Pro-Melt tripping Ground Fault???

[mstarling]

I have a Pro-Melt that is tripping the ground fault on the 110V circuit it's attached to. I have another Pro-Melt that works fine on the same circuit.

Any ideas of what might be wrong ... and how how to fix it?

I do not want to get rid of it as they are WAY too expensive to replace and I want to have a working spare.

[Pepe Ray]

In asking the question you tell me that you need to locate an electrician or an old home owner with a multi-meter to find the short circuit for you.
Pepe Ray

OR send it back.

[targetshootr]

RCBS will rebuild it for little if any cost.

[mstarling]

OK ... let me rephrase the question:

I have a multi-meter. I am an old home owner. I am a computer hardware guy. I have build a load of electrical stuff but most of it has been on the DC side. I have not worked with ground fault circuits. The Pro-Melt in question has about 20 pound of alloy in it ... making it hard to ship as it's HEAVY.

What trips a ground fault circuit?

Thanks,

Mike

[Heavy lead]

Just because it is tripping a GFI does not mean there is a short circuit. GFI do not work that way.
I would plug it in in a non-GFI outlet. It takes very little to trip a GFI.whttp://home.howstuffworks.com/question117.htmork

[Heavy lead]

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question117.htm
Sorry the link above did not post right.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi, Your pro-melt is tripping the circuit breaker because it has a short in it, either a common type such as would occur when a "hot" wire is in contact with a grounded point of the frame(or some part that is grounded...or in the on-off switch or in the thermostat. You would need a circuit tester or a continuity tester to locate it. An electrician could find the prob really quickly as he usually has that type of equipment handy. He might even be able to fix it. If there is lead in the pot, you could get it to drain using a torch before shipping the unit back to RCBS, unless of course they are willing to pay the postage for the shipping including the lead. Good luck with the prob. LLS

[oneokie]

An amperage draw that exceeds the rating of the GFI for a few milliseconds will trip the GFI.

[Heavy lead]

An amperage draw that exceeds the rating of the GFI for a few milliseconds will trip the GFI.

Exactly, a fart will make a GFI trip. Don't get me wrong, ground fault circuit interrupters serve a good purpose and I'm sure have saved lives, but they can cause unecessary nuisance trips as well. If there is a dead short in the melter, if the circuit is on a circuit breaker it will break.

[454PB]

while it is most likely a light ground or loose ground within the pot, it COULD be trouble elsewhere in the wiring. Basically, a GFCI measures current flow in the ground circuit, and there should be none.

I recently had a GFCI receptacle that would trip intermittently. After cussing it for a few weeks, I finally tore into the circuit and began eliminating other receptacles in that circuit. This GFCI receptacle had three other regular receptacles connected in parallel that it protected. I first installed a brand new GFCI, and still had the problem. I then disconnected each of the "downstream" receptacles until I found the culprit. Naturally it was the last one on the circuit. There was absolutely nothing visibly wrong with the bad receptacle, and even my ohmeter found nothing wrong.

[targetshootr]

From your opening comments it's clear it's not your GFI outlet that has the problem so let the factory fix it. Even if it's full of lead the price to ship it will be the same in a flat rate box.

PS. No legit electrician would open up the furnace to repair it, especially if it has rivets. And if they did the warranty may be voided.

[mstarling]

OK ... there is a circuit breaker in the system. It never trips.

The difference is the two Pro-Melts. One trips the GFCI the other does not.

Will put a Fluke on it and see what I can find.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I had the same problem until I found the outlet only had a 10 amp breaker . I put a 20 amp in and the problem stopped. :-D Robert

[Bill*]

mstarling- I think a few posters are thinking breaker, not GFI. I had a basement sink pump do the same thing. I tried a few things, gave up and plugged it into a standard outlet. It's been fine now for well over a decade. I think GFI's are just too sensitive for certain applications, which I guess is a good thing when you're standing in a puddle with an appliance in your hand:mrgreen:

[hunter64]

I do not have a pro melt but honeslty if you can figure out how to get the case off and get inside then we should be able to help you with basic trouble shooting and your multi-meter to at least narrow down your problem. You will have an on/off switch a rheostat(temp control) and the element and that is it.

[montana_charlie]

There are GFI outlets, and there are GFI circuit breakers. So far, it's a little hard to tell which kind of device is giving problems.

Whatever the case, check out this site for information that may help you find your problem.
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infelectrical/infgfi.html

CM

[Marlinreloader]

I do not have a pro melt but honeslty if you can figure out how to get the case off and get inside then we should be able to help you with basic trouble shooting and your multi-meter to at least narrow down your problem. You will have an on/off switch a rheostat(temp control) and the element and that is it.

Go three pages over and another member has his taken apart and you can take a look at it to get an idea what might be going on in there.
just a thought.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=41055
Marlinreloader

[DLCTEX]

I would start with an ohm meter and test the circuits, unhooking components until I found the culprit. Test each prong of the cord from prong to pot housing, there should not be continuity. Try reversing the polarity of the cord attachments. Maybe adding a cord with a ground (3 wire)
if it is a two wire cord. If you can isolate the heating element/s. test for a ground. One of the most common faults is a ruptured/damaged element. Does it work in a non-GFCI circuit? Do you have access to an amp meter? If so, compare amp draw of the two units. If you can get it to work with a non-GFCI recept. you can empty the pot.

[MtGun44]

A GFI is looking at the current flow in the hot leg and the neutral leg. They
must match to 5 milliamps,IIRC. If your GFI is OK, and the fact that the
other pot works makes me think it is, then you have a short somewhere
so that there is leakage from the hot to ground - i.e. a ground fault.
Apparently it is a very small short - which means very high resistance -
or it would pop the breaker.

You may have the hot shorting to a metal part of the unit. This is
a potentially serious injury issue, esp if you manage to grab a great
ground like a water pipe as you are touching the unit.

Be careful, the GFI is talking to you, listen carefully. They are sensitive and
can be fooled, but spend some time assuming the GFI is working and
find the short before you assume that the GFI is nuts and go on, maybe
getting electrocuted in the future.

Be safe! :-D

Bill

[mold maker]

while it is most likely a light ground or loose ground within the pot, it COULD be trouble elsewhere in the wiring. Basically, a GFCI measures current flow in the ground circuit, and there should be none.

I recently had a GFCI receptacle that would trip intermittently. After cussing it for a few weeks, I finally tore into the circuit and began eliminating other receptacles in that circuit. This GFCI receptacle had three other regular receptacles connected in parallel that it protected. I first installed a brand new GFCI, and still had the problem. I then disconnected each of the "downstream" receptacles until I found the culprit. Naturally it was the last one on the circuit. There was absolutely nothing visibly wrong with the bad receptacle, and even my ohmeter found nothing wrong.

I've had the same experience. Some GFCIs are more sensative than others also.
After all they have electronic components just like PCs. When the work right they are great, but otherwise they are a PITA.

[Heavy lead]

mstarling- I think a few posters are thinking breaker, not GFI. I had a basement sink pump do the same thing. I tried a few things, gave up and plugged it into a standard outlet. It's been fine now for well over a decade. I think GFI's are just too sensitive for certain applications, which I guess is a good thing when you're standing in a puddle with an appliance in your hand:mrgreen:

I want GFI protection in a bathroom or kitchen, or if I run power tools in the rain (yes use one) I would never, never, never, never, ever put any kind of a sump pump , or another pump that could potentially flood a basement. (Don't ask why I know this)

[cajun shooter]

As has been stated many times before GFI circuits can trip even when the problem is not that bad. Why not plug the pot into a standard circuit and let it heat up and melt the lead with you watching. If it starts to smoke or over heat kill the circuit. If not you can at least clear it of lead. As heavy lead says a GFI should only be in a kitchen or bath not were you use equipment. My Rv has one in the TV circuit and it connects to the bath. Everytime my wife blow drys her hair it trips. Does not mean anything is wrong with any of the electrical devises that are plugged in.

[DLCTEX]

If it runs ok on a regular circuit, another test would be to touch one lead of a voltmeter to the pot and the other to a good ground to see if current is present to ground.

[EKO]

Your heating element is failing, right now the short from the core to the "skin" of the element is not enough to trip the breaker but I bet you can get your tester to read voltage from ground to the case of the pot when plugged in to a regular outlet (it can shock you now, be careful). If you look at the element you probably can already find the bad area visually. Replace the element and it will be ok. Oops someone beat me to it!

[canebreaker]

If you plug in the melter and melt a pot of lead,
it does fine, when the thermostat clicks off then
clicks on, your drawing a surge. Which will trip a gfi.

My girlfriend was remodeling her house a bit a few years back.
She upgraded to a gfi in the bathroom.
That's when the problem started.
No matter what was plugged into it, it triped.
Turn it on and it triped.
An electrician was called in to check it out.
She wired it right. He turned it upside down.
Not the first problem since.
His reply, "mam, your house is wired weird."

Last year she wanted to replace all the ivory
switches and recpts and covers to white.
No problem in bedrooms, hall and foyer.
But kitchen and laundry room were wired with 12 gauge.
Had to ream out the hole in devices so wire would plug in.
Could have twisted wire around screw.
The last home owner added a switch to a display light
over the mantle. After replacing that switch, which I did,
half the living room and dining room didn't work.
Another call to an electician. It was wired right, but the
old switch had been modified to be wired like it was.

[chboats]

I know this is an old thread and the problem has been discussed in other threads, but thought I would pass this along. I had the same problem with an RCBS Pro Melt. I contacted an RCBS rep. He said they have had several complaints when it is connected to a 15 amp GFI. He recommended changing the GFI outlet to a 20 amp GFI and if the problem does not go away RCBS wants the unit back and will repair it.

I changed the outlet and the problem went away. I also had the same problem out on the deck where I plug in an electric charcoal starter. Changed that outlet to a 20 amp GFI and not more problem.

I guess the 15 amp outlet is a lot more sensitive than the 20 amp.

Carl

[DLCTEX]

chboats: I had that same thought when I saw the title of the thread today, also there are 20 amp. regular outlets available that will accept 12 ga. wire in the back push connectors.

[deltaenterprizes]

I had the same problem until I found the outlet only had a 10 amp breaker . I put a 20 amp in and the problem stopped. :-D Robert

I have not seen a 10 amp breaker that fits an American breaker panel 15 is the smallest I know of. The reason for the smaller breaker is that the wire is 14 ga and only rated for 15 amps. By changing to a larger breaker size you now risk burning your house down putting the lives of you and your family in jeopardy and having the insurance company refuse to pay your claim and in some states maybe charged with manslaughter(New York comes to mind).Do you know why the heating elements glow in a toaster? It is because of too much amperage drawn through too small of a wire, that can happen with the wires in your walls while you are sleeping. Think about it.

[mainiac]

I have this trouble with my pro-melt as well,but only on rainy wet days. I cast out in my garage,and when first plugging in the pot,the gfi will trip constantly.I have to plug into a non gfi plug-in,until the lead get melted and the pot is hot,then i can plug into gfi with no issues.

[montana_charlie]

Think about it.
I thought about it.
It's been a year since he posted that comment, so I doubt that he is still reading this thread.

CM

[deltaenterprizes]

I thought about it.
It's been a year since he posted that comment, so I doubt that he is still reading this thread.

CM

LOL,[smilie=l:
I hope he didn't have a fire!