Testing sqD GFCI breaker

sshdsilverado · May 5, 2023

Weekend sparker here, I have a sqd 2 pole 50amp GFCI breaker it was mounted out side in a service box, have not had a problem till now 3yrs old, it trips instantly when rest, with the breaker out of the box, I check resistance across the load side of the breaker from either load 1 to neutral or load 2 to N or load 1 to 2 they all start out @ 27ohms and increases to 45+ ohms, if I reset breaker ( it's out of the box) and test resistance from line 1 to load side 2 yes opposite side with breaker on I also have a rising ohm reading 27 and increasing to 39+ohms , I'm coming up with a faulty GFCI breaker that's leaking internally...... Am I on the right path ??? Or do I need to look at spa unit as having a GFCI fault some where

James · May 5, 2023

If it will energise and stay on when the supply is connected but none of the outgoing cables are connected then the unit is likely ok.

sshdsilverado · May 5, 2023

Ok. I will try that. I had pulled it to get a better bench test on it when I had seen the raising resistance, and didn't know if it had gotten moisture in it and caused a leak across the the poles or was creating a soft ground point, I never tested a GFCI breaker that had resistance across the load connection's, I was also told sqd breakers are not good for spa units. But at time of install that was all that was available

so I will try it out in morning..

Avo Mk8 · May 5, 2023

What you see by way of rising resistance on your meter can be caused by eg a capacitor in an electronic circuit charging up (from the battery in your tester), not a fault! The gubbins below require power, so you will see resistance across some terminals from the power supply components.

https://pdhonline.com/courses/e321/e321content.pdf

[ElectriciansForums.net] Testing sqD GFCI breaker

sshdsilverado · May 5, 2023

Ok I see that it could be energizing the trip coil but wouldn't the 2 poles be separated and have there own sensing coil? And then be connected to the neutral line? I could see there being resistance from load 1 to neutral or load 2 but not load 1 to 2.. just a head scratcher gonna be testing in a few when I get home

Megawatt · May 5, 2023

sshdsilverado said:
Weekend sparker here, I have a sqd 2 pole 50amp GFCI breaker it was mounted out side in a service box, have not had a problem till now 3yrs old, it trips instantly when rest, with the breaker out of the box, I check resistance across the load side of the breaker from either load 1 to neutral or load 2 to N or load 1 to 2 they all start out @ 27ohms and increases to 45+ ohms, if I reset breaker ( it's out of the box) and test resistance from line 1 to load side 2 yes opposite side with breaker on I also have a rising ohm reading 27 and increasing to 39+ohms , I'm coming up with a faulty GFCI breaker that's leaking internally...... Am I on the right path ??? Or do I need to look at spa unit as having a GFCI fault some where

My suggestion is to replace the 50 amp GFCI breaker. Over time they will go bad.