Need Help with Heat Stick

Hello all-

I built a heat stick w/ a 2000w element (I plan on using 2 to start a boil, then removing 1 to maintain it).

I followed the instructions on:
http://www.cedarcreeknetworks.com/heatstick.htm
but, my GFCI keeps tripping.

Any advice???

Thanks!

I_B_Mongo

what amp circuit are you running that on? if it's a 15A circuit, you're pushing it and that may be causing the gfci to trip.

It could be moisture as well. It does not take much to make a GFCI trip. Did you check it for leaks before running it?

Ron

@Android, it's 15 amps. I'll have to see if I've got 20 on another breaker...
@rca, I sealed it COMPLETELY with JB Weld, and checked for leaks. Didn't see any.

I_B_Mongo said:

@Android, it's 15 amps. I'll have to see if I've got 20 on another breaker...
@rca, I sealed it COMPLETELY with JB Weld, and checked for leaks. Didn't see any.

Click to expand...

There really should be close to nothing else on the heatstick breaker. I only made one 1500 stick, but decided to install a brand new 20A breaker JUST for the heatstick (and a lamp).

The way I understand it, a 2000 Watt element operating on 120 volts would yield 18.2 amps (watts/volts=amps). So yeah, a 15A breaker would trip.

android said:

what amp circuit are you running that on? if it's a 15A circuit, you're pushing it and that may be causing the gfci to trip.

Click to expand...

erikrocks said:

There really should be close to nothing else on the heatstick breaker. I only made one 1500 stick, but decided to install a brand new 20A breaker JUST for the heatstick (and a lamp).

The way I understand it, a 2000 Watt element operating on 120 volts would yield 18.2 amps (watts/volts=amps). So yeah, a 15A breaker would trip.

Click to expand...

Are we talking about a breaker or a receptacle here? An overload is NOT a ground fault. An overload will NOT trip a GFCI receptacle, but it will trip the breaker.

Bernie Brewer said:

Are we talking about a breaker or a receptacle here? An overload is NOT a ground fault. An overload will NOT trip a GFCI receptacle, but it will trip the breaker.

Click to expand...

Ah, good catch. I was assuming he was tripping the breaker.

Bernie Brewer said:

Are we talking about a breaker or a receptacle here? An overload is NOT a ground fault. An overload will NOT trip a GFCI receptacle, but it will trip the breaker.

Click to expand...

Bernie, I should have been more clear. It is the GFCI receptacle that is tripping. Any advice?

Then you definitely have a ground fault. Either that or the receptacle itself is bad. Is it new?

Did you seal the PVC pipe, or the electrical connections? You should seal both, just to be as thorough as you can. I have never used JB weld, but I put marine epoxy on the connections to the element, and caulked the hell out of everything else with food-grade silicone. Take another look at it seal it up as best you can, and good luck.

Bernie Brewer said:

Then you definitely have a ground fault. Either that or the receptacle itself is bad. Is it new?

Did you seal the PVC pipe, or the electrical connections? You should seal both, just to be as thourough as you can. I have never used JB weld, but I put marine epoxy on the connections to the element, and caulked the hell out of everything else with food-grade silicone. Take another look at it seal it up as bes you can, and good luck.

Click to expand...

The receptacle works just fine. I unplugged a radio to plug in the stick.

I sealed the electrical connections and every spot where liquid could get it. Around the element, wherever there were any connections (ie element to chrome tailpiece, chrome to PVC, etc,etc) I thought I did a pretty thorough job, but if there is a leak, is it safe to let it dry for a few days, re-seal, and try again? Or just I just trash it and try again?

I_B_Mongo said:

The receptacle works just fine. I unplugged a radio to plug in the stick.

I sealed the electrical connections and every spot where liquid could get it. Around the element, wherever there were any connections (ie element to chrome tailpiece, chrome to PVC, etc,etc) I thought I did a pretty thorough job, but if there is a leak, is it safe to let it dry for a few days, re-seal, and try again? Or just I just trash it and try again?

Click to expand...

The receptacle might provide electricity to what you need, but the GFCI within it could be bad. That is what I meant. But my money is on the heatstick.
I guess if there is a leak, the only way to tell is to take it apart. As has been said in this thread earlier, it doesn't take much to create a fault.

Assuming you get it to work, you will still have an issue with overloads if you are running this on a 15 amp circuit. You'll have to address that as well. And don't just swap the breaker for a bigger one........

try putting the actual heat part of the element in a class of water without submerging any of the connections, threads, etc. if it pops instantly you have a short someplace internally. if not, you have a water leak or the outlet is bad.