Hello,
Newbie here to the forums and was thinking of a quick solution for the heating element challenge. First, I have no electrical experience or know-how (just an over active imagination and curiosity that would kill plenty of cats) anyways.... I was looking at replacement elements for the BDS and got the notion that if it was a standard element it may have a brother out there in the 900w or 1000w plus range. So after some googling (hehe) I did come across a site that makes custom quartz heating elements. Here is a sampling of what I thought was interesting:
Depending on the design, our elements can reach full output in as little as 30 seconds and typically cool down to 50 percent output in under 15 seconds. The quartz element is ideal for applications where process stoppages are anticipated or quick heat up or cool down is necessary. The elements can be turned off between production runs to save energy, and/or can have their output controlled with inexpensive controllers for precise control.
Performance Capabilities
* Standard watt densities up to 80 W/in of heated length (32W/cm), and up to 100 W/in by request*
* Element temperatures up to 2000°F (1100°C)
First off....is this a BAD idea??? My porch and house are allergic to fire. Am I correct in my thinking that these guys may be able to custom build a heating element to fit the BDS and make it around the 900w + range? ( thus, circumventing the whole custom second element or 900w replacement builds) If so, what are the exact dimensions of the BDS 500w element? What would be the ideal wattage of a custom element be without blowing the fuse or causing any other electrical havoc?
Feel free to rip this idea apart or if there are some unforeseen hazards I am unaware of (ignorance is bliss...and dangerous) so please let me know. Thanks for any input about this.
***sorry the original post left out the website.. it is here. http://www.quartzinfrared.com Glad to see some people looking into this further***
My first thought is the controller in the Bradley's (OBS and DBS) are designed around a 500 watt element and doubling (or almost) IMHO could damage your unit. Most everyone that is installing a second (or larger) element is controlling it with a different controller such as a PID. In my case I installed the second 500 watt element with a separate on/off switch so I can use my OBS as it came from the factory (second element switched off) or use the PID to control both elements at the same time. I hope this helps!
here is a thought and a solution for more heat, and I do run a 100 cfm blower on mine and now a timer / pid
the heater mod
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=17329.0
the timer / pid and yes the timer switches between the smoke generator and fan pid controller which controls the heater
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=17304.0
If I could choose the size element for my Bradley,
I (and this is just my opinion) think a 750 to 800 watt element for
a 4 racker is enough and a 1000 watt for the 6 racker.
Same problem happened to me today. 4th use and heating element wont work
Quote from: drod on January 04, 2011, 03:20:55 PM
Same problem happened to me today. 4th use and heating element wont work
I think they got hold of a bad supply of elements.
Give Bradley a call and they will fix you up!
This is interesting...
I found the website he was referring to. Does anyone have some close-up pics of the Bradley heating element ends, and the exact length?
I think a drop-in 700 watt element upgrade would be a quick and easy mod.
from tip of porcelain is 13"
Quote from: classicrockgriller on January 04, 2011, 04:54:48 PM
from tip of porcelain is 13"
Thanks Sonny! I might get one of these to play with... I'll be sure and report back.
700 watt in a 4 racker is almost perfect.
i think i would like 2000* if i was powder coating in my 6 rack :D :D
So my second element from Bradley just went out (2 in 3 months) and while they are sending me a new one I decided to go a different route. I have ordered this element http://www.quartzinfrared.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=50250&Category_Code=26&Product_Count=19 (http://www.quartzinfrared.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=50250&Category_Code=26&Product_Count=19) which I believe dimensionally will be a drop in. The glass is just under 12" and the small ceramic tips extend about .3 ". Only difference is the attachment but that should be easy enough. Get an additional 200 watts for the OBS 4 rack with a fan mod (already done) and I think I should be in good shape. I'll let you know how it works out.
Pete
Hey Pete,
Please keep us updated on the 700 watt element and how well it works out with the install and also the control factor in the OBS.
Thanks! ;D
Hmmm...This may be promising then. I hope so. :) :) :)
Well let us know..
well here's the response from the custom quartz element guy :(
Based on a quick review of the links, we must decline to get into this.
From what I know about smokers, you need to heat the chamber to the proper temperature. Quartz Infrared elements are very poor at heating air. The infrared energy must be absorbed by other objects then conducted to the air from that object. The 900W element from grainger is the ideal solution for heating air, as the large surface area of the fins can radiate the energy to the air more efficiently.
The tubular element must be heating the area around it and that in turn heats the chamber.
Sorry it's been awhile since I finally received the new heating element and had a chance to install it. The installation was a bit of a problem and I went through several different variations until I was happy. What I ended up with was taking the ceramic caps off the old Bradley element, grinding down the taper slightly, removing the stainless steel adapters off the new element, installing onto the quartz ends and terminating the wires by just twisting them into the wires of the OBS. I also added a heat shield over the element to reduce the direct heat in the back and to protect the glass from drippings. I also had previously modified my 4 rack OBS into 8 racks and added a fan. Today I did 10 lbs of jerky (2 separate loads) and all went very well. The heat up time was much faster as well as recovery after I opened the door (less than 5 minutes). As far as control, I have a dual probe Auberins so that was easy. I took temp measurements at the top middle and the bottom front. Initial temp during ramp up the top was 100 hotter but when it settled it was within a couple of degrees. During the jerky smoke the pieces at the back of the bottom 2 racks cooked much quicker than the rest of the load. I'll probably add additional shielding to help this. When I put in my second load of jerky I only needed 6 racks so I did not use the bottom 2; all racks smoked fairly evenly with only one switch top to bottom front to back (total time was 3.5 hours with 2 hours of smoke and 1.5 drying; I finish in a dehydrator). I'll take some pictures tomorrow of the setup to post. Overall I am very happy with the new element especially if I don't have the short life I have had with the current lot of Bradley's.
Pete
Looking forward to the pics and glad you are happy.
Here are a few pics to give you an idea of what the final installation looked like.
Overall front view
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_PnXVro1MqHI/TTnOiRp9n1I/AAAAAAAAAtE/XiQBPjB0nZw/Front.jpg)
Left side closeup
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PnXVro1MqHI/TTnOitAWuKI/AAAAAAAAAtI/crVrtk7iSEo/Left.jpg)
Right side closeup
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PnXVro1MqHI/TTnOifludkI/AAAAAAAAAtA/-SY9u5JFP3Q/Right.jpg)
Additional shield/protection
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_PnXVro1MqHI/TTnOi1kCjfI/AAAAAAAAAtM/2f6GQi-X3Lg/Shield.jpg)
I read the earlier post from the company that supplies the quartz heating element but I found with the smoker empty it heated up just like the Bradley element only faster.
Pete