Heating element tripping GFI outlet

[PhillyBurbs]

My smoker is about 5 years old. I use it a few times a year. I tried to smoke some Turkey legs for Christmas. The smoker heated up a little, then stopped. I figured out it tripped the gfi outlet. I’ve tried a few things, including drying it out in my heater room. Still trips. I looked at the element and the only damage is close to the pins. My questions- will this damage cause the outlet to trip? Second, can I repair it with high heat gasket or fireplace gasket?


UPDATE — Thanks for all the input. I tried it on a GFI outlet inside. Immediately tripped. Tried it on a regular outlet. No problem. I expected the breaker to trip, but that didn’t happen. Unfortunately, all my outside outlets are GFI’s.

 

[chopsaw]

If the resistance in the element is low . That will cause the gfci to trip . If you have an ohm meter check it . I think a 1500 watt element should be around 9 ohms . I'm not sure what the math is . Wattage divided by line voltage ?

 

[JIMSMOKES]

I have had exterior gfi go bad a couple times. Make sure you replace it with the same amp that's there. I put a 15 where a 20 had been. Which caused me all kinds of trouble shooting time.

 

[Cajun Smokes]

I have had two separate tripping issues. One was drippings built up on the element and the other was an element gone bad. I'm sure others will chime in to give you a more detailed troubleshooting

 

[Fueling Around]

Same thing happens with my Big Chief electric.
Element heats up and the resistance drops to trip the overload, not the GFCI side of the circuit breaker. There is no repair of a damaged element.

 

[Nefarious]

If the resistance in the element is low . That will cause the gfci to trip . If you have an ohm meter check it . I think a 1500 watt element should be around 9 ohms . I'm not sure what the math is . Wattage divided by line voltage ?

P=I^2*R and V=I*R so P=I*V or P=V^2*R