Aloha, from Amazon I bought a BTDS76P for my husband's Christmas present. It arrived with the door dented and hinges bent, would not seal; Amazon had a replacement unit at our door 3 days later.
Today husband attempted to season the smoker in preparation for New Years Day cooking. There's NO smoke. The temperature readings indicate everything is heating, but there's no smoke. The bottom of the bisquettes are scorched, but that's it.
My husband, being a resourceful Marine, took the smoke generator from the not yet returned damaged unit, and it doesn't produce smoke either. Checked the internal and external connections, the directions and it is plugged directly to the electrical outlet.
I am really disappointed we have received 2 duds in one week. Any suggestions, short of going out to eat, are greatly appreciated.
Welcome to the forum.
It really does sound very strange to have two bad smoke generators that for sure. You did say the bisquettes are scorched so we know that there is heat getting to the small generator element. I am wondering if the bisquette's got wet or damp? Something else you could try is plugging the unit into a different outlet. Sometimes there is to much load on the outlet and the element needs all the power it can get. Someone with a few other suggestions will come along shortly.
it takes approx 20 minutes for the puck burner to get hot enough to make the pucks smolder. try waiting 20 to 30 minutes before placing a puck ( bisquette ) onto the burner and see if that helps... in most cases the burner is not hot enough prior to a puck being placed on it.. by your description the burner is working and did not wait long enough for it to get hot
Thanks for the suggestions. We've used 2 different outlets, and have run the recommended seasoning schedule 3 times. We'll give a different batch of bisquettes a shot, and allow the burner to heat for 30 minutes before placing pucks in the feeder.
First thing I would look at is. Do you have it plugged into a dedicated outlet? Meaning, the smoker is the only thing drawing power from the outlet. Another thing is how long did you wait for smoke to get going? I have an OBS and I will turn on the smoke generator at least 20-30 minutes to let it heat up then advance the bisquettes until the first one gets on the burner. Another thing it to make sure everything is plugged in well on the smoker its self. I don't have a digital smoker but the mentioned suggestions are worth looking at.
Just wait a bit and someone with better knowledge will post other suggestions. So hang in there, I'm sure you will be able to do a wonderful meal.
Quote from: jawz33 on December 29, 2012, 01:08:54 PM
Thanks for the suggestions. We've used 2 different outlets, and have run the recommended seasoning schedule 3 times. We'll give a different batch of bisquettes a shot, and allow the burner to heat for 30 minutes before placing pucks in the feeder.
That just might be the fix. If not, keep asking questions. Everyone is here to help.
No joy. We let the smoke generator heat for 30 minutes and tried different pucks. Still nothing. The Bradley is the only thing plugged into the receptacle, and that circuit powers the porch light and the doorbell.
We'll give Bradley a call on Monday and hope for the best. Again I want to thank folks for their suggestions and consideration.
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!! (Happy New Year from Hawaii)
One last thing that I didn't see anyone ask yet, you didn't happen to have the Bradley plugged into the outlet via an extension cord, did you? Unless the extension cord is a quality heavy duty type, it will choke the power going to the unit and make it hard to get hot enough to burn those pucks.
Also, get a multimeter and check the votlage at the outlet. EVen if you have it plugged in directly with no extension cord, if it's showing a lower than normal voltage at the outlet it could cause heating problems.
Getting two brand new defective smokers is a bit odd to say the least.
Welcome to the forum jawz33. Sorry you're having problems. It's really disappointing when you're ready to jump in and get smoking. If you don't get it figured out today, Bradley customer service is very good and they'll get you smoking aqap. (as quick as possible) :)
Spoke with a very nice woman at Bradley today. Even though husband had checked the wires in the generator, she suggested I disconnect and reconnect all the wires I could. So I did. Then I let the generator warm up for 20 minutes, and started the seasoning cycle. 30 minutes later I smelled smoke and thought the house was on fire!!! Ta-Da!! I got a smokin' smoker:) Perhaps there was a loose connection...or it just needed a woman's touch!!! Can't wait for the weekend!! The last of the salmon and halibut is getting smoked!
congrats on a job well done