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[MN-Smoker]

Frustrating.

I put a meter on it to see how many watts it's pulling.

About 350 typically with a surge to 360 when the auger runs.
The unit runs fine and ignites. Seems to work fine for 5-10 minutes. Long enough for temps to get into the 100's.
Then suddenly it trips the GFCI.

I have a garage fridge on the same GFCI which draws up to 900 watts when it's running. No issues with the GFCI tripping with the fridge.

I unplugged the fridge and tried the pellet grill again.  Again, got it started.  Pulling about 350-360 watts.
Running fine through startup and light up, then pop.
GFCI goes again.

I don't know what would be causing a surge of power, so that's not the issue, so it must be some sort of intermittent short that must be causing it.

I'm guessing the next thing to do is to start replacing components.

I should probably start with the ignitor rod.  Not sure how to replace it, but it's probably the least expensive part and the most prone to failure.

[Canadian John]

 First off, does the meter you are using register max wattage? If it does, what was it?   Next, all the current draw ( Watts ) you listed are spot on. There isn't anything there that would cause a "breaker" to trip..

A GFIC doesn't work like a breaker/fuse does.  There is something shorting to ground or a GFIC on its way out. The igniter should only be on @ start up, ~ 4 Min., witnessed by a current drop  of ~ 200 to

300 Watts.  There are two, no parts required tests you can try: 1/ Use another power source that is GFIC fed and see if the problem repeats..2/ Disconnect the igniter and start the pit manually. (Can describe

later if you don't know how) Run it thru its paces. If the problem repeats it's not the igniter. If the pit keeps going, it's the igniter circuit, most likely but not limited to the igniter. Don't let this metal beast get

you down. You are much smarter than any pit my friend!

[pmillen]

Gee, that's a good post, Canadian John.

[hughver]

It sounds like the GFI circuit is tripping after the igniter has already shut off. Since the time to trip appears to be somewhat variable, I suspect that it may be caused by increased temperature. Some component in the pit could be expanding/failing with heat and is shorting out an internal circuit. If this is the case, it will be very hard to isolate the problem and may be cheaper to just replace the controller. Since this started in the rain, you might remove the controller and pack it in rice for a few days to see if drying it out would help. 

[MN-Smoker]

I had a few minutes tonight and I pulled out the fan to see how to get to the igniter, and it turns out it's not too hard.
Just a couple of screws.  Far easier than putting in a new block on a 1980-something Olds Cutlass Ciera.

I was thinking maybe there is a exposed wire or something on the igniter, but it looks alright. A little dirty.
I'll buy a replacement and try that.

In the meantime I'll try the tests John mentioned.
That's some sound advice.

It's either the igniter. Or it's the controller.  I think I can rule out the auger!

[Canadian John]

Both the auger and fan have shaded pole motors that usually but not always get tight in the bushings and end up slowing down. That is easily detected by sound and performance. If the coils in these motors

burn and short, the motors won't turn. You will know straight away as the burnt motor won't function. It most likely will trip a breaker/burn a fuse @ start up. The cause of these burnt out motors has been

caused by a low voltage leak thru the controller with the unit off and remaining plugged in. This is not your case.

 The GFIC is triggered by an imbalance of the outgoing current (hot/black wire) vs the returning current (neutral/ white wire). This imbalance is miniscule ~ 5 mA..That translates into a small conductor path

 such as dust, corrosion, anything that can bleed of a small of current to generate this imbalance.

 You are on the right track. Keep going.

[MN-Smoker]

Both the auger and fan have shaded pole motors that usually but not always get tight in the bushings and end up slowing down. That is easily detected by sound and performance. If the coils in these motors

burn and short, the motors won't turn. You will know straight away as the burnt motor won't function. It most likely will trip a breaker/burn a fuse @ start up. The cause of these burnt out motors has been

caused by a low voltage leak thru the controller with the unit off and remaining plugged in. This is not your case.

 The GFIC is triggered by an imbalance of the outgoing current (hot/black wire) vs the returning current (neutral/ white wire). This imbalance is miniscule ~ 5 mA..That translates into a small conductor path

 such as dust, corrosion, anything that can bleed of a small of current to generate this imbalance.

 You are on the right track. Keep going.

Appreciate the help.
I've read other places that igniters going bad on other makes of grills have lead to GFCI trips.  Igniters were still working but possibly getting close to failure. 

My replacement igniter is ordered and I'll have to get that installed in the next week or so.  I am strongly hopeful that will resolve the issue.

[hughver]

As I mentioned above, if the GFIC fails after the igniter has its power removed, it's unlikely that a new igniter will solve your problem. However, I've worked with electronics/electrical enough (60+ years) to know that anything is possible. 

[sbryant24]

Sorry, GFCI - Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter

[RanrocSmoker]

MN-Smoker, since FC is out of business, where are you ordering your replacement from?


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[dclord]

It's just a standard igniter. You can get them off Amazon

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[Canadian John]

MN-Smoker, since FC is out of business, where are you ordering your replacement from?


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For a generic replacement, you will need to know: Length, Diameter and Wattage. The wiring /plug may need to be modified to fit..There lots of igniters out there. Ebay is an other source. Direct Igniter

an other that should be able to supply a direct replacement. If you know the dimensions  you can crosscheck back to a manufacturer.. Not sure but it could be the same as Traeger igniter.

[TravlinMan]

MN-Smoker, since FC is out of business, where are you ordering your replacement from?


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For a generic replacement, you will need to know: Length, Diameter and Wattage. The wiring /plug may need to be modified to fit..There lots of igniters out there. Ebay is an other source. Direct Igniter

an other that should be able to supply a direct replacement. If you know the dimensions  you can crosscheck back to a manufacturer.. Not sure but it could be the same as Traeger igniter.

Remembering the original design, it appeared that FireCraft 'drew inspiration' from the Louisiana Grills (Danson) grills.

My opinion - based on the appearance of FireCrafts firepit and flame diffuser/drip tray, add to that (I believe) FireCraft used to be a major retailer for Lousiana Grills/Country Smoker(Dansons) and Traeger before they came up with their in house grill.

They may have used the LG(Dansons) igniter as FireCrafts fire box design closely resembles that of the LG(Dansons) unit.

It will interesting to hear what was actually the issue with this malfunctioning grill.

Chewing on popcorn here awaiting the final results..............

[MN-Smoker]

Hi all!

I ordered a replacement igniter. Finding one was harder than I thought it would be.
Measured the old which was about 5" and I went with this one. 

DISCLAIMER:  I can't verify that this is the correct one, it's just the one I went with and if your property burns down from using it, I'm not going to be held liable!  :-)


"Louisiana Grill Pellet Igniter Cartridge for Series and County Smokers Replaces 50114"

Since my meter was showing about 300 watts, I figured a 300 watt igniter was probably the right choice.

The igniters have two different slip connectors on the old and this one only has a single.  I had to do some light electrical work to connect it to the slip connectors on the old board.  I re-used the old by splicing the wires.

I just got done running a test, and she fired up and stayed running up to 360 degrees.  I shut her off at that point since I didn't have anything ready to cook.


Lessons learned:

• Anything GFCI related, bad igniter seems to be common with any make or model from my research.
• Even if your igniter is "working" it doesn't mean it's not part of the problem.
• Igniters are cheaper than controller boards.
• If I have to get a replacement controller board, I think Blaz'n or Rec Tec would be the people to inquire with.
• This forum has great people who help provide some great support.

Hopefully I'm set for another 1,000 uses or so.

Thanks again for the help and hopefully I won't be posting any bad updates in here in the next few weeks.

Stay warm!

[RanrocSmoker]

Thanks for keeping us updated. Glad it worked for you!


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