I have a question: Is the V-tray important?
It got knocked into the wrong position, just a little off from where it's supposed to go. I didn't really worry about it. Then the fat dripping off my brisket seemed to find its way to the heating element, and Good Lord that was a big fire. My brisket wasn't ready yet either... so I took it out and finished it in foil in the oven. It turned out pretty well, though not quite as well as I'm used to. Some parts of it were charred. But that's the good news.
The bad news is... The fire burned up the seal on the OBS door. Now it won't seal when I close it. What should I do about that? Replace the seal? Replace the door? Smoke without a seal? And how would I go about getting it taken care of? Whom would I contact exactly?
Thanks.
Is it important?
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O81gK_kQi_8/Tj6oAuHTwFI/AAAAAAAAACQ/mN07ceK1Hxc/s800/BradleyOnFire.jpg)
Sorry EZ... Heck I dunno...
Just had to pull that one outta the attic...
Help will be along...
I think you answered your on question about the importance of the V-tray.
How long did it burn?
EZ the v-tray is very important. It channels all the fat into the drip bowl. If you put too large of a piece of meat on the rack and it runs down the back you are in trouble. You are far batter off to have the meat against the front than the back.
You can get a new seal from Bradley or from Begolf. I don't know the website but someone will fill in the blank for you. Sorry to hear this but hope your meat turned out after all.
I think a small fire was burning for several minutes before we realized it. But when we opened the door to check it out, and all that oxygen rushed in, WHOOOOSH!!! Flames were everywhere!! Then it took us a minute to figure out how to put it out.
How should we put it out by the way... just for the next time I decide the V-tray's not important?
We closed the door, filled a pot with water, and dumped said water down the vent, all over the meat and everything. It was kind of a desperate act, but it worked, and the brisket was still really good. We were about 18 or 19 hours in at the time, so we just foiled the meat and finished in the oven, not wanting to run the smoker with all that water in it.
You should keep a fire extinguisher near your Bradley in case of this. I have one in the garage, kitchen and out back just in case.
AND NEVER USE WATER ON A GREASE FIRE!!!!
No air No Fire, but I probably would have done what you did.
GET THE FIRE OUT!
Does the smoker work now?
The water may have cause the element to blow.
Press on the sides and listen to hear if you hear a lot of crunchin in there.
Might give Brian a call and see if you can get a dented/returned box.
Might be cheaper. There are others who have had fires and just fix what
is broke and keep going.
Does anyone know where you can get those CO2 canisters? They are great for smothering this type of fire in a enclosed space.
Sorry this happened!
You are not going to be able to retain heat with out a proper seal. If the door or the sidewalls inside the smoker are not warped, you should be alright by replacing the door seal. I would also check the insulation of the wiring, and remove the back panel to see if there is any damage to the insulation.
This is a good time to remind people; even if you suspect there is a fire inside the smoker do not open the door. Also pouring water down the vent is also dangerous; water does not put out a grease fire. With the door seal already damaged that door could have come open, and the water could have carried the fire out of the cabinet onto your deck.
I understand in an emergency it is difficult to think of what to do. The following link may be of help to others who find themselves in this situation.
[http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?488-Answers-To-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=759#post759]Bradley Fire Hazard - What To Do.[/url]
sorry about the fire, clean the smoker, call bradley for a new gasket
Get yourself a White fire extinguisher. They are safe for kitchen use. (mostly full of CO2 and something like baking soda) The red ones will do the trick, but the chemicals will ruin your smoker.
Quote from: squirtthecat on September 16, 2011, 06:35:37 AM
Get yourself a White fire extinguisher. They are safe for kitchen use. (mostly full of CO2 and something like baking soda) The red ones will do the trick, but the chemicals will ruin your smoker.
X2 yes Sir !!! I keep one right by my grill and smokers...
What is in those air duster cans? Is that just Co2?
Quote from: Quarlow on September 16, 2011, 08:10:16 AM
What is in those air duster cans? Is that just Co2?
I just checked at a coworkers desk (he has a couple cans of the stuff) and they contain Freon, other Inert gasses and a 'bitterant' to deter inhalant abuse. Said not to use near fire or flame.
Ok so that won't work then. I remember when I was young you could get extinghuishers that came in like a half paint can size and they were just Co2. It came out very cold and we used it to freeze anything we could find with them, like spiders,water and fingertips. Wish I could find those again. The fish boat I worked on had a Co2 system for the engine room. The first thing I was taught was never to set off the engine room extinguisher if someone was in there. It seems that it makes it very hard to breath. Ok impossible actually.
they sell small extinguishers about the size of a spray paint can. The ones I have seen are for small kitchen fires. SO they would handle grease fires. As far as me, when it comes to safety its "go big or go home" so I have a big extinguisher close by. A Bradley full of whatever is in the extinguisher is cheaper to replace than my deck and/or house.
Finally got to take a good long look at the smoker. Here are some answers to important questions raised here:
Does the smoker work now?
No. Turn it on and nothing happens.
Press on the sides and listen to hear if you hear a lot of crunchin in there.
We did hear a good bit of crunching when we pressed on the sides. What does that indicate?
Might give Brian a call and see if you can get a dented/returned box.
Is Brian the guy from Yard and Pool? Shall I just get the number from the website?
if the door or the sidewalls inside the smoker are not warped, you should be alright by replacing the door seal.
There is only a slight bowing on the sidewalls, but as I said, they crunch now, which is, I believe, a feature the OBS didn't originally come equipped with.
Other notes:
My smoke generator works fine.
I've been waiting to do the mod to add the 2nd element (though I'm still intimidated by the instructions I've read), and I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to tie these repairs in with that. That is, IF, repair is the best option. Thanks for your help.
If the smoker doesn't work, then it is a bad temp fuse and/or element.
Crunch is not good, but doesn't mean the box is no good. It just got
hot enough to fry some of the insulation in the walls.
Brian at Bradley. Use the Canadian 800#.
Check the warping to see if a rack can be use on all the rack places.
ie: will a rack slide in and out.
Okay... updating you on the situation:
Bypassed the fuse to test... it works fine without a fuse. Got a new fuse. Haven't put it in yet. Today I noticed that the faceplate at the bottom (where the slider is) of my OBS is busted. It came off today, and the smoker seems to have a good bit of wobble to it now. Hmmmm... I'm thinking I'm gonna need a new smoker box.
By the way... that Starnes is good stuff. Had some on a pork butt samwich tonight... Wow!
Quote from: EZ Smoker on September 22, 2011, 07:34:18 PM
Okay... updating you on the situation:
Bypassed the fuse to test... it works fine without a fuse. Got a new fuse. Haven't put it in yet. Today I noticed that the faceplate at the bottom (where the slider is) of my OBS is busted. It came off today, and the smoker seems to have a good bit of wobble to it now. Hmmmm... I'm thinking I'm gonna need a new smoker box.
By the way... that Starnes is good stuff. Had some on a pork butt samwich tonight... Wow!
I wonder where you got a fuse at in such a short time?? He's a pretty good Egg aint he!!
Quote from: Tenpoint5 on September 22, 2011, 07:39:01 PM
I wonder where you got a fuse at in such a short time?? He's a pretty good Egg aint he!!
And a good egg comes with summer sausage, snack sticks, sweet bread, and Starnes!! We been livin' high on the hog the past day and a half around here.
grease fire equals baking soda...throw a cheap box of baking soda on a grease fire...no matter where it is...but never water...
Quote from: EZ Smoker on September 22, 2011, 08:47:09 PM
Quote from: Tenpoint5 on September 22, 2011, 07:39:01 PM
I wonder where you got a fuse at in such a short time?? He's a pretty good Egg aint he!!
And a good egg comes with summer sausage, snack sticks, sweet bread, and Starnes!! We been livin' high on the hog the past day and a half around here.
And hand delivered by that good egg,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,dont get any better than that.
Okay... I tried smoking some chicken wings to see what the OBS has left. Sad to report it's pretty much falling apart. The seal on the door is gone, the door keeps coming off, the panel below the smoker (where the slider is) has completely come off, the smoker seems to want to fall forward if I don't prop it up, and I don't think it's getting quite as hot for my wings as it did before.
Still, the wings were very, very good, but it takes too much effort just to keep the thing together. I think I need a whole new cabinet. What are my options now?
You should be able to keep the heat in the box with a new door seal. If the warranty dosent cover it go to your local hardware store and get one that you can cut to fit. You could adapt some new feet with washers to get your cabinet level again. Get a couple hinges for the door and screw those on or pop rivet them on. The face plate you can make out of sheet tin or aluminum.
Good luck!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: Chili Head on September 29, 2011, 09:50:25 AM
You should be able to keep the heat in the box with a new door seal. If the warranty doesn't cover it go to your local hardware store and get one that you can cut to fit. You could adapt some new feet with washers to get your cabinet level again. Get a couple hinges for the door and screw those on or pop rivet them on. The face plate you can make out of sheet tin or aluminum.
Good luck!
Whoa! Dude, I'm a software guy. I MIGHT, on a good day, be able to network my PID to my wifi router and write an app so I can control it from my smartphone. But that stuff you just said was WAY more complicated than anything I can handle. Pop rivet? I didn't know that was even a thing. It sounds like something I could buy on the snack aisle (Try tasty new microwave Pop Rivets: the cheesy flavor you crave, for under 100 calories), but I'm guessing that's not what it is.
;D ;D ;D That was funny.
Finally a subject I'm an expert at !!! ;D Thanks to Brian and Chris, when I took the picture for ICB(Chris) and then posting them for everyone to see(Brian). Brian sent sent me a very nice message that I had the DRIP TRAY in upside down !! here I thought it was a heat shield. I don't remember seeing it In the directions when I set the thing up, Better pictures for people like me who can't or refuse to follow written directions. Any way thank god I never had a fire like that as where I have mine sitting I would have probably took out 8 condo units !!! Brian was also very nice and stopped short of calling me stupid !! Thanks Brian it is now upside down working properly and I have more room to hang stuff, EZ sorry you had to have a fire, but yes it is very important !!
Tim
Cobra, the problem (at least for me) is in the installation instructions. It says to put the V-tray in facing down. I assumed the face was the open part, not the point of the V. So I put it in wrong at first too. Didn't find out I had it wrong till about a year ago.
This V-tray orientation and people getting it wrong seems to be a common mistake that can result in a serious problem. I wonder if stamping "TOP" on the V-tray or including a drawing in the owner's manual of how it should be mounted would be something Bradley might consider for the future?
I don't know where my instructions are but I seem to remember they did say enough for me to get the tray in proper. Unless I just completely fluked on it. Does any one have the instructions handy that they can post? I am not lucky enough to have got it right ny accident. ;D ;D ;D
The Owners Manual shows the tray installed the correct way
on page 7 for the OBS and page11 for the digital models.
Go Figure.
One would think that by calling it a V tray folks would put it in so that it would resemble a V
Do then point them out so as there is no mistake or is it kind of vague?
Very Plain Q.
Ahh.