Wiring Hot Tub

[hutch6447]

Hi been over to view job and its a 3 wire configuration for the hot tub which is already wired in, now the customer say's it keeps tripping when I looked the hot tub was wired into the garage consumer unit.

Now I have limited experience on hot tubs but I thought it had to go on its own circuit and have a gfci circuit breaker to stop false tripping but as I said this is just wired into garage consumer unit, customer said it worked for a while but now constantly trips.

I have had a look around and there are no loose connections or shorts going on.

Has anyone got experience that would help?

 

[Engineer54]

What do you mean by ''3 Wire Configuration'' and are you saying that the hot tub is presently without any RCD protection??? Oh ....And what is actually tripping??

 

[Guest123]

You need to clarify a couple of things as by your terminology it sounds like an American set up???

 

[Engineer54]

You need to clarify a couple of things as by your terminology it sounds like an American set up???

Exactly my thinking!! lol!!

 

[needasparks]

Had me confused with the term till i googled, trust the yanks to give an rcd a bigger name.

 

[Guest123]

Also what exactly is tripping.....MCB, RCD etc???

Do you have test instruments??

 

[hutch6447]

Yes it is RCD protected sorry just called it that because of the info about it on net, its the circuit breaker that is tripping. Has anyone got a wiring diagram for a typical British hot tub and could it be the heating motor that is tripping it?

 

[needasparks]

If it is the MCB Or circuit breaker you refer and not an rcd then it would appear to be over current. There are a few things that may be the reason but all of which do require a test meter of some description to make a diagnosis. sounds like time for ringing a local sparks to give it a going over for you.

Edit

Just seen your post as a sparks. don't understand why your asking this.

 

[stef]

Could be the circulation pump, could be a heater element, could be a faulty cable, wiring ...

 

[Mark_Burgess]

Can you give us details like the rating of the MCB, cable sizes etc?

 

[Guest123]

Yes it is RCD protected sorry just called it that because of the info about it on net, its the circuit breaker that is tripping. Has anyone got a wiring diagram for a typical British hot tub and could it be the heating motor that is tripping it?

Well, if it is RCD protected and it is the circuit breaker that is tripping then it leads me to overloading or L-N short circuit.

 

[hutch6447]

Yeah cable is 6mm cable and its on a 20A breaker, know cable will easily take a 32a MCB its wired into the garage consumer unit which has its own rcd ( this gfci ******** was on all the instructions and downloads he gave me.

Going to run a dedicated circuit in 6mm cable there is a spare way at the main board so it will be rcd protected and put on a 32 amp Mcb but before this is there anyway that the hot tub can be tested to see if it is the heating element that is tripping it?

 

[stef]

Well, does it trip straight away? Can you switch off the heaters, does it still trip? Can you switch off the pump, does it still trip? If that is so then ckeck the supply cable, as Lenny suspects a dead short circuit, this might very well be the case.

 

[hutch6447]

ok yes happy with that got a feeling that the hot tub was an import.

 

[Guest123]

Yeah cable is 6mm cable and its on a 20A breaker, know cable will easily take a 32a MCB its wired into the garage consumer unit which has its own rcd ( this gfci ******** was on all the instructions and downloads he gave me.

Going to run a dedicated circuit in 6mm cable there is a spare way at the main board so it will be rcd protected and put on a 32 amp Mcb but before this is there anyway that the hot tub can be tested to see if it is the heating element that is tripping it?

I cant help but feel you are short changing us with info here.

Do you have the manufacturers instructions that accompanied the hot tub???

If so does it give the maximum design current current for the hot tub and does it recommend an overcurrent device for it??? Does the currently installed device match up to requirements??? Is it infact the RCD (GFCI) that trips???

Can you shed a bit more light please.

 

[Strima]

Did some of these hot tub not require their own TT putting in as well?

 

[needasparks]

Measuring the resistance of the heater and clamping it if need be may shed light.
Your saying a three wire system do you mean the supply to it (inc earth) or the feed splits into two live feeds with a shared nuetral (making3)

 

[hutch6447]

its the MCB that trips.

 

[hutch6447]

no its just a normal supply L-N-E thinks what people have said I think itsthe heating element tripping it.

 

[stef]

Hard water, the friendly hot tub repair man suggests Calgon:wink5: seriously, probably corroded to death, causing a short circuit to earth.