GFI Problems??

bflodan

Member
Threw a pork butt on tonight to cook throughout the night and my MAK went dead after about 3 seconds....I found a GFI that had tripped and reset it and it keeps tripping...Ive tried a different outlet and different extension cords all with the same result... My question is, could there be any chance there is a short in my MAK that could be tripping it or do you think it is a GFI problem???? I have not had any issues until tonight and I did vacum it out using the same outlet, right before I started.. Any info would help...Thanks...
 

383inTheD

Member
Based on the couple of problems I encountered I'd suggest first trying to eliminate the extension cord. See if the unit still trips the GFI when plugged directly into the socket. It may not be ideal but at least it might get you headed down the path and eliminate some of the variables.
 

Rip

New member
Wow, Murphy's law.... Was the different outlet on the same GFI circuit? (I've had a GFI breaker go marginal). How did not using an extension cord work?
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
OK This is why I love internet forums...very helpful people with advice.....here is the right advice though...if you are tripping gfi's it means that your ignitor rod is either gone or packing its bags....to test this disconnect the ignitor and manually light......the only thing that takes power in any pellet cooker is the ignitor rod.

Manually lighting is simple either use a small part of a lighting aid for charcoal or soak a smal amount of pellets in alchohol, or i soak a small twist of paper towel in olive oil. SOmetimes the fan blows that out so you get some pellets going with the power off and then fire it up...
 

squirtthecat

New member
I'd think a bad igniter would blow the fuse on the Pellet Boss first... (as happened to me last Sunday) But maybe your GFI is super touchy, and tripped first?

Ditto on skipping the extension cord to test.
 

bflodan

Member
I will try that today BP.... Ive been using the extension cord for a year with no issues so its hard to think it could be that.... How can an ignitor rod be replaced??? Is it simple to disconnect?? Thanks everyone for the help...
 

bflodan

Member
OK before I was going to unhook the ignitor rod I ran a cord from inside the house which is on a different GFI and ran the MAK without a problem.... I lit it up twice just fine.... Do you still think it is an ignitor rod problem or should I replace my GFI first???
 

Deb

New member
OK before I was going to unhook the ignitor rod I ran a cord from inside the house which is on a different GFI and ran the MAK without a problem.... I lit it up twice just fine.... Do you still think it is an ignitor rod problem or should I replace my GFI first???

yes it's probably still the ignitor rod, my traeger would run fine on a non-gfi outlet when I had a hot rod problem

not that it's wise to run on the non-gfi since there's a reason the gfi trips
 
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MAK DADDY

Moderator
Since the other outlet it is possible your GFI if bad. Like sterling said, hook up your grill to the tripping GFI, unplug the igniter from the pellet Boss and turn on the grill. If the GFI doesn't trip you know the igniter is the culprit. Sometimes moisture can build up on the back of the igniter wires causing the GFI to trip, you may try pulling the igniter out and cleaning if needed.
If your igniter is bad shoot me an email and we will get you a new one ASAP :)
 

bflodan

Member
Since the other outlet it is possible your GFI if bad. Like sterling said, hook up your grill to the tripping GFI, unplug the igniter from the pellet Boss and turn on the grill. If the GFI doesn't trip you know the igniter is the culprit. Sometimes moisture can build up on the back of the igniter wires causing the GFI to trip, you may try pulling the igniter out and cleaning if needed.
If your igniter is bad shoot me an email and we will get you a new one ASAP :)

Thanks for the info.... We did have alot of rain here over the last few days, not sure if that contributed to a moisture problem, but I did replace the GFI today and it seems to be working fine now... I think we are back in business...Going to do a test cook tonight before the overnighter. Thanks again, I will let you know...
 

bflodan

Member
OK I spoke too soon... I put a pork roast on and it was running fine for the couple of minutes I was out there I came in for about 15 min then went to check and my new GFI was tripped.... I just opened her up and unhooked the ignitor and fired it back up... Will see how it works from here
 

squirtthecat

New member
Was it up to temp and humming along when it tripped? The igniter should only have been energized for the first 4-5 minutes or so..
 

bflodan

Member
I thought it was but it must not have been... I unplugged it and cooked a pork rib roast for dinner with no problem..
 
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