September 1, 2020
      
      If the shaft seal is not inserted correctly, you would see a evidence of a water leak forming under your pump. I haven’t heard of the shaft seal causing this problem unless the water leeches down the shaft and corrupts the motor’s internals.
      
      Reply
Bob

August 20, 2016

Hello. I replaced my pool motor and changed the voltage to 110 in error. It turned on for about 10 seconds then tripped the breaker. I changed the pump switch back to 220v, but the breaker won’t reset. Did I fry my motor or do I need to replace the breaker? Thank you in advance.

Reply
1. Bob
  
  August 20, 2016
  
  Update: I replaced the breaker and all is well.
  
  Reply
2. Matthew Simmons
  
  August 22, 2016
  
  When you say, the breaker will not reset, is the switch locked in place does trip immediately? If it is locked, that sounds like a breaker problem, instead of a motor issue. Try changing the breaker.
  
  Reply
Mike Scott

August 18, 2016

Hey Matthew
I have a Hayward PSC2100. It has run well for as long as I’ve owned the house. A few days ago I couldn’t get the filter pump to run. The water feature pump runs fine. After testing fuses a bond the pump itself, I removed the circuit board and found that the back of the board had a burnt spot on one of the lower fuse connector spot. I cleaned the spot out then resoldered it. Put a new fuse and it ran for around three hours but then it popped the spot again actually blowing my solder joint and burning again. Any idea why this would be happening? I rather fix this than spend 2k on a prologic.
Thanks. Mike

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  August 19, 2016
  
  Mike,
  That is a tough one, this may be a better question for Inyo’s Forum because we have some electrical savants over there. You may also want to post pictures of the unit and the problem area to help them figure out the issue.
  
  Reply
John H

August 17, 2016

On the pump motor cord. The GFCI on the outlet works fine. It’s the fat plug on the end of the pump cord that has the two buttons, one is test the other is reset. I always have to press the reset every time i turn off the power.

it used to work fine, now it doesn’t so I have to manually turn on the pump and keep it on until; I turn it off. I used to run it on teh cheap timer the intex sand filter pump has built in and wanted to have that switch on all teh time and work the pump off a adjustable timer I got. Every time the power goes out the pump doesn’t auto restart when I had it in the timer posirtion, thanks.

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  August 19, 2016
  
  GFCIs can go bad whether they are wall mounted or in a cord, I would try it with a different cable to see how that works out. you may also want to use a thicker gauge cable to make sure the motor is not pulling too many amps.
  
  Reply