Hello fellow meat lovers. just getting my smoker rollling here. when i tried to season my smoker as per the manual. it doesnt look like it is reaching temp. set @150F... & showing it is only getting to 26F? the manual says that when the temp gets to 150F the smoker is now seasoned. but the temp never got even close? i took some meat out to smoke. so i dont want it to go to waste. i tried it again @ 280F just to see what it would get to....& same thing....only up to 26F..... how long does it take to reach temperature? starting ot get frustrated. any help would be greatly apprciated. THANKS HB.
HB, you must a BDS... right?
I have a OBS but I'll tell what I know. When I seasoned mine I turned the heat of full loaded 3 pucks(1 hr worth) and let her go.
I'm pretty sure that was as per instructions.
My OBS headed to 275F last night in 1 hr in -5C(sorry Canada eh ;))23F I think.
You should be able to hit 150F no problemo, if not you have a problem.
I have read from many great minds hear to check your connections, even one a little loose or not pushed in far enough can cause
problems. I sure some one with more knowledge than my self will be along.
Good luck, hope you get it sorted out!
sNc
HB,
Like SNC I have a OBS too so I don't know the digital but I would also check the connections. It almost sounds like only the smoke generator is heating.
Some things that might help others who know more than me:
When it's going is the element in the box glowing red at all?
What is your outside temperature?
Was the smoke generator getting hot enough to produce smoke?
Also, here is a link to the FAQs on hte recipe site, maybe something there will help. http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=481
Does the outside temp happen to be 26F? Doesn't sound like you're measuring the cabinet temp or there's no cabinet heat at all. Open the door and lightly touch a rack. Is it warm/hot?
W E L C O M E to the Forum Herd Bull!
Try plugging the tower directly into the wall. Does the element glow red ?
YES THE SMOKER HEATS UP & BURNS THE PUCKS, YES THE ELEMENT IS GLOWING RED, THE SMOKER IS INSIDE MY GARAGE WITH THE HEAT ON. MAYBE YOUR RIGHT... MAYBE THE TEMP IS READING THE "EXTERNAL" TEMP? THAT MAKES MORE SENSE. BUT WHY WOULD IT DO THAT. I ALREADYT KNOW THE EXT. TEMP. THAT DOES ME LITTLE GOOD? I HAVE UN-PLUGGED THE TEMP. PROBE MAAAANNNNNY X. WHEN I UN-PLUG IT, IT BEEPS UNTIL I PLUG IT BACK IN..... & IT READS THE SAME...26-27. SHOULDNT I BE ABLE TO CYCLE THROUGH THE "OVEN" - "MEAT" - "TEMP" ICONS?? IF I COULD DO THAT THEN MAYBE THE # WOULD CHANGE TO SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE??
I TRIED TO PLUG IT IN DIRECTLY TO THE WALL... BUT THE PRONGS HAVE SOME KIND OF FANCY SHROWD AROUND THEM TO PREVENT ANOTHER PLUG FROM BEING APPLYED. YES IT SMOKED LIKE CRAZY. LEAVING THE DESIRED EFFECT OF A RESIDUE ON THE INTERIOR. IM AT A BRICK WALL HERE! HB
NO...I DONT HAVE ANY OTHER DEVICE TO READ THE INTERNAL TEMP OF THE TOWER. I THOUGHT THATS WHY I BOUGHT THE DIGITAL UNIT....I THOUGHT IT WOULD DO THAT FOR ME. I MIGHT HAVE TO RUN TO CAN. TIRE & SEE IF THEY HAVE SOMETHING! THIS THING HAD BEEN RUNNING SINE 08:00 THIS MORNING...& IT IS NOW 11:30. HB
Hi HB
Sorry to hear you are having troubles with the smoker
I read both of your posts and I think you have a defective temperature sensor
what puzzles me is you say on the digital diplay only the Oven is lit up
It should have the oven and the temp lit (the meat is for furture add ons)
It may be a bad connection inside the smoke generator with the flat ribbon cable that goes to the digital display
if you want open the generator up and check that connection.
If you find it is good then we will need to send you a new temperature sensor.
PS I know you are fustrated but typing in all cap's is considered rude.
Brian
Sorry! i am not trying to be rude...but to get some kind of response! this beyond frustrating. i have all this meat out. & i expected to have something cooked by now! i am going to do as u suggested & take apart the generator & check the wires. Will this void my warranty? thanks HB
Hi HB
I totally understand you being frustrated If I was in your place I would be the same way.
Taking it apart will not void your warranty.
If you cannot see anything wrong and if Cantire is where you purchased it take it back to them if they are close enough to you and get another one
or give me a call on Monday at the office and I will have them send out a new sensor for yours.
With the sensor reading 27 the heat element will never shut off making it impossible to control the heat for cooking.
Brian
No i didnt buy it from can tire, but from CTR out of edmonton. i live out by whitecourt (2hrs from edm). & monday is a holiday (Family Day). i will let u know what i find inside the generator. thanks. HB
opened up the back panel of the generator.....nothing out of the ordinary! pulled apart some of the connections. they all looked to be in order. got a temp probe from my sister. going to leave it set @ 250F. & see what it goes to. am considering not getting into this whole smoking thing all together! WOW! HB.
HB,
I know how you feel! The firs time I fired mine up all seemed well till I tried to advance the second puck on the SG. Pushed button and..... nothing
tried pushing again with no results. I called Bradley talked to the tech guy(not sure if it was you Brian)after trying a few things we could not get it to work. I was very disappointed
to say the least! They sent me a new SG, which I revived in a few days. Problem solved. Can not tell you how glad I am that I did not throw in the towel . The food I
have cooked so far has been AMAZING!! Stick with it you will not be disappointed, even though it is frustrating right now. Bradley are good people and they will do everything they
can, as will the people of this forum to get you rolling.
sNc
i think there is something wrong with the temp sensor. doesnt display properly im sure. hopefully they can send me a new 1. HB
Did you check with the temp probe from your sister yet? One thing I've been thinking while reading, could your "V-pan" have the vent openings blocked or not open enough to let the heat up from the lower area of the smoker? Or possibly the vent on top of the smoker...is that open at all (should be at least 1/4 open, I leave mine full open)?
i stuck the digital probe into the top of the tower throught the vent. set the temp on the display to 250f. the highest the probe read was 237f.....display still saying 26? turned the temp down to 200f....probe from my sister immediatly started to drop & continued to drop. so inside the generator it is getting the signal to + or - heat. but still showing only 26 on the digital display. i am going to throw in some chicken wrapped in bacon for 4hrs. turning the temp back up to 250f. will keep this poat up to date on my finds as they happen. HB.
Glad you're gonna get some smokin' in. Not quite as easily as you had hoped, I'm sure, but they'll hook ya up with something on Monday. Enjoy.
Hi HB
Give me a call on Monday @ 1-800-665-4188
I tried to reproduce your problem on my test board and I am not totally sure its your sensor
If you cant get ahold of me just ask the customer service girl to send you a new display as well as a new sensor
Brian
i will try to give you a call on monday (even though it is a holiday, i dont know if that matters to you or not?). i turned the setting back up to 250f & immediatly the probe from my sister started to increase. put the chicken in @ 220 (on its way up to 250f) for 4 hrs. & smoke for 2hrs. will let u know how it turns out! HB.
just to let you know the chicken i smoked yesterday turned out really good. watched the read out on my sisters probe & the highest it got was 235f but it turned out better than i expected. will call Brian on monday. thanks for everybodies input. i was about to go postal! HB.
I'm in the same scoop here,my Bradley is being running since 10:30am and only reaching 110F,it is 7:15pm and still the same thing. I went to wholesale sports,Can Tire,princess auto,Home Depot .....some BBQ shop around my area and nobody has ever heard of parts for Bradley they just look at me like I'm from another planet and tell me that they only sell the pucks and the smokers.......
Gonna go to Bradley in delta,BC here to see if they can sell me some parts for it because I'm pretty sure I destroyed my fish and my ribs already.
It's very frustrating that basic parts are not available in the shops where they are sold.
U guys should do something about it.......small amount of heating elements,switches face plates,heat control switches.
Not being rude but just looking from consumer point of view. Nobody wants to go looking for parts like a mad man if something brakes. Me personally I would pay the price when something brakes but I hate to order my stuff online all the time,it should be available in close distance .
Sent from my iPhone
you do not say if its a new Bradley or just having problems with an older model. lets assume its anew one. common problem easy to solve . unplug the cords at the back of the smoker and reseat them. new plugs are tight and you might need to wiggle them a bit so they seat well.also make sure that you are getting enough power. a 15 amp breaker is lots. try to use a plug that does not have a big draw on it. if using an extension cord, use as short as possable and as heavy duty as you can 10 or 12 gauge. give this a try look to see if the element is glowing red. place hand over (not on)smoke generator heat for 1/2 hour before adding pucks. let us know if this helps
As manfromplaid stated the model, age would be useful, but also a description of what you have done to tried to resolve the problem. For future reference, if you can not get the temperature up in the cabinet, transfer the food to your kitchen oven, grill or other cooking source. At least you will not lose the meat.
The below link may help you troubleshoot the problem.
Bradley FAQ's (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?481-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=748#post748)