Did an overnight smoke for a couple of shoulders last night and couldn't seem to get them finished in the morning. Way more than the normal stall. Bumped the temp up only to find that the element was not heating at all. Good news is that the shoulders were at 192 and damn close to being done. The dozen or so guys coming tomorrow for dinner will not starve. ;)
I've checked all the connections and cords. All are good. I removed the element and checked the wires that connect to the element with a voltmeter. Definitely power there. Checked the element for continuity using the terminals on each end, NADA. I think that means my heating element is dead. That leads to two questions..
1. Seems pretty unusual that a heating element would go bad after only about 20 months of light use. Is this normal?
2. Where is the best place to get a replacement? Obviously Bradley sells them, but is that the best/cheapest place or is there a better source of perhaps a more reliable element?
Thanks for any and all answers & input.
JD
Sorry to hear that the element apparently failed. They had a bad batch of elements a few years ago but I would think those have all been purged from the system by now.
Anyway, Amazon currently has new elements for under $16. Bradley Smoker 500W Heating Element (http://www.amazon.com/Bradley-Smokers-Replacement-2-625-14-5-Inch/dp/B005L8WWW0)
Your element probably will not come with installation instructions.
The below link may be helpful:
How do I change the heating element? (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?488-Answers-To-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=1173#post1173)