No power to element

[Basil]

Was smoking when the temp just began to drop, and continued to do so. Only the smoke generator was providing any heat, and customer service said must be bad element (even though smoker had not been used that much).
Nonetheless ordered a new element, which has sat in the house for a couple of months. Today finally decided to put the new element in, and no change. Came to the boards and found discussion of the possibility of a bad inline fuse, but when I removed the back from the tower I could not find any inline fuse there.
The element is not coming on, even when the cord is plugged directly into the back of the tower. Light on front of tower does not come either. Slider all the way to the rights, been moved back and forth several times, but seems to be no power. Have checked all the connections I could find to no avail. Any suggestions?

[beefmann]

check the channel under the smoker it may  have gotten his there for the  inline fuse, another  issue might be the  over heat unit in the back of the cabinet , its a dime side device roughly 1/3 of the way  in the  4 rack that may have went bad,  check it 

[TedEbear]

A pic of the inline fuse is shown below.  Every Bradley smoker comes with one. Use a multimeter and check for continuity through it. 

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Basil;
Welcome to the forum.

Another thing to consider.

When you removed the back, did you check the wiring at the plug? When changing the element, if you pull it too far away from the cabinet one of more wires can come loose from the plug.

[jd748]

NEED HELP!  i have the same problem except the light on the front works and dims with the switch moving.  i have a bradley full of salmon right now and the heater wont work.  it worked through the preheat and then an hour into it the heater quit... i came outside to see a temp of 70 when i have it set for 110.  the heater is cold.  i have tried plugging direct in with no help.  i may just finish these in the oven i guess so i don't ruin a smoker full of king!
i guess i should check the above mentioned and see if power is coming through...  i have only smoked on this smoker four times, when my last one i have had running for five years without a problem (although it is gone now) :(

[Habanero Smoker]

If the power light still functions, and there is not heat, that is a very good indicator that the element is dead. So hopefully you moved the salmon to the oven.

If you are still under warranty, give Bradley a call tomorrow.

[jd748]

Thanks Hab...  I left it in there for a couple hours of smoke and it is now in the oven..  (wife isn't so fond of the smell in the whole house!) 
I found it weird as i really have only used it four times but i will give them a call tomorrow as it's still under warranty.

[Habanero Smoker]

From reading the various posts, it doesn't seem to matter how many hours you put on those defective elements. But when they do go out, it generally within a few hours after turning the element on.

Sorry your element failed, but glad to hear you saved your salmon.

[Sam3]

Hey guys, I had the same problem today. All lights on, fuses are good but element went out while I was making keilbasa.  Fortunately I finished the keilbasa off by poaching it.
I guess I just have a bum element, I think I used it a dozen times. Gonna call customer service in the am to see about purchasing a new element.

[Pike227]

New to the forum and this is great to troubleshoot things.  My cousin dropped his Black Bradley and now there is no heat to the element and no power light.  There is power into the back of the unit at the plug.  I checked the inline fuse in the back and there is continuity.  I direct wired the heating element and it works.  The only other things I can see as posibilities are the temp control switch (board) in the front of the unit or the dime size temp sensor.  The dime size element up in the back of the unit is this an overtemp sensor?  I checked that and there is no continuity through it.  Is it suppose to be normally opened or normally closed electrically?  Is this called the "Heat Sensor"?  I am surprised Bradley cannot supply a wiring diagram.  I assume if the unit overheats, this sensor opens up and cuts the power to the temp control switch.  Am I on the right track and where can a guy get this sensor for cheap?

[TedEbear]

Is it suppose to be normally opened or normally closed electrically?

Hi.  It is an overtemp sensor that opens when the chamber temp gets too high.  The circuit through it is supposed to be closed otherwise.  You can get a replacement from Yard & Pool for around $5.

Also, I'd check the connections at the back of the plug going to the cooking chamber as well as at the circuit board for any wires that may have popped off.

Oh, and welcome aboard.   :)

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Pike227;

Welcome to the forum. Sorry your brother's Bradley is not functioning.

It is possible it is the temperature sensor. Sometimes it can get stuck opened, and the drop may have caused that. Sometimes the following tricks may help.

Hold an ice cube to the sensor, that may close the circuit.

Sometimes holding a lighter near (do not touch) to the sensor for a couple of seconds (no longer or you may permanently damage the sensor), then let is cool down for about 20 minutes.

If you are comfortable with electricity, you may try by passing the Temperature Heat Control Switch, to see if that is the problem. If you by pass the control, only leave it plugged in for a short time to determine if the element works when it is bypassed.

[Pike227]

I bypassed the High Temperature Sensor and that was the problem.  I found a guy can buy 500 of them from China for $0.15 each.  Well I don't suppose I don't need 500 of them so I guess I will have to pay $5 to $7 for one but I am lucky that is all that is wrong at least for now!  Thanks for the help and all the tips.  I need to get to my venison sticks!