GFCI 2 pole breaker question

Discussion in 'OnBoard Electronics & Controls' started by sdowney717, Dec 7, 2013.

  1. sdowney717
    Joined: Nov 2010
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    Location: Newport News VA

    sdowney717 Senior Member

    Can someone look at this and tell me if I can use a gfci 2 pole breaker with 120vac, so that hot and neutral are on the switch?

    So it will click off disconnect both hot and neutral wires if it ground faults?

    I want both the neutral and the hot go open circuit like occurs in a gfci outlet.

    Normally hots are only disconnected on GFCI breakers unless they are portable. Portable GFCI and GFCI outlets disconnect both hot and neutral.

    I am thinking run the neutral through the breaker as if it were a hot wire.

    On the line side, neutral will necessarily be joined with one of the breakers line lugs.

    http://www.nema.org/Products/Documents/NEMA-GFCI-2012-Field-Representative-Presentation.pdf

    The diagram shows used as 240v, so pretend one of the load sides is the neutral wire. And on line side, neutral and one of the breakers line lugs are joined.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Lt. Kludge
    Joined: Jul 2010
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    Location: Massachusetts, USA

    Lt. Kludge Junior Member

    Will it work? Yes
    The current balance in the breaker works when setup as you describe.
    Code I can't be sure about. And any local inspector you may run across probably hasn't seen it done this way before. But it seems more practical for small installations that the ground fault relay systems.
     
  3. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
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    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Hi sdowney717
    Refer to your pdf file. Under summary : GFCIs will not protect between line and neutral". I would just test it out with a bulb, globe or lamp, whatever your guys called in the states. Wire your circuit up, like you like to use it and then create a differentiation between in current and out current. If it does not trip, you have your answer. Test your circuit with a load connected and then place the lamp, globe, resistor or whatever to the L1/N and ground and between L2 and ground. Bert
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2013
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