Smoker trips the household breaker or GFCI as soon as it is turned on or shortly after heating begins.
Safety Warning
This repair may involve working with high voltage components or water connections. Always unplug the appliance before removing any panels.
If you are not confident in your ability to perform this repair safely, we strongly recommend contacting a professional technician.
Possible Causes
How to Fix / Troubleshooting
Safety first: Do not repeatedly reset a tripping breaker. Unplug the smoker and investigate the cause.
Steps:
- Inspect for moisture: Check inside the smoker and around the element for standing water. Allow the unit to dry completely if it has been left in the rain.
- Check power cord: Look for cuts, crushed sections, or exposed conductors. Replace the cord if damaged.
- Test element to ground: With the smoker unplugged, disconnect the element wires. Measure resistance from each element terminal to the metal cabinet. Any low resistance indicates a ground fault; replace the element.
- Inspect fan motor: Disconnect the fan motor and test again. If the breaker no longer trips, the fan motor is likely shorted.
Repair: Replace any component that shows a short to ground, such as the heating element assembly or convection fan motor. If all loads test good, the main control board may be shorted.
Repair Difficulty
Required Part
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