BTDS108P cant heat above 225F even with an empty cabinet

[Markdd2]

I bought a 6 rack smoker about 2 months ago. I tried smoking 6 racks of ribs (six racks in the unit, seems a reasonable amount) and the internal temp of the cabinet ever got over 160F in 5 hours. I am using probes to measure the internal temp at the top and the bottom of the column and probes for the temp of the meat. I got smoke on the ribs, but had to finished them in the oven.  I also left the cabinet on for about 6 hours with nothing it is and monitored the temp using two different probes. It never got past 225F.

I leave pork in a 160f environment for 5 hours in summer, I'm going to make someone sick. I would return it, but the box is already gone.

[KyNola]

Check to make certain the heating element in the tower is glowing red.  If it is not, make certain all of the plugs on the back of the smoke generator and tower are firmly seated.  You can also remove the generator from the tower, turn the generator upside down, remove the 8 screws around the perimeter, open the generator clamshell fashion(won't void your warranty) and check all of the connections there.  Put it back together and see if it heats to your liking then.

Also, try using an electrical outlet that is on a dedicated circuit or if you are running your smoker off of an extension cord, plug the unit directly into an outlet.

As for your last statement about 160F for 5 hours making someone sick, I will agree if it is ground pork but won't necessarily agree if it is muscle meat.

Didn't you also have a Bradley counter top smoker that gave you trouble and Bradley promptly fixed for you?  They will do the same for your 6 rack.  Good luck!

[RedJada]

+1 on what KyNola said. 6 racks is a lot of meat. I just did two over the weekend in my OBS and had a 20-30 minute heat recovery time every time I opened the door to rotate, wrap, etc... Also, if your were outside in the wind/breeze. That will kill the temps too.

Also, try using an electrical outlet that is on a dedicated circuit or if you are running your smoker off of an extension cord, plug the unit directly into an outlet.

This is a biggie....

[Markdd2]

Yes, I have the counter top unit as well. I have no complaints about Bradley customer service, they respond quickly and fairly. But as someone that spent 15 years in product development it is frustrating to see a company that cannot seem to have build quality that matches the customer service. When people are having to do radical modifications, such as adding a 2nd heating element, to get the unit to the advertised temperature range,  there is a major design fault. I started with Bradley based on a recommendation from one of Michael Ruhlmans books. I will take all the actions recommended above and certainly contact Bradley, but the bottom line is that the end user should not have to be digging about in the innards of the product to get it to perform as advertised. If this happened with your oven or stove or AC unit or other major appliance in your home your you would never recommend it to someone would you?

[renoman]

"I will take all the actions recommended above and certainly contact Bradley, but the bottom line is that the end user should not have to be digging about in the innards of the product to get it to perform as advertised. If this happened with your oven or stove or AC unit or other major appliance in your home your you would never recommend it to someone would you?"

X2

Bradley certainly does have fantastic customer service but if you think about it it is a very small trade off for sending them some parts and having their customers fix there own products instead of packing them up and returning them to Bradley

[KyNola]

If you want additional help, other members and I will be happy to assist in helping you alleviate your issue.  Believe me, none of us want you to have a defective smoker.

If you simply came on here to vent your frustrations, just say so and the floor is yours.