Pool Pump Tripping Breaker?

Pool Pump Trips Breaker / GFCI

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.

MoistureBlog Image - Water Drop (200 x 200)

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 BreakerBlog Image - Breaker (200 x 200)

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 FixBlog Image - GFCI (200 x 200)

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.

163 thoughts on “Pool Pump Trips Breaker / GFCI

  1. Correction to my post above. What I meant to say is that the extension cord is plugged into a GFCI outlet and doesn’t trip the outlet. It’s not running from the breaker so of course the breaker wouldn’t trip. Sorry

  2. Last week my above ground pool pump began tripping the breaker. I have a dedicated breaker with an underground line to a dedicated outlet. Pump is 2hp 2 speed 115v Waterway. I had an electrician come out, changed breaker and outlet box. Checked wires no short. Also bought new pump. Old pump was 5 yrs old. Pump is still tripping the breaker. I did a bypass test and connected pump to extension cord and plugged into an outdoor outlet. Pump runs fine and doesn’t trip breaker. Any suggestions?? I’m at a loss.

  3. Hi I have a Aqualink rs one touch outdoor panel and a jandy one touch indoor panel, yesterday my pool filter was on and then I shut off the pool side from my main house breaker(due to an outdoor light being installed), and when I turned the breaker back on, my pool filter is not turning on, No power to either outdoor or indoor panel (no lights are lighting up in either one so I’m assuming no power) . The only power I see available is to the gfci on the side of the outdoor panel but It doesn’t do anything when I push reset. What could be the problem? I know I should’ve turned off the pool first but it slipped my mind and now this mess is happening. Any help would be appreciated.

  4. Pump keeps popping the breaker outside, switched to a different breaker, it popped that one. Moved pump to inside and it pops the gfi in the garage. Took the pump to the pool store and it works fine. Any suggestions?

    1. Also let me add that all outlets have been checked. 124 volts and the pump itself is set on the inside at the factory preset of 115 volts.

      1. These breakers you are testing the pump on at your house, what is their amp load rating? Look on your motor label to find the amp draw of the motor. The go check to see how many other devices were on and operating on the breakers when you added the pump to them.

        It could be you were overloading the breakers that were not able to handle the extra draw.

  5. I just got thru checking why my GFCI kept tripping . hot tub that is.
    first checked the GFCI first, it was okay.
    Than checked all wiring connections, Found a couple of loose ones, tighten them .
    Next unhooked the pumps and the heater. Turned the GFCI to on.
    Computer came on and went thru its program. Connected the heater first , no problem.
    Connected pump 2, no problem. Connected pump 1, started the pump and tripped.
    Thus pump one had a problem. checked the wiring on the pump all was good. Unhooked the capacitor and since I had a same capacitor on a spare pump installed it and switched the GFCI breaker to on and everything is working normal again.
    So if you have tripping problems follow and do the above and you most likely find the culprit.
    Also check your fuses there are 4 in my panel.

  6. Good morning everyone!

    I have an inground pool, and every time I turn the pool light on, it’s trips the GFCI. It doesn’t ever trip the breaker though. Any thought?

  7. Hi, I’ve seen quite a few posts about tripping breakers that are associated directly with the pool pump. In my case, I have a new house + new pool with, varying by day, 1 or 2 so-called “3-way” (Schneider Electric Square-D brand overload/arc/ground fault detect) breakers that are tripping. After some detective work and data collection, we see a very high correlation between the time of the pool pump turns on and begins priming and when the other house breakers trip. We have a Hayward SP3400VSP EcoStar Variable Speed Pump. It was set by the pool company Aquatech to prime for 2 minutes at the maximum speed of 3450 rpm, which appears to cause the trips in other part of the house panel. We altered the turn-on time of the pool pump, and indeed the time of the trips are following this time exactly, so we have high confidence at this point in the cause-and-effect of the correlation seen. After some time invested with the nice support engineering staff at Schneider Electric in North Carolina, have learned further that these trips are uniformly due to ground fault interrupts (vs. overload or arc conditions – these breakers have a way to discover type of last trip). We have as of today started an experiment to reduce the maximum prime/turn-on speed from 3450 rpm to 3000 rpm in an effort to reduce the inrush current demand/surge to see if this reduction helps in the ground fault, will update later on if this helps. I should add that the run from the main house panel to the pool pump junction box is about 60′ but may have up to 80′ of wire, and runs through an under-slab conduit put in prior to house foundation (wire pulled later of course and was sized to 60A / 220v – not sure as to exact gauge; pool pump is about 11A supposedly). The pool pump is grounded along with the control electronics on the side of the house. In my pre-retired life in engineering of micro-circuits, ground shifts in PCBs were a constant challenge requiring extensive capacitive filtering, so I am wondering if anyone has heard of whether this kind of problem could require some added high-voltage capacitor / filter at the pool pump itself; Schneider Electric thought this might interfere with the correct performance of the circuit breakers. After I’ve collected some more data I will go back to my builder or another independent electrician but wondering if anyone else has seen this? My pool company/electrician has not seen it before and I’m not finding this case on the web as yet… Appreciate any thoughts or insights! Thanks

  8. My pool started tripping the breaker (Just it’s fuse, not the entire house) last October after rain. The pool runs for about 5-10 minutes, and then trips the breaker again. After the first rainfall, it was still over 75 degrees outside, and the pool filter began running all day a few days later. After the next rainfall and the temperature dropped, the pool trips it’s breaker again every 5-10 minutes. Logic makes me think water is in the system causing the short, and the problem may resolve itself once Spring hits. The motor does not feel particularly warm when it trips. Any ideas?

    1. Unless it doesn’t rain in springtime where you live, you’re going to have the same issue. It also doesn’t matter the temperature outside or the temperature of the water; if there is water introduced to an electrical circuit it is going to be a problem.

      I suggest hiring an electrician to either find the leak in your electrical conduit and/or rerun wire to your pump.

      1. Thank you for responding Matthew.

        I’m trying to understand the logic of why it fails when it fails, so the details provided were for evidence.

        We’ve had abnormally high temperatures for the past week – around the 70s without rain. The pool filter will run almost exactly 4 mins before it fails every time.

        I may try to just replace the breaker the pool runs off.

      2. FYI I replaced the breaker – and the pool started running normally again.

        Inside the old breaker were char marks on the wire and inside the breaker.

        $20 to replace it – much cheaper that the alternative!

  9. I am having a problem with pool pump coming on. New pump and relay in June. Now the relay does not trip. I can push down the contactor and pump come on. My freeze guard thermostat is 25 years old and is wired into relay. I unplugged it and the pool still does not come on.

  10. Pool breaker was tripping intermitently, then tripped and would not reset at all. Took pump out of circuit and still tripped, took freeze protection device out and it worked ok. So bought new freeze protection device wired it in runs ok. Tested freeze protection with ice water and as soon as the freeze protection switch closed it tripped breaker. What ideas come to mind that might be the root problem?

    1. The first thing, have you switched the circuit to a different breaker? Or have you replaced the breaker? Also, did you replace the wires from the breaker to the new freeze protect?

  11. We live in Cypress, just outside of Houston. Before Harvey hit, my husband turned of the main breaker to the pool because everytime we have a storm the breaker trips anyway. Now when we turn the main breaker on, then turn the breaker on at the pool pumps, it pops immediately. It almost gave me a heart attack this morning. We did not flood here at our house. Any tips for me that doesn’t require spending money on an electrician?

  12. This is the 3rd pool pump that I have had my warranty replace. I was told that it is because the motor is flat on the ground and water is causing it to short circuit. I was told I need to raise my pool pump but it doesn’t seem like an easy task. The whole unit seems to be attached together. Is it possible for me to purchase some pvc pipes and add an upward extension for it, so the motor doesn’t sit directly on the ground.

  13. Hello, Hoping you can help. When We first opened our in ground pool in late May, the pool pump wouldn’t turn on. The circuit breaker switch was bad. I replaced it & the pump turned on immediately. Now all of a sudden , 1.5 months later, when I turn on the breaker switch for the pump, it runs for about 2 seconds then trips. This just started happening recently. The first time it did it, I had to flip the switch about 3 times and it eventually turned on and ran fine but now, about a week later after that first incident, it wont stay running, it keeps tripping the breaker switch. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

      1. There is a likelihood of two things that could be wrong, the wires from the breaker to the motor are shot or are wet. Or the motor has gone kerplunk and you need to replace it.

        The wires are the cheapest fix, either test the voltage at the motor leads or just run new wires. If that fixes the problem then, YAAAY. If the problem persists, the motor may be the issue. How old is the motor?

  14. Hello … recently I went a week without running the pool … when I went to turn the pool on finally breaker tripped. Troubleshot everything had electrician come over switch breaker now the breaker don’t trip with motor not plugged in. Once I plug the motor in and flip the switch it automatically trips no noise or anything. Do I need a new motor or is there something else I can check first?

    1. Did the electrician change the breaker-to-motor circuit wires? It could be that circuit wires have a short, causing the GFI to trip.

      If the breaker and wires have been changed, you can try taking the motor to a motor shop for an inspection. Before you buy a new motor, I would at least the wires from the breaker have been checked for continuity, and/or changed.

      1. The wires were check asking as the motor wasn’t plugged in the breaker didn’t trip … so it’s motor to outlet.

        1. I do not completely understand that last reply.But if the motor is still flipping after the breaker and wires were changed and respectively, I would have a motor shop inspect the motor or just have it replaced.

  15. My pool pump runs on a timer. almost every time it kicks on it triggers the GFI. If I plug directly into outlet it is fine. Whats the problem. Changed timers and same thing happens. tried plugging into diff outlet and it did the same thing

  16. Hello Matthew,
    We have one of those economical blue blow-up pools that has a pump with a gfci built in. I have had this and other pumps of the same type on a timer and when the timer turns on the gfci always trips. This has happened on 4 other timers as well. Is there any kind of special prog. timer I can buy to prevent the gfci from tripping?

    1. A GFCI is meant to interpret slight changes to the circuit as a sign of possible danger, causing it to flip the circuit. The blow-up pools are not known for the study engineering, so the GFCI may be interpreting the timer’s on/off as something nefarious. This is my guess on the subject, I wouldn’t know how to fix it. You might want to get a handyman to come take a look at the circuit.

  17. Great thread! Thx for sharing! I think I have moisture issues, but will change the breaker as you duggest. When I use an extension cord to another outlet all is good! Already swapped out new receptacles and both looked fried.

  18. Hi, we just had our Hayward pump for unground pool replaced with a Hayward 1.5 hp by our pool guy, since replacing the pump it keeps tripping the fuse and therefore cannot turn pool on. Our pool guy reassured us that the hp and voltage are all the same as our old pump. Do you know what could be causing this?

    1. Could be a bad breaker. Could be he is not telling the truth and he overloaded the current breaker. Or the motor could be a dud. The only way to know for sure is to either follows the steps we list or have him troubleshoot it on-site.

  19. Hey there, I just replaced my Hayward super pump 1hp motor. The new motor makes a clicking sound then eventually gets super hot and turns off…any thoughts

    1. What voltage do you have wired to the pump? And is the motor set to the cotrrect corresponding voltage?

      The clicking sound may be the centrifugal switch that is opening and closing repeatedly because the motor is no getting to the full 3450 RPMS. A major reason for that in new motors is the motor is pre-wired for 230 voltage, but you only have 115 volts wired to it. The motor is not able to get enough juice to fully open the switch. This may also cause overheating because the motor is trying to pull too many amps in the single hotline.

  20. So it hasn’t rained in over a day; today very sunny so good day to open the pool. Everything went fine until I flipped the switch for the pump. Heard a pop, nothing happened. Found the breaker (a 20) and it was tripped, so I reset it. Tried again and same thing. Worked fine all last year, rarely tripped the breaker if at all, even during heavy rains. Now just nothing. I’ll let it sit in the sun, reset breaker, and try again. Not sure what else to do but call in an electrician….sigh.

    1. As I have said in a few other comments, it is all about eliminating suspects. start at the breaker and work your down the circuit to the pool pump.

      Switch the pump’s power to another breaker to determine it’s not a faulty breaker. Then use a voltmeter to test the voltage of the wires on the pump end of the circuit, and so on.

  21. 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???

  22. 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.

  23. 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?

    1. 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.

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

  25. 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?

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