Pellet tripping GFCI, kettle to the rescue

[masssmoke]

So, I went to smoke a few racks of ribs yesterday. I decided to use my pellet smoker. I had some time with the holiday so I cleaned it up extra well, changed out the grease drain bucket liner etc. And then I moved it from the 'winter' location near the house to a different location to free up some space on the smaller patio near the house. And using the outlet at the new location in a different part of the yard the GFCI was tripping every few minutes. I tried to re-set a few times but it kept doing it. Time was going by and I wanted the ribs for dinner, so I gave up for now on the pellet and fired up my Weber Kettle and finished the ribs that way. Didn't get any pictures but they came out really good. I did a bit of research today and I think the most common reason for the electrical trip is the heat element, so likely I need to replace that for my Pit Boss. Hopefully that is pretty simple. I ain't the most handy person you will ever meet.

 

[JIMSMOKES]

It could be your GFI is either old or two small. I had one go bad on my deck so replaced it. Next time I went to use my grill in it. It would trip after the igniter came on but not on the GFI I regularly use. Checked the deck one later and I had put a 15A in instead of 20A one.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

From what I have looked at a Pit Boss pellet smoker should only need about 3.1 amps to power all the components. That leaves me to believe either your GFCI is faulty or it is your smoker. That is unless your significant other is blow drying her hair on the same circuit as you are smoking.

The Pit boss is the same build as my Louisiana grill so taking it apart to replace the heat element should take nothing more than a Phillips screwdriver and maybe a set of nippers to cut a zip tie or two.

Take pictures along the way in case you need a reminder of how to put it back together.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

My RecTec did the same thing a few years after I bought it. Replaced the GFCI, same problem. Come to find out it was the ignitor rod in the smoker. After I replaced it, the GFCI hasn't tripped once. Seems to be a fairly common problem.

 

[02ebz06]

GFCI outlets don't play nice with anything with a motor in it. The igniter rod can also cause them to trip.
You could try replacing the outlet and it "may" work.
Best option is to use a non-GFCI outlet.

 

[masssmoke]

Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it.

 

[flatbroke]

My Treager did it and was a bad detent rod (igniter rod). Anyway I was able to use the grill by adding a handful of pellets in the pot and some lighter fluid to start them. The rod only activated in the beginning stages at start up on the Treager. Once going the auger cycled as normal operation Yours may be different.