I bought my 4 rack smoker about two months ago and used it about 4 times (brisket, prime rib, fish and chicken). I tried it last week and for some reason the element in the oven does not turn on. The digital box is working fine; the smoker is working fine (advances the pucks and heats them up); the fuse in the back of the digital box is fine. The oven temp and time works properly on the digital box but the element itself in the oven does not turn on. Any one have any ideas? or is this a warranty call to Bradley? Thank-you.
Do you unplug the Smoke generator when you put the smoker away? This sounds like a loose connection problem. Unplug and plug in all of your cords again make sure they are fully seated then try firing it up. You might have to do this a couple of times. If that doesnt work give Brian a call at Bradley. I'm thinking that reseating the plugs should work for you though.
Check with a OHM meter to see if there is an open in the element. Also push in on the plugs real good to make sure they are seated all the way.
Yep, what they said, most likely a loose/poor connection. Other causes, bad heating element or tripped high temp sensor. If reseating the plug-in connections does not work, I would call Brian for assistance.
Yeah, what the others have said. Found that out the hard way last winter. Had my maverick thermometer hooked up and saw that the temp was going up so I went about my business for a few hours. Came back to check on it and the temp hadn't even reached 100...looked inside the bradley and could tell that the heating element wasn't on (the rise in temp I had seen was from the smoke generator). The cords where plugged in but I reseated them anyway. Almost immediately I could see the temperature going up. Hopefully that's all your problem is...the one thing I learned from my experience is to always plan on turning the unit on and letting it warm up for awhile before even thinking about putting the meat in to make sure I don't run into the same problem again. :)
I am a newbie to this smoking stuff, but with the amount of deer I harvest I needed to invest. I was getting frustrated and about to take my Bradley back (6-rack digital, bought for capacity), but I think this tip answered my troubles. Found a loose plug on the back. Thought the problem was that it is only 8 degrees F out, so I built a box to shield it from the wind. Had it on for 2+ hours and the temperature hadn't risen at all. Now, just 20 minutes later the internal temp has already risen 50 degrees. I'm feeling much better about the smoker and the 30-lbs. of pepper sticks that are stuffed and sitting in my refrigerator awaiting the smoker.
W E L C O M E to the Forum RickWL63!
I'm glad you got it working.
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Thanks! First batch is a little over half way done and already smelling good. :)