Electric smoker issues

TNhobbyfarmer · Jul 5, 2014

I pulled out my Masterbuilt electric smoker to smoke some ribs for the 4th. I recently moved to a new house and have had no previous issues with the smoker. I plugged it into a plug in the garage. The ground fault reset button immediately cut things off. Tried a couple more times, same result. Moved the smoker to the patio to try a different plug. Same result, reset button won't let the smoker do its thing. After several tries, I just put the smoker up and cook the ribs on the grill. They were delicious so not a bad ending to the saga.

Now I don't know what to do regarding the Masterbuilt. Does this sound like a problem with the smoker or a problem with the ground fault plugs? I don't think they should be that sensitive. What would you suggest as a possible remedy? All thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

randy41 · Jul 5, 2014

did you plug it into an unprotected outlet?

TNhobbyfarmer · Jul 5, 2014

randy41 said:
did you plug it into an unprotected outlet?

Not sure what you mean by unprotected outlet.

whistlepig · Jul 5, 2014

I have owned a Masterbuilt electric for three years now. An unprotected outlet is an outlet without a GFI. These smokers to require a little bit of electric. They are basically a small oven. A cord too long to the smoker can cause electric problems also. They are an extremely nice smoker if you can work the bugs out.

BobRip · Jul 5, 2014

It could be the GFCI, but if you tested it on two different GFCI's it is very unlikely. What is probably happening is a small current flow between the ground and the other wires. If you can get to the connections see if there is trash, grease or liquid in the connections. This could be a junction box or thermostat area. Clean out with WD 40 or contact cleaner. If you have an ohm meter, you could check leakage between the ground and other connections. The resistance should be infinite (OL on the meter).

whistlepig · Jul 5, 2014

We moved to this house seven years ago. It was GFCI heaven here. Everything in our house is protected by GFCI. GFCI's can go bad quickly. Some things, that are an absolute necessity to run full time, we have replaced with non protected outlets. If you have a GFCI on every single outlet in your home you are probably not going to like all of them.

Gary Fowler · Jul 5, 2014

My smoker does the same thing. I have to plug it in on a non-GFCI outlet for it to work. It is likely getting some current drain from the heating element from grease or water when I clean it. It works ok on an extension cord to inside the house so that is what I do. It worked ok for the first couple years on a GFCI.

whistlepig · Jul 5, 2014

Years ago I asked my father-in-law a about GFCI's. He made a living as an electrician. He said GFCI's were a great idea but he would never trust his life to one. They can and do fail.

Bird · Jul 6, 2014

BobRip said:
It could be the GFCI, but if you tested it on two different GFCI's it is very unlikely. What is probably happening is a small current flow between the ground and the other wires. If you can get to the connections see if there is trash, grease or liquid in the connections. This could be a junction box or thermostat area. Clean out with WD 40 or contact cleaner. If you have an ohm meter, you could check leakage between the ground and other connections. The resistance should be infinite (OL on the meter).

Many, many years ago, we had a GFI breaker in the master panel that controlled the two outdoor outlets AND the one in the bathroom that I used for my electric razor (not a cordless razor). And that breaker kept kicking off while I was shaving. So I stopped by an electrical supply house to buy a new GFI breaker. The guy asked why I would need one; said they seldom went bad. So he suggested checking the outlets. When I removed the cover from the outside outlets, there were cobwebs in there. I blew them out with my air compressor and no more problem.

TNhobbyfarmer · Jul 6, 2014

Gary Fowler said:
My smoker does the same thing. I have to plug it in on a non-GFCI outlet for it to work. It is likely getting some current drain from the heating element from grease or water when I clean it. It works ok on an extension cord to inside the house so that is what I do. It worked ok for the first couple years on a GFCI.

I'll try that next time. Kinda aggravating but better than not being able to use the smoker.