# Continuity issue



## charlie Bob (Jul 26, 2009)

I did a hot tub installation yesterday. Went back today to finish thing up.
I got my fluke T5 and check for continuity at Hot Tub GFCI disconnect.
I checked the feeder first (Line side, from panel box.), everuthing OK.
I checked the supply side then, and had:
L1-L2 OK
L1-N , L1-G OK
L2-N 35 Ohms. (Meter beeped)

First thing i thought was that we nicked them wires when we pulled them. I used EMT against a wall from HT disc. and then went to LFNC 3/4" to control box in Tub.

I disconnected the supply line at the Hot Tub control box, and everything was just perfect.
Hooked the wires back up, and again 35 Ohms from L2-N.
I Turned power on and everything is OK, breaker held, and GFCI never tripped.

I can guarantee everything i did from Panel box to hot tub is OK, and double checked.

What do you think there's in the Hot Tub that will make my meter to read 35 Ohms from L2 to N,?

I did the required convertion from 110v to 240v specified by Manufacturer.(which consisted of a little switch being swapped from on to off)


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## charlie Bob (Jul 26, 2009)

Forgot to say, i did double check my readings with a Fluke T-Pro. same readings.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

charlie Bob said:


> I did a hot tub installation yesterday. Went back today to finish thing up.
> I got my fluke T5 and check for continuity at Hot Tub GFCI disconnect.
> I checked the feeder first (Line side, from panel box.), everuthing OK.
> I checked the supply side then, and had:
> ...


 
Ive ohmed out circuits before that had continuity between hot,neutral, and ground. Take the wire for the homerun off the breaker and everything ok. My thought was that it was backfeeding thru a motor??? But same result put power on it and it worked properly.


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## SparkYZ (Jan 20, 2010)

I would venture a guess and say you're getting continuity somewhere in the spa, from a heater or pump motor. Pump motor being the more likely choice.
When I do any pool equipment installations, I dont even bother checking for shorts with a continuity tester. I only check the wires I pulled in, before they are terminated to a pump. You'll get Line-Neutral continuity every time. 
Hell, a lightbulb will give you line-neutral continuity


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## charlie Bob (Jul 26, 2009)

SparkYZ said:


> I would venture a guess and say you're getting continuity somewhere in the spa, from a heater or pump motor. Pump motor being the more likely choice.
> When I do any pool equipment installations, I dont even bother checking for shorts with a continuity tester. I only check the wires I pulled in, before they are terminated to a pump. You'll get Line-Neutral continuity every time.
> Hell, a lightbulb will give you line-neutral continuity


I bet you're right. I guess it has to be a 110v load in tub, caused everything was ok in the wires i pulled.


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## SparkYZ (Jan 20, 2010)

charlie Bob said:


> I bet you're right. I guess it has to be a 110v load in tub, caused everything was ok in the wires i pulled.


Yeah.
If there was a short somewhere, the GFCI (should) catch it and trip. Since the GFCI is holding, and I assume it's new, dont worry about it.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

You know I feel UN thanked!:jester: I said probally a motor backfeed issue first yet was ignored. Hmmmmm. Maybe I am on Charlie's ignore list..Interesting!:laughing:


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## charlie Bob (Jul 26, 2009)

jwjrw said:


> You know I feel UN thanked!:jester: I said probally a motor backfeed issue first yet was ignored. Hmmmmm. Maybe I am on Charlie's ignore list..Interesting!:laughing:


Sorry i was in a hurry when i checked the posts. Just so you know you are appreciated too.:thumbsup:


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

charlie Bob said:


> Sorry i was in a hurry when i checked the posts. Just so you know you are appreciated too.:thumbsup:


 
I now feel properly THANKED! Its nice to be appreciated!:laughing:


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## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

The guy I'm working with ran into a similar problem on Friday. We pulled in a 4 wire Teck cable to feed a sub panel. The end that goes into the panel feeding it was left with the wires separated and he went back to the sub panel to ohm them out and got continuity between A-phase and neutral. He was stumped.

As he walked away from the panel to grab something else, I waked up to it, saw the problem instantly and cleared it in about half a second. Although the panel wasn't fed yet, a lot of the circuits were run with breakers installed. One of the breakers in the panel was on and he was reading a few ohms through the transformer windings in a lighting control module.

When I pointed it out he was still stumped for a couple minutes while he puzzled it out and then it clicked. He was a little embarrassed for not seeing what should have been obvious to him. Its an extremely easy mistake to make for a guy who rarely troubleshoots and gets a little tunnel visioned.

I personally enjoy running into those little situations and puzzling them out and either passing on a little of my knowledge, or picking a little up if the guy I'm with is better at it than me.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

Mike_586 said:


> The guy I'm working with ran into a similar problem on Friday. We pulled in a 4 wire Teck cable to feed a sub panel. The end that goes into the panel feeding it was left with the wires separated and he went back to the sub panel to ohm them out and got continuity between A-phase and neutral. He was stumped.
> 
> As he walked away from the panel to grab something else, I waked up to it, saw the problem instantly and cleared it in about half a second. Although the panel wasn't fed yet, a lot of the circuits were run with breakers installed. One of the breakers in the panel was on and he was reading a few ohms through the transformer windings in a lighting control module.
> 
> ...


what was the problem


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## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

There was no problem at all, he just didn't have the feeder wires isolated from the loads when testing. 

He was trying to ohm out the feeder after he connected it to the lugs in the sub-panel, the other end of the feeder was dead with each wire isolated and capped with a wire nut. The sub-panel was already wired with all the branch circuits and a few breakers were in the on position. He was just reading continuity between one of the loads (a transformer in a lighting control module) on a branch circuit and neutral. All he had to do was either ohm the feeder wires out before connecting them to the lugs or turn off all the breakers to isolate it from the loads to get the right readings, otherwise any load with continuity between phases/ground/neutral would be show up at the main lugs.

I guess 3 years of resi made him a little rusty :laughing:


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