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[Free Mr. Tony]

I've helped a friend change his hot rod on his grill a few times. Each time his hot rod has failed he just keeps trying to use the grill instead of unplugging it, and starting manually. He has tripped his GFI countless times.

The last time we changed it, it was still tripping the GFI even with a new rod. Anyone have any insight on this? I know I've read that the more you reset the GFI, the weaker it gets. Is this the most likely scenario, or is something else going on?

[Bentley]

I would guess a short somewhere, look at all wires and see if any have burrs or nicks with bare wire showing, if there is a ground (I think usually a green wire) make sure it is "ground".  Is he sure the wires to the glow plug are connected to the right connections in the controller...all I got!

[Free Mr. Tony]

I would guess a short somewhere, look at all wires and see if any have burrs or nicks with bare wire showing, if there is a ground (I think usually a green wire) make sure it is "ground".  Is he sure the wires to the glow plug are connected to the right connections in the controller...all I got!

Thanks. I'll check it out. Pretty sure it is plugged into the right area of the controller, but the other stuff I haven't checked. I did manually start it once just to see if it worked that way, and there were no issues.

[JoeGrilling]

You may want to replace your GFIC.  I must have replaced a dozen in my house.  Be aware there are those for indoor use and others for outdoor. 

[Bentley]

Ahh, the simplest answer is usually the right one...

[Canadian John]

 IF the pit trips the gfic the instant it is plugged in, unplugit from gfic then unplug all the circuits: Blower fan, Auger motor and Igniter. This leaves the only the controller connected..Plug the unit in and see what happens when the pit is turned on. If the gfic trips, the controller is the cause.... If not, start plugging in one circuit at a time until the gfic trips. The circuit that causes the trip is the culprit....

 BEFORE starting the above test - try another device in the gfic to see if it trips. If it does the gfic is the cause..Something else that may trip the gfic is OVERLOAD. The gfic may share a circuit with something else and combined with the pit start up, ~ 400 watts, overloads the circuit.  Keep us posted please.

[hughver]

A GFI trips when the current in is less than a few microamps different than the current out. A short will normally trip the supply breaker. Most times that a GFI trips, it is due to current leakage to ground. Moisture is a common cause of GFI tripping. Being a very old electronics guy, I've learned over the years that a new part only mean that it has not been used before, not necessarily that it's functional.

P.S.  Canadian John's procedure above is solid but I'd try disconnecting the hot rod first to see if it solves the problem.