Is it the element?

fishwish · July 22, 2012, 08:57:45 AM

As I have read others whose OBS have erratic temps and then finally don't heat I am wondering how to tell if the element is my problem. Same symptoms, power to SG and fuse is good, bottom faceplate is cracked (news huh?) and the slider bar when moved does not generate a light indicating power. Others have posted that they had a light but no heat, I don't have either. So I am wondering if it is the element or the circuit board. Is there any way to determine this? Thanks.

Up In Smoke · July 22, 2012, 09:14:17 AM

fishwish,
try unplugging all cords, reconnect them (making sure connections are good) if this does not help, try plugging the cook tower directly into the wall outlet instead of the smoke generator to see if the element heats up.

fishwish · July 22, 2012, 11:13:15 AM

Just plugged in the tower directly, no light and after 10 min no movement on the temp.

muebe · July 22, 2012, 11:17:04 AM

Sounds like the fusible link is burned out. If it was the element you would be getting a light on the power indicator.

fishwish · July 22, 2012, 02:29:12 PM

:P So, is that this circuit board that is behind the faceplate?

TedEbear · July 22, 2012, 03:20:47 PM

The fusable link looks like this:

You have to remove the back cover of the tower to get to it.

Toker · July 22, 2012, 04:00:53 PM

If you really have the 611,THE ONE WITH SMOKE ON THE DOOR, you don't have any circuit board in the faceplate. It is now located into the smoke generator. Unless you have the black. The in-line fuse is on the back of the tower. It is the orange cord.

fishwish · July 22, 2012, 05:54:19 PM

Thanks both of you. My husband was reminding me that we have had it about 6 years. I will purchase this part and see what it does. Thanks again.

Habanero Smoker · July 23, 2012, 02:12:32 AM

If you have a cracked face plate, meaning the crack is above the slider, it may well be your circuit board. That crack will allow moisture and grease to seep through and will destroy your circuit board.

To check, remove the faceplate. If the circuit board is looking funky, it may be your problem. You can temporarily by past the circuit board to see if that is the problem. First unplug the cabinet form the generator or wall. Take a picture of the circuit board so that you will have that as a reference to reassemble. Unplug the to spade connectors, and tape them together with electrical tape, so the flat areas of the connectors are together. Make sure this is taped tightly and no metal is showing. Plug the cabinet directly into the wall socket. If the element begins to glow, the circuit board is your problem. Note: Only leave this plugged in long enough to see if the element gets hot, then unplug it.

TedEbear · July 23, 2012, 04:49:11 AM

Quote from: fishwish on July 22, 2012, 05:54:19 PM
Thanks both of you. My husband was reminding me that we have had it about 6 years. I will purchase this part and see what it does. Thanks again.

You can test the fusible link to see if it is bad before buying another one. Just unplug both ends and do a continuity check with a multimeter.

fishwish · July 23, 2012, 05:49:48 AM

Great idea, too bad I placed my order before seeing this :o. Oh well, part is cheap through yard and pool. We will still run the check though. Circuit board looked good-clean and dry. Smoker is used under a covered deck so some but not much opportunity for water. As this is the first time we've had issues I would say we've done well. Thanks you two.

Habanero Smoker · July 23, 2012, 01:23:31 PM

Water and grease can seep out of the smoker, at the bottom of the door. If it is clean looking you are probably alright, but you should seal that crack with either duct tape of silicone sealant. If your smoker is within the warranty period, Bradley will replace the faceplate.

fishwish · July 23, 2012, 06:41:35 PM

I guess I don't have my terminology down, we have the OBS stainless steel, i noticed this got moved to the black BS thread, sure the info is all the same. I have ordered parts, by elimination we will figure it out, i'm sure i'll be back!

fishwish · November 24, 2012, 02:03:48 PM

Soooo, we never actually completed the repairs until the smoker was going to be used for Thanksgiving. Here is what we found. It must be the circuit board as we have replaced the element and fusible link. When DH bypassed the circuit board we got it working but of course without any temp control. As we had a full smoker of turkey and pork knuckles the temp was fine at about 160. So today I smoked the rest of the knuckles and noticed the door was falling off. So when we change the circuit board we will also do the bottom door mod with the aluminum angle. This time hopefully before the next smoke! Butttt..... the brined turkey and pork knuckles were the best we've had! Thanks again to everybody who gave input, should have tried bypassing the circuit board in the beginning like the others suggested!