Model 1 tripping circuit breaker

[reddog]

Hi everybody-my model 1 is tripping my gfci switch.. is there a way to check the heater element without removing it from the unit?

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[barrytm]

Sorry, not that I am aware of.  If you haven't used the smoker in a while, and think there might be some moisture in the element, you can plug the smoker into a non gfi outlet and let it come up to temp and run for a half hour or so.   Then plug it into the gfi and see if it still trips.  If it doesn't trip, then you may have driven out enough moisture to allow it to work correctly. If it does,  not sure what else you can try another GFIC outlet -  they can go bad over time.

[old sarge]

barrytm had a good suggestion; accumulated moisture from smoking or just a damp humid environment can do it.  If using an extension cord, try plugging in direct; cords laying on the ground can and do leak.  You can also try plugging in another device with a heating element into the same outlet: toaster oven, hair dryer, something with a similar wattage and amp draw and see what happens. It is possible that the gfci has gone bad. I use my smokers on a non-gfci outlet with no problems. But I need to say or warn that this is not truly wise even if the outlet is grounded.

If your smoker trips a gfci in a different location, your smoker wiring it likely the culprit. And electrician or appliance repair person can fix this. If only one circuit is affected, the gfci is likely bad. Call an electrician.  Be safe.