Pump tripping GFCI

[jejton]

So I'm sure some of you are getting tired of my 100 help needed posts in 24 hours but thanks for the patience.

Anyways I disconnected my return pump ( something jammed it, turned out it was a bristleworm ) and my reactor pump ( maxi or minijet or something similar ) so that I could rinse out the media and then put it back online. Well after doing that ( mind you I never had problems with the pump before this and it was running the reactor with carbon for a month ) I plugged the smaller pump back in and it tripped the GFCI. I tried plugging it into a different outlet ( same receptacle ), in the strip, not in the strip, etc. and it keeps tripping the GFCI. I even unplugged everything else and it didnt help. I didnt do anything except for clear some debris from the intake, definately didnt drop the plug into water or anything. Why is it doing this?

 

[autoponicz]

if you plug evrthing back in besides that 1 pump and evrythings fine....then when you took it out to clean it....water might have gotten into the motor part ....but that pump could just have went on you out of nowhere....

 

[jejton]

why would water get in and why would it be a problem if the pump is always submerged?

 

[masterswimmer]

Eric, you pretty much answered your own question. Sometimes these hobbyist grade pumps will just crap out on us. You said you did nothing to it except clean it and put it together, and then it began tripping your GFCI. You removed all other variables when you removed all the appliances. What else can you think of? Sucks for all of us. But these pieces of equipment are kept under harsh saltwater conditions 24/7.

Poor answer, but it happens.

swimmer

 

[KathyC]

At a minimum you can try taking it apart again and see if something else got jammed in there, or perhaps you might have put it back together incorrectly (could happen )
I'm a little skeptical that a bristleworm would have jammed a pump..they are kinda mushy if you shmoosh them... I could understand soup, but not a jam. Might have been another issue.
Did the impeller spin freely?

 

[meschaefer]

I doubt it was the bristelworm either, it probably crawled in after the pump stopped working.

What type of pump was it?

 

[jhale]

once that happens I replace the pump. there is no way to repair them that would be cost effective.

 

[masterswimmer]

once that happens I replace the pump. there is no way to repair them that would be cost effective.

Ditto

 

[jejton]

Kathy - The return pump was jammed and its working fine. It was the small pump I was using to supply the reactor that is causing problems. It was working fine, I just decided to clean it since i was cleaning the other pump. I guess I'll just find another pump and trash this one.