Aww crap my GFCI tripped

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jted

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
During the last week many people have had this problem. I suspect they are like me who covers and stores it out side in the elements. I of course don't know that but it is a good bet. Here in Central Virginia we have had a lot of rain. Nearly 3 inches over the average in June 2.7 to be exact and in July the first week we had about 3 "  Exact data was not available but about 12 miles away they had over 3. Our average for July is about 4.5  My smoker has a very good cover and the cord is in conduit fittings.

It does not leak. That I would bet on. The heater element is like a sponge. It will attract moisture from the air. Well how did it get humid air get  in it you ask? Well my only explanation is perhaps through the vents.  Heck I don't know.

What I do know is the GFCI and dedicated circuit is new this past spring . Nothing else is hooked up to it and it is a 20 amp circuit.

  The last time I used it it ran for about 16 hours so I did not think anything bad was wrong. I tried 2 times and it tripped both times. Before I go get a meter II tried the old GFCI receptacle hooked up to a bathroom. It tripped it also. How about one more try on the first GFCI. It may not be a good idea to keep trying the GFCI but if it goes bad so be it. It held and ran at 242 for the next 6.5 hours.

Had It not held I would have connected it to a regular receptacle.  

At the end of the day the ribs were good



Just food for thought so to speak. When I put the clean racks back in I will make the vents air tight.    Jted
 
Whats the brand of the smoker? How old is it? I know on my pellet cooker, if the hot rod is dying it will trip the GFCI every time until you either unplug it or replace it. I would try hooking up a vacuum to it because you know the vacuum drawn a lot more than the cooker does. If it trips, you know it's not the cooker but the hookup itself.
 
 
During the last week many people have had this problem. I suspect they are like me who covers and stores it out side in the elements. I of course don't know that but it is a good bet. Here in Central Virginia we have had a lot of rain. Nearly 3 inches over the average in June 2.7 to be exact and in July the first week we had about 3 "  Exact data was not available but about 12 miles away they had over 3. Our average for July is about 4.5  My smoker has a very good cover and the cord is in conduit fittings.

It does not leak. That I would bet on. The heater element is like a sponge. It will attract moisture from the air. Well how did it get humid air get  in it you ask? Well my only explanation is perhaps through the vents.  Heck I don't know.

What I do know is the GFCI and dedicated circuit is new this past spring . Nothing else is hooked up to it and it is a 20 amp circuit.

  The last time I used it it ran for about 16 hours so I did not think anything bad was wrong. I tried 2 times and it tripped both times. Before I go get a meter II tried the old GFCI receptacle hooked up to a bathroom. It tripped it also. How about one more try on the first GFCI. It may not be a good idea to keep trying the GFCI but if it goes bad so be it. It held and ran at 242 for the next 6.5 hours.

Had It not held I would have connected it to a regular receptacle.  

At the end of the day the ribs were good



Just food for thought so to speak. When I put the clean racks back in I will make the vents air tight.    Jted
Your ribs have the look I try to achieve. When you can pull that off in the face of the electrical difficulties you faced and overcame, that shows you are one fine smoker, Jted.
 
Whats the brand of the smoker? How old is it? I know on my pellet cooker, if the hot rod is dying it will trip the GFCI every time until you either unplug it or replace it. I would try hooking up a vacuum to it because you know the vacuum drawn a lot more than the cooker does. If it trips, you know it's not the cooker but the hookup itself.

Hi Big Train Thanks for the idea. My smoker is a 2 year old MES 30 2070910 Probably most sold but not the most popular. I like running the vacuum idea to pull higher amps than the Smoker. That is a easy check on the GFCI it's self. Jted
 
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