Kenyon Grill Heating Elements

[mobocracy]

When I bought my 2007 310 DA (used), the pre-sale inspection said the grill tripped the breaker. I called Kenyon and they told me this model had a design flaw in the heating element making it prone to cracking and shorting. For $75, I could get a replacement element and be back in business.

I did this, and it worked great until last weekend. Grilled some hamburgers on the hook, turned the grill off for about 10 minutes and then went to turn it back on to heat up some fried chicken and it wouldn't stay on. I reset the panel Accessory switch a couple of times and each time I turned the grill on it powered off immediately.

I'm guessing this is exactly what's wrong with it again -- a problem with the element. But before I fork over another $75, I'm curious if anyone's had other problems besides this? The system seems pretty simple, but the thing I'm dubious about is the "in-line" circuit breaker gizmo that connects between the grill and the outlet under the cockpit counter. Do these ever go bad?

Any other feedback on the durability of these heating elements? I thought it might be kind of joke when we bought the boat, but we've really liked the grill, making all kinds simple grilled stuff, including pizzas. It just seems like a heating element ought to last more than 3 years.

 

[mobocracy]

So I finally got a chance to call Kenyon, and they think there's some kind of bare wire short inside the grill and less of a chance that the element itself is suffering from a problem similar to the old design element.

 

[wyrman]

I had to buy a heating element when I bought mine as well.
You'd think since it's a known.problem, they'd at least sell it for a better price.
To answer your question, yes gfci's do go bad.

 

[mobocracy]

I had to buy a heating element when I bought mine as well.
You'd think since it's a known.problem, they'd at least sell it for a better price.
To answer your question, yes gfci's do go bad.

Yeah, I’ve replaced a ton of GFCIs at home, but mostly because the admiral wants a half a megawatt’s worth of cheap string lights with the extension cords in puddles. Usually they fail outright and won’t turn on at all.

The inline one on my Kenyon seems to reset and initially power up fine.

 

[wyrman]

Heating elements and gfci's don't seem to get along well from my experience.
I have a Traeger pellet grill, and I can't run it on a gfci because the hot rod used for the first couple of minutes likes to trip it.
Mine's not the only one that does that either.
With that said, I haven't had any problems yet with my Kenyon BBQ grill since I replaced the element, but that was only last year.

 

[j98052]

OK I just went through the same experience -- I replaced the element, which did not fix the problem.

There was a blue Molex power connector, and the plastic was cracked, so I replaced that. No luck.

So I got out the multimeter and started testing everything. Talked to an electrician, and everything pointed to the GFCI.

So I replaced the GFCI ($300 for a 240v 30amp GFCI!) -- which did not fix the problem.

My grill comes with a Corian cover that goes over the grill, and there is a pressure switch that cuts power to the grill when the cover is in place. This switch connects to a relay.

Since we were about to leave on a 3 week trip, I pulled out the relay, bypassing the switch -- and the problem went away. Grill works fine.

A new relay is $12 on Amazon - great! Got back, replaced the relay -- which did not fix the problem! It turns out, it's the pressure switch. After digging it out, I found some corrosion, which I think was causing the GFCI to trip.

After digging it out, and removing all the silicon, I cannot read the part number. I've e-mailed SeaRay hoping they can help me.

If your setup is different (no cover or pressure switch), I suggest examining the whole circuit to see if you can determine where the short is.

 

[wyrman]

You know, you don't have to use the corded gfci if you think that might be bad. I would just replace the duplex outlet it plugs into with a gfci.

 

[mobocracy]

Well, apparently the grill was just suffering from jealousy or lack of attention. Pulled it out and removed the electrical access panel on the site. No signs of shorts or arcing and all the connections seemed snug and sound.

I recovered the bare terminal lugs that mate the grill with the power cord with electrical tape and gave it a try. Bam, worked fine. Heated right up as normal.

My guess is something was a tad loose and thus drawing too much power for the GFCI.

At least I didn’t blow $75 on a new element. But I kind of wish I had brought a hamburger or two...

 

[j98052]

You know, you don't have to use the corded gfci if you think that might be bad. I would just replace the duplex outlet it plugs into with a gfci.

The grill on my boat is 240v 30amp - there is no outlet.

 

[wyrman]

I understand, I guess I should have directed that at mobocracy.