This is the second one to fail since my OBS purchase in late October. Failed right in the middle of a prime rib smoke. Luckily, I had completed about 3.5hrs of a planned 4hr smoke, so I just finished in the oven. Had been cooking with a cabin temp of 200. Watching a game and went to check. Temp had dropped to 137 - then 136.
I'm pretty sure it's the element. Plug directly from cabin to the wall and the power indicator lights up, but element doesn't heat up (same as last time). I'll call Bradley this morning. They respond quickly - but this is getting to be a turn off. :'(
I can see the value of that Maverick remote temp monitor now.
Sorry to hear about your element failures. Bradley goes above and beyond satisfiying the customers.
Just a suggestion............get a spare element.
Lumpy
Have you checked the wires inside you SG. The element in my 6 rack didn't work right out of the box. It was suggested here that I check inside the SG. Sure enough, one of the wires had come off.
Haven't had a problem since.
Quote from: lumpy on January 03, 2011, 06:40:46 AM
Just a suggestion............get a spare element.
Lumpy
Thought about that, but didn't want to pay for a spare while I'm still under warranty and should get free replacements parts. Maybe I can talk Bradley into sending me two.
QuoteHave you checked the wires inside you SG.
The SG is working fine. It's the main heat element in the cabinet that's cold as ice.
just had the same issue in a DBS with a full load of sticks in it just before xmas, had to finish in the oven in the house, (sure smelled good in here for a few hours)
luckily enough I was able to pick up a new one from Bradley locally here and actually did buy a spare one as well, only problem was I ended up installing them both by doing the mod, I figured at least this way if one fails again at least the second should be able to keep up, and now I have much faster recovery times to boot
leftcoast smoker, I like your approach of installing your second element and considering it as a possible backup already in place just in case of an element failure!
Tony, might be something to keep in mind!
Quote from: TestRocket on January 03, 2011, 03:30:00 PM
leftcoast smoker, I like your approach of installing your second element and considering it as a possible backup already in place just in case of an element failure!
Tony, might be something to keep in mind!
Yeah, I've thought about the mod as well but holding off until the one year warranty is over. Besides, I shouldn't have to worry about an element failure every third smoke.
My question is...........
Why are the elements burning out so soon?? From the posts, a lot are still under warranty!! Mine is out and I've hardly used it!! Got my unit 12/19/2009, used it to process deer sausage last year and now this year it goes out? If this is a trend, if the unit was used on a regular basis..... Who could afford the "PARTS" bill??
That is a great question!
Anyone from the head office like to chime in on this as to why the elements are going bad.
If it is a bad batch then why are some of the replacement elements are going bad or are they part of the same batch??
Is there something else causing the element to go bad electrically and is Bradley looking into the cause?
although mine is still under warranty I just bought a replacement from Yard and Pool just to have one "just in case"
Just asking. :)
Just my observation from reading this board, but most of the element failures seem to be from fairly recent purchases - and after only a couple of uses. That leads me to consider that its a bad batch or quality issue. I hope that Bradley is looking into this and talking with its supplier (maybe even changed suppliers if warranted). It doesn't help me to keep sending bad elements.
I use and Auber PID. Any possible relation there to the element failures?
My OBS is a year and a month old. I have been using an auber PID for all that time and have not had any problems. I think it is the elements.
Mine went after just a month of usage! Thanks BLSH I was able to save the day while Bradley sent the replacement. I must say that the customer service was superb!
SamuelG
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My second element just went out also! Only had the OBS since Oct and the new element since mid Nov. Bradley is sending me a new one but that doesn't help much when you are in the middle of a smoke >:(. Great customer service but would be even better if they instituted preventive measures when there are alot of customer complaints!
Pete
So, I received my replacement element yesterday, along with a fusbale link(???):
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/TonyL222/IMAG0022.jpg)
Where and how do I install this gizmo?
Thanks
You also have a high temperature sensor. Bradley covered all bases in case it was not the element. To install those two parts you need to take off the back cover off the cabinet. Once that back cover is off, you will see how easy it is to replace those two part.
But you may not need those two parts. First try installing the element, if after installing that and it works you don't have to install the other parts. Save them in case you need then in the future.
If the element does not work after it has been installed, then install both the in line fuse and the temperature sensor.
Done!
Really QED. Bradley sent me the fuse in case it is somehow causing the elements to blow. I went ahead and swapped it, too. I'm a little apprehensive cause the new element looks like the same brand as the old one. But I'll see how it goes.
Sent from my Sprint EVO 4G using Tapatalk
Hey Tony,
Looks to me you have the high temp sensor and the inline fuse. The sensor is mounted to the back of the cabinet with the dime size silver part is on the back wall of the inside of the cooking chamber. The fuse is inline with the sensor and is connected to one side of the element. Other then the on/off slider control switch and the element there is nothing else to prevent the Bradley from getting hot. So pull the back off and replace the three new components and you should be back to smoking!
Here you can see the back of my OBS before I added the second element:
(http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy139/TestRocket/Bradley%20Smoker/1-OBSViewofbackpre-mod-1.jpg)
Here you can see the high temp sensor (left one is the original) on the back wall:
(http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy139/TestRocket/Bradley%20Smoker/9-OBSInsideviewofHTsensorafter-mod-.jpg)
Habs types faster then I do! But maybe the PICS will help! ;D
Quote from: TestRocket on January 08, 2011, 02:02:37 PM
Here you can see the high temp sensor (left one is the original) on the back wall:
Why did you need to add a second high temp sensor? With a dual element mod the chamber should not get any hotter than with a single, it just gets up to temp faster. It might get a little hotter right at the two elements but the sensor is mounted higher up the wall and is shielded by the deflector tray and the bottom rack.
I'm nearly finished adding a second element to my OBS, along with an Auber PID controller, which is why I'm curious. On mine I removed the stock 10A in-line fuse and replaced it with a 15A panel mount fuse in the smoke generator. I kept the high temp sensor in the circuit. I'm also adding a 45cfm circulation fan, which will be run off the high temp alarm output of the PID controller. I'm having a lot of fun with my project.
Quote from: TedEbear on January 11, 2011, 09:47:31 AM
Quote from: TestRocket on January 08, 2011, 02:02:37 PM
Here you can see the high temp sensor (left one is the original) on the back wall:
Why did you need to add a second high temp sensor? With a dual element mod the chamber should not get any hotter than with a single, it just gets up to temp faster. It might get a little hotter right at the two elements but the sensor is mounted higher up the wall and is shielded by the deflector tray and the bottom rack.
The high temp sensor is not for reading cooking temps, it is for safety. It shuts off the element when it reads that the temp is getting too high in the cabinet (don't remember what temp - think 360 or something but don't quote me). It is to prevent a "runaway element" among other things). The way the instructions are for installing the second element, the sensor would only shut off one element. Thus the second sensor to shut off the other element.
QuoteThe high temp sensor is not for reading cooking temps, it is for safety. It shuts off the element when it reads that the temp is getting too high in the cabinet (don't remember what temp - think 360 or something but don't quote me). It is to prevent a "runaway element" among other things). The way the instructions are for installing the second element, the sensor would only shut off one element. Thus the second sensor to shut off the other element.
Yes, I know the high temp sensor is to protect against extreme heat in the chamber. However, if you wire both elements in series to the original sensor there is no need for a second sensor. I installed my second element by drilling holes in the shield. I then wired it in parallel with a couple of short 14ga high temp wires to the first element. I then had a 'bank' of heating elements with one wire on each end of the original element going out the back wall of the chamber.
Where I used to work we had huge IR ovens (10' tall) with banks of heating elements, where the individual elements in each bank were wired to each other in parallel with short loops of high temp wire. Then on the last element two longer wires ran back to the terminal block in the cabinet. That's where I came up with the idea for wiring my project the way I did.
How it is wired depends on the individuals comfort level. Some members have wired the elements the way you did, and I believe they have not had any problems doing it that way, or have not reported any problems. I have an OBS; though I wired my elements separately I didn't add the second temperature controller or in line fuse. I wired them separately, because I wanted to take the precaution of not having 1000 watts being drawn through my temperature controller.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on January 12, 2011, 02:15:14 AMI wired them separately, because I wanted to take the precaution of not having 1000 watts being drawn through my temperature controller.
As far as that goes, I use an SSR to switch the load to the elements. The current flow through the PID is just for triggering the 25A SSR and is rated at 30mA.
I believe the folks that add the second element the way Habs outlined are the ones that use the second sensor and fuse. I did it that way but didn't add the sensor and fuse becasue I didn't realize how easy it was. I may add it later. I wired the way Habs did because I wanted to be able to control the second element via the an added on off switch. I am glad I did because when I broke the PID temp sensor I was able to shut off the second element and cook without the PID while waiting for a replacement probe. Also, my PID went out a couple of weeks ago and was able to shut off the second elelment and still cook while waiting for it to be fixed and returned. For safety reasons I prefer not to use the second element without a PID controller. Not sure if it is overkill but makes me comfortable.