I have had my Bradley for a little over a year. I am having problems w/ my generator not automatically advancing....I called bradley and they said my warranty is up. I really like my smoker but if the generators only last a year...I don't want to spend money on a new generator. Is this an easy problem to fix? or do i have to buy a new one. Thanks for any help you guys can give.
Rob
There could be more then one reason that the pucks are not advancing. The most common problem is that the mechanism is gummed up. This is easy to fix, but if it's a gear or other mechanical problem, it's more difficult because of the lack of available parts. Others will help you with that.
To clean the generator: This should be done at least annually anyway. There are six or seven screws on the bottom of the generator. Make sure your generator is not plugged in, and remove the screws. Carefully lift the cover; there will be two wire connectors you will need to disconnect(the power switch and the advance button). After the wires are unplugged, this will allow you to remove the cover enough to check the advance mechanism. Next thoroughly clean the mechanism and other parts of the generator. I use denatured alcohol, and compressed air. Once it is clean and dry, <font color="green"><u>LIGHTLY</u></font id="green"> lube the gear and other moving parts; too much lubrication will act as a magnic and collect wood particles. A silicone based lube is best. Reassemble, and do not over tighten the screws; or they will strip the threads in the sheet metal.
Good Luck! Hopefully this will solve your problem.
If the advance is shot then give manxman a yell. He lives on the other side of the pond but was able to find a replacement for his. Perhaps he can point you into the correct direction here.
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
Hi Paisan1922,
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">If the advance is shot then give manxman a yell. He lives on the other side of the pond but was able to find a replacement for his. Perhaps he can point you into the correct direction here.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I got an electrician friend of mine onto the case and he checked with a local electrical wholesaler who got the exact same puck advance motor to the same specification with no difficulty, I now have three spares purchased at a cost of around £8 ($14) each.
Check out the link below:
http://www.bradleysmoker.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1454&SearchTerms=microwave,motors
If they are available on this side of the pond I feel sure that following a similar path in the US will find the equivalent US spec. motor.The above link gives the US part number and specification as well as the UK one.
As a footnote my smoke generator is giving problems as of yesterday, the hot plate that burns the pucks seems to have packed up.[:(] Checked a few things out with no joy but fortunately it is still under warranty.
Manxman.
Thanks guys for all your input......It's weird sometimes it will advance...then I will check like an hour or two later and it seems like it didnt move at all. I will try and clean it....If I have to replace the motor...How hard is it to replace? what about the timer that lets it advance every 20 minutes?...is that part of the motor? Thanks again for all your help.
Rob
Changing the motor looks simple, gain access to the inside of the smoke generator as Habs describes above(I have done this, it is pretty straighforward) then it is a couple of screws and a couple of electrical connectors to disconnect and then re-connect to the new motor.
The motor itself will be labelled as per the link mentioned above, both 240V and 110V part numbers are given.
As far as I am aware the timer is separate to the motor.
If changing the motor I would also follow Habs advice and clean the guts of the smoke generator thoroughly as well.
Let us know how you get on!
Manxman.
Thanks Manxman.......The pucks will advance when I push the button manually...do you think it could be a timer issue? Once again...thanks for your help.
I took a friends S/S generator apart and found the advance would work but not the 20 min cycle.A bit of patience and some observing I discovered that the advance cycle would run the motor Counter clockwise and the timed cycle would run the wrong way.The contacts were not closing properly in that direction.
To correct the problem was to let it 1/2 cycle on the timer side pull the plug and plug it back in and the motor would change to the correct turn.
He has reported that after 3 smokeings it is still operating fine,my payment was some Sockeye salmon, smoked of course.
My thoughts is that there was a large drop in voltage at that outlet(Freezer,Furnace,A/C,etc)or it was unplugged in the middle of a puck cycle and just forgot which way to turn as the contacts were open at the time and most microwave motors do turn either way after each cooking (aka power up).
Hope this will help and as always use caution when working with electricity !
Terry
Hi Paisan1922,
Thunder Fish's advice looks like it may well be worth following up if the motor is still working when pushing the advance button. What he says certainly makes sense doesn't it.
I would check his information out, give the units a good clean as per Habs advice then change the motor if either of the first two don't work.
If the smoke generator still does'nt work after all that then it is back to the drawing board!!!
Manxman.
Dog gone Thunder Fish that is some impressive thinking on your part. I've got an unit in my garage that mis cycles (it was replaced under warranty) and I'm going to give that a shot!
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
Should we tell the folks at Bradley about this? ? ? ? ? [;)]
Terry
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Thunder Fish</i>
<br />Should we tell the folks at Bradley about this? ? ? ? ? [;)]
Terry
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I think we should--they may be able to either include that fix in their manual, or figure out a way to "synchronize" the advance and the timer so it doesn't happen. Either way, it's a win-win . . .
John
Newton MA
It's got my vote--YES!
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
Thunder...Thanks for the advise....since im new to the inner workings of the Bradley...Im a little intimidated by taking it apart....1/2 cycle?...contacts? kinda confusing to me....you think you could possibly dumb down those directions for me...LOL...I really appreciate all the input from everyone...this is a great forum.
My advancer is now not working properly either. I'm trying to open the generator to clean it, and I can see what I need to do, but my question is: How in the hell did you get your hands in there Hab to disconnect the wires?
EDIT: I was able to disconnect the power wires, although I did rip my hand up pretty good doing it. But what about the wires on the advance button? Do they pop right off like the power button wires? They don't seem to, and I don't want to force them.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by psdubl07</i>
<br />My advancer is now not working properly either. I'm trying to open the generator to clean it, and I can see what I need to do, but my question is: How in the hell did you get your hands in there Hab to disconnect the wires?
EDIT: I was able to disconnect the power wires, although I did rip my hand up pretty good doing it. But what about the wires on the advance button? Do they pop right off like the power button wires? They don't seem to, and I don't want to force them.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yes, the wires to the power button comes off the same way. I was just barely able to get my fingers in there, and grasp the connectors enough to wiggle it back and forth until they disconnected. You got me thinking - the next time I'll try using needle nose pliers, being careful not to squeeze too hard (I don't want to break those plastic connectors).
If you have removed the correct 6 screws, the 2 halves should seperate like a clam with a rotating motion. More than enough room to get your entire hand in to unplug the wires & replug them.
FWIW, it makes no difference on the red & black wires, they can be hooked back either way. (At least with the US model, I know nothing of UK electricity.)
Kirk
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
I know I did the right screws and I tried twisting and turning it apart which somewhat worked, but without completely forcing it, couldn't get it to the point to get my hand in without ripping my hand up a bit.
Are you talking about the red and black wires that connect behind the power switch? Because I think I mixed those two up and when I turned it on, it blew. [:(] Can I get a replacement for that piece?
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by psdubl07</i>
<br />Are you talking about the red and black wires that connect behind the power switch? Because I think I mixed those two up and when I turned it on, it blew. [:(] Can I get a replacement for that piece?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
What blew? And yes, we have whatever replacement part you may need as long as Bradley offers it to us.
It's my understanding that those two wires can be interchanged. Is it possible that a wire got damaged by re-assembly or something wasn't tight & came loose?
Not being accusatory, just questioning the possibilities as I've never heard of this problem before.
Kirk
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
Kirk, no problem, I'll try to show you with pictures.
I was overly careful with the wires, so I'm pretty sure none of them got damaged.
I hooked the bisquette advance wires back up at the plug-in spot 1/2 way down the wire/cord...no problem. I plugged in the unit to check the power indicator light and it was on, good.
Then I plugged in the 3 wires to the On/Off switch seen here:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/PSDUBL07/P1010109.jpg)
As you can see there is a 1) a red wire, 2) 2 black wires running together into 1, and 3) a white and pink wire running together into 1.
When I plugged it in, the power indicator light was again on, but when I flipped the On/Off switch to On, it lit up for a millisecond, then there was a barely discernable little "pop" and both it, and the power indicator light went out.
My knowledge of electrical workings is slim, so originally I thought this is the piece that "blew":
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/PSDUBL07/P1010110.jpg)
After looking a bit more right now, I realize that the fuse is blown. So I guess I have 2 questions. Can I get this fuse at most hardware stores? And why did the fuse blow? I'm assuming I had the wires connected in the wrong order, but it sounds like you're saying the order doesn't matter. Also, you can't tell on the last pic, but one prong is gold colored while the other two are silver. Was this discoloration caused by the blowing fuse, or is it there to signify a certain color wire should go there?