heating element problem

Brisket Lover · September 12, 2010, 08:30:15 AM

Thanks HawkEye

~~Where's the switch and the fuse? Is that in the smoke box or the cabinet?~~

I forgot to mention that I also directly connected the power to the cabinet.

I found the fuse and limit switch. Fuse is good but I don't know what I'm looking for on the switch. It's black but the contacts are clean. Can I test it with my multimeter or just bypass it to see if it works?

HawkeyeSmokes · September 12, 2010, 09:03:16 AM

Here's a link to the post by TestRocket where he added a second fuse and switch. The pic's should help you out.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=16299.15

Brisket Lover · September 12, 2010, 09:26:18 AM

Thanks I'll check it out as soon as I get my laptop back online. Should be tonight. Im stuck on an iPod right now and can't read detail too easily.

TestRocket · September 12, 2010, 12:01:45 PM

Quote from: HawkeyeSmokes on September 12, 2010, 05:53:35 AM
The light should be on once you bypassed the slider switch even if your element was burned out.

This is correct!

So the problem has to be that the fuse or the high temp sensor is open not allowing the neutral side of the AC to get to the element and on-off light.

If your comfortable using a volt meter attach one side to the hot side of the AC input and follow the neutral side to each side of the high temp sensor and then to each side of the fuse!

I think you will find one of those will be open.

Be careful and good luck!

Maybe this will help

ps If you need some personal help PM me and we can talk on the phone.

Brisket Lover · September 12, 2010, 12:29:49 PM

So one lead on the hot and then test each side of the fuse and hot temp sensor?

TestRocket · September 12, 2010, 12:32:12 PM

Yes! I just added the wiring PIC.

Brisket Lover · September 12, 2010, 01:24:08 PM

That's a switch you added? Just wondering because I don't have a lighted rocker switch but I get the idea of what needs checked?

TestRocket · September 12, 2010, 02:24:09 PM

Right, that PIC is originally from "Habanero Smoker" of his mod to the OBS adding the second element and a lighted on-off switch to his faceplate. I modified his PIC to show the wiring of the mod I did to my OBS doing what he did with the addition of the high temp sensor along with the fuse.

In reality if you look at the rocker switch in the PIC as the original temp slider and power light, the wiring is the same. So the trouble shooting will also be the same!

Point to note: In my PIC I depict (the wiring as is on my OBS) the neutral coming off the AC input and having to pass through the high temp sensor and then through the fuse before it can make its way to both the element and power light.

Point #2: The hot side of the AC comes straight from the AC input to the slider control/power light. (You have already bypassed the control switch therefore supplying the hot side of the AC the element and it doesn't heat up and the light doesn't come on).

This can only mean the element and the power light are missing the AC neutral and it has to pass first through the high temp sensor and then the fuse.

So one or both are bad?

I have an idea for the worst case trouble shooting technique but try the things above first and then I'll only pass along in private!

Brisket Lover · September 12, 2010, 03:43:10 PM

Looks like the fuse is bad. Once I go to the fuse out the readings are different than the sensor and the fuse in.

Also when I unplug AC and check the fuse I dot get 0 ohms like I think I should.

Sound right?

TestRocket · September 12, 2010, 04:23:45 PM

If you've got AC on the input and not the output of the fuse I would say "yes" and along with "0 ohms" the fuse is bad. With the fuse past the high temp sensor (and an AC voltage in between them) it appears the high temp sensor is good, so I think you have it figured out! Congrats! And the fix is cheap!

If you're under warranty contact Bradley and if not Yard and Pool has the fuse for $3.99 (I would buy an extra one for this price just to have on hand, I did). To help bring down the shipping cost look around you might find something like frog mats, bear claws or maybe a new temperature probe?

Don't forget to let us know how everything turns out! ;D

Brisket Lover · September 12, 2010, 04:36:48 PM

Will do and thanks a lot for the help. As always everyone on this board is helpful and thanks to everyone else also.

If anyone else needs some of these fuses let me know. I can include them in my order and save you the shipping costs and I can just mail them out.

TestRocket · September 12, 2010, 06:57:57 PM

Your welcome Brisket Lover!

Happy smoking!

flatheads4ever · September 13, 2010, 08:27:50 AM

I tried all of the suggestions from other forum members (THANK YOU), including taking the back off the smoker, the front controller cover off the smoker and the bisquette controller clamshell apart, all to no avail. All of the wiring was good with no loose or broken connections. I called the nice young lady in Illinois and she is sending me a new heating element. She asked that I send the old one back so they could troubleshoot the problem. ;)

TestRocket · September 13, 2010, 10:12:46 AM

Flatheads4ever,

I now see that we got off you're your problem and onto Brisket Lovers. Sorry about that!

I hope Bradley has you taken care of...but I still wonder if your power light comes on when you move the slider switch to the right.