These rules are jurisdictional. Each one names the authority it comes from and the territories it applies in. Where BBQHQ holds no rule for your territory, it shows you nothing rather than showing you somebody else’s.
What the rules say
UK: use a residual current device for anything that plugs in
significantElectrical Safety First · GB · last verified 2026-08-21 · review due 2027-08-21
Use a residual current device with any mains-powered cooker or equipment used outdoors. If your fusebox does not have one built in, use a plug-in RCD at the socket.
An RCD is the thing that turns cutting through a lead from a fatality into a tripped switch. Electrical Safety First and RoSPA both give this advice and neither states a milliamp rating, so neither does this rule. The 30 mA figure elsewhere in BBQHQ is Masterbuilt's instruction about Masterbuilt's smoker and is shown as that.
Where this comes from
In the UK, mains-powered equipment used outdoors should be protected by a residual current device, and a plug-in RCD should be used where the fusebox does not have one built in.
Well supported
Electrical Safety First — States this directly
“Use a residual current device (RCD) with all outdoor electrical equipment. If you don't have one built into your fusebox, use a plug-in RCD.”
- No milliamp figure is given, and that is recorded deliberately. Masterbuilt specifies 30 mA for its own smoker and the temptation is to read the two together into 'a 30 mA RCD is required'. Neither source says that. The charity says use an RCD; the manufacturer says 30 mA for its appliance. BBQHQ states each in the voice that said it.
- What it covers:
- All outdoor electrical equipment as a class. A mains-powered smoker is in scope because it is a mains appliance used outdoors, not because the source mentions cooking — it does not.
- Where it applies:
- The United Kingdom. Electrical Safety First is a UK charity writing for UK homes.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) — States this directly
“Use a residual current device (RCD) for electrically-powered equipment to protect against the risks of electrocution ... Check for any damage before you use, like worn or frayed cables, broken parts or signs equipment has got wet ... Never use electrical equipment in wet conditions ... Switch off and unplug electrical items before cleaning, adjusting or checking them.”
- A second publisher, not a restatement. RoSPA reaches the same advice as Electrical Safety First from an accident-prevention remit rather than an electrical one, and neither cites the other. The count should read two, because there are two.
- The unplug-before-adjusting instruction is the one that bites on a cooker. Clearing a probe, moving a chip tray or wiping an element are all 'adjusting', and all of them are done mid-cook with the appliance live.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21
UK: dew counts as wet
significantElectrical Safety First · GB · last verified 2026-08-21 · review due 2027-08-21
Do not run a mains-powered cooker outdoors while the ground or the equipment is wet. Electrical Safety First sets the threshold at dew on the ground, not at rain.
This is the rule that decides the case a long cook actually presents. A ten-hour smoke started in the afternoon finishes after dark on wet grass, and the test most people apply is whether it is raining. The source deliberately sets a lower bar than that, and it is the single most useful sentence in the electrical domain for anybody running a cabinet smoker overnight.
Where this comes from
In the UK, mains-powered equipment should not be used outdoors while the ground or the equipment is wet, and the stated threshold is dew rather than rain.
Well supported
Electrical Safety First — States this directly
“Electricity and water don't mix so, even if there is just dew on the ground, don't use electrical equipment outdoors until it is dry.”
- The sentence that decides the case an electric smoker actually presents. a ten-hour cook that starts in the afternoon ends after dark on wet grass, and 'it is not raining' is the test most people would apply. The source sets a lower bar than that on purpose.
- Written about garden equipment generally. BBQHQ applies it to mains-powered cookers because they are mains equipment used outdoors, and says so rather than implying the source named them.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) — States this directly
“Use a residual current device (RCD) for electrically-powered equipment to protect against the risks of electrocution ... Check for any damage before you use, like worn or frayed cables, broken parts or signs equipment has got wet ... Never use electrical equipment in wet conditions ... Switch off and unplug electrical items before cleaning, adjusting or checking them.”
- A second publisher, not a restatement. RoSPA reaches the same advice as Electrical Safety First from an accident-prevention remit rather than an electrical one, and neither cites the other. The count should read two, because there are two.
- The unplug-before-adjusting instruction is the one that bites on a cooker. Clearing a probe, moving a chip tray or wiping an element are all 'adjusting', and all of them are done mid-cook with the appliance live.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21
UK: the lead is part of the appliance
significantElectrical Safety First · GB · last verified 2026-08-21 · review due 2027-08-21
Use only extension leads, reels and connectors rated for outdoor use — weather-resistant, with moulded connections. Check them for damage before plugging in, uncoil a reel completely, and use one with a thermal cut-out.
The cooker is chosen once and the lead is chosen every time, usually from whatever is in the shed. A coiled reel under load is a heater rather than a shock hazard, which is why the instruction is to uncoil rather than merely to inspect — the failure it prevents is a fire.
Where this comes from
In the UK, extension leads, cable reels and connectors used outdoors should be ones rated for outdoor use, checked for damage before use and fully uncoiled, and cable reels should have a thermal cut-out.
Well supported
Electrical Safety First — States this directly
“Only use extension leads, cable reels, and connectors which are suitable for outdoor use. ... Before using them, check they are clean and free from damage, and fully uncoil them to prevent overheating.”
- The lead is the part of an electric smoker's installation that BBQHQ can say something useful about. The smoker is bought once and the lead is chosen every time it is used, usually from whatever is in the shed.
- The stated reason is overheating, not shock. A coiled reel under load is a heater, and the failure it produces is a fire rather than an electrocution.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) — Background and context
“Use a residual current device (RCD) for electrically-powered equipment to protect against the risks of electrocution ... Check for any damage before you use, like worn or frayed cables, broken parts or signs equipment has got wet ... Never use electrical equipment in wet conditions ... Switch off and unplug electrical items before cleaning, adjusting or checking them.”
- A second publisher, not a restatement. RoSPA reaches the same advice as Electrical Safety First from an accident-prevention remit rather than an electrical one, and neither cites the other. The count should read two, because there are two.
- The unplug-before-adjusting instruction is the one that bites on a cooker. Clearing a probe, moving a chip tray or wiping an element are all 'adjusting', and all of them are done mid-cook with the appliance live.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21
UK: unplug before you fiddle with it
moderateElectrical Safety First · GB · last verified 2026-08-21 · review due 2027-08-21
Switch off and unplug a mains-powered cooker before cleaning, adjusting or checking it.
On a cooker this is the instruction people break without noticing they are breaking it. Clearing a jammed auger, refilling a chip tray, wiping an element and reseating a probe are all adjusting, and all of them are done mid-cook with the appliance live and the cook's hands wet.
Where this comes from
In the UK, mains-powered equipment should be switched off and unplugged before it is cleaned, adjusted or checked.
Well established
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) — States this directly
“Use a residual current device (RCD) for electrically-powered equipment to protect against the risks of electrocution ... Check for any damage before you use, like worn or frayed cables, broken parts or signs equipment has got wet ... Never use electrical equipment in wet conditions ... Switch off and unplug electrical items before cleaning, adjusting or checking them.”
- A second publisher, not a restatement. RoSPA reaches the same advice as Electrical Safety First from an accident-prevention remit rather than an electrical one, and neither cites the other. The count should read two, because there are two.
- The unplug-before-adjusting instruction is the one that bites on a cooker. Clearing a probe, moving a chip tray or wiping an element are all 'adjusting', and all of them are done mid-cook with the appliance live.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21