When you connect a hot circuit wire to the breaker and the neutral wire from that circuit to the neutral bus, the voltage in the circuit is 120 volts. One should connect to the neutral bar and the other should be connected to the neutral wire of the appliance. If 120 volts were used, then yes, because the neutral must be connected to provide a monitored neutral return path. There is no need to have a separate … Tester101. going to a timer) to the GFCI breaker, the corresponding neutral must also be connected to the GFCI breaker, to its neutral terminal provided. Often times a GFCI receptacle will trip without tripping the circuit breaker because these devices are much more sensitive than circuit breakers. The breaker should trip. I did not run a neutral. In a two-pole GFCI switch, if the single phase loads (120 V), the two hot conductors and the neutral conductor have to pass through the TC, the neutral charge conductor must therefore be connected to the switch. There does need to be a neutral connection available for the GFCI breaker itself, but that would be in the breaker panel where the circuit originates. 2 the white curly neutral wire on the gfci will terminate to the neutral bus bar in the electrical panel. Furhter, it does the GFCI test by sinking a little current to ground so it would not care as I said as long as their is a ground hooked up. The GFCI will not work without this connection of incoming service neutral to back of GFCI. HOW GFCI DEVICES WORK A non-GFCI overcurrent protection device (circuit breaker or fuse) is designed and intended to disconnect only the hot conductor from the circuit when an overcurrent condition occurs. The 2 hots from the branch circuit will terminate to the double pole GFCI breaker. I put in a 2 pole gfi breaker and ran a 10-3 to the tub. Thanks for any advice. Can anyone explain this phenomenon from the electricity perspective and generally explain why circuits do and do not need a neutral wire? It is essential to connect hot tubs to GFCI circuits because they have both water and electricity present. The ground terminal of outlet is connected to the ground bar in the mains distribution board. The breaker is designed to detect current surges, such as those caused by overloads or short circuits, and to automatically shut off when one occurs. This switch is needed to eliminate the ground loop and prevent the outlet from tripping. GFCI stands for ground-fault circuit interrupter. In a 120/240V situation, the neutral carries the unbalanced return current, so the net current flow is still zero. Step 6 Restore power to the service panel and test the new GFCI by pushing the test button. Step 4 Connect the pigtail to the neutral bus bar. There are two wires required to complete an electrical circuit – one is called the hot wire and is called the neutral wire. Then the GFCI breaker white pigtail also provided must be connected to the panel neutral bus bar. If the GFCI detects a difference, the breaker trips and disconnects power to the outlet. How does a 2 pole GFCI breaker work? I ran 2-#6's and 1-#10 from the main panel to the load center. A 240V GFCI usually has to be connected to the neutral wire of the source cable/line, coming from the breaker panel, to be able to supply the neutral to the load if it requires one, as was described above. A 220/240 breaker would have a second function of comparing the load between the two hot wires. Also asked, will a GFCI breaker work without a neutral? Evidently 220V circuits do not need a neutral because two hot wires belong to the same circuit. Dave’s Reply: Thanks for your electrical wiring question Art. With two legs of 120 volts, how does a 240 volt appliance or light work without a neutral wire to complete the circuit path. electrical 240v 120-240v. The main panel has a 60-amp two pole breaker. Does a 240v GFCI breaker need a neutral? For a ground fault circuit interrupter breaker put into this panel, , if you connect a hot branch circuit wire (e.g. This way, this 15-16A, 120V outlet is GFCI protected by 20A GFCI breaker and it is recommended to use it in the watery areas like bathrooms, kitchen, spa and other outdoor applications. Step 5 Clip the breaker into place on the hot bus bars. share | improve this question | follow | edited Dec 20 '13 at 16:37. The welder plug is three wire, 2 hot and a ground, no neutral wire All the GFCI’s I have seen involve a neutral wire, but there is no neutral wire on this welder. I have seen both scenarios where the gfci breaker feeding a hot tub is installed in the main panel and also just next to the hot tub. Let s get it fixed. I have the understanding that this pigtail terminates to the neutral bus bar where you would normally find the white wire in a 2 wire circuit. The GFCI needs a neutral source then a neutral load other wise without both connections the GFCI breaker will not work correctly. Typically the black wire is "hot", and the white wire is neutral. It is installed in the main breaker box. Others insist that the white pigtail terminates on the ground lug. How does a 2 pole GFCI breaker work without a neutral? More clarifications from Schneider Electric (Square D) Where do you connect the load neutral wire on a QO260GFI? Connect the … Problem is there isn't any where for the neutral on a 3 wire 240v receptacle. How does a 240v gfci breaker work without a neutral. There is one major concept we need to discuss before being able to explain 100% how GFCI outlets work. Can you put 2 GFCI on the same circuit? GFCI outlets are installed at power points while GFCI circuit breakers are installed in the main breaker box. If I can't bond the neutral bus in the sub-panel then I definitely need a neutral for the GFCI to work. through water or a person). Re 2 Pola GFCI breaker? Understanding 220 or 240 volt Electrical Circuits. For the lights, use that other 120 volt circuit for that. That makes sense. How Does 2-Pole Circuit Breaker Work? Most built-in GFCI's found on portable generators protect the household type 15/20A, 120-volt outlets, and not on the 120/240 outlets that are used to connect to home transfer switches. Neutral tail is not for malfunction function, because the GFCI circuit does not need a ground reference. According to NEC, GFCI must be installed in wet locations such as the bathroom, kitchen, outdoor etc. All loads at the load center are 220-volt. In what situations would a 120/240 two-pole GFCI breaker be recommended? Will a 120/240 two-pole GFCI breaker provide protection for a 240-volt load with no neutral? 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