New and fed up!!!

[paulie_p.]

I've been wanting to break into the art of smoking meat. So after four years of waiting I bought a bradley 4 rack smoker. I have tried to use it four times and failed every time.

This smoker is a piece of garbage. The pucks wouldn't advance so I called customer service and they sent me a new smoke generator. They told me to hold on to the old one in case I ever needed it for parts. Ummmmm, guess she knew there would be more problems.
The smoker never went above 150 so I was only getting heat from the puck burner. So CS sent me a new heating element. I replaced it and all was well.
So I season a rack of ribs. Last wk with loving attention. Tried to fire up the smoker but it wouldn't go over 150 again. So I called them and they think a fuse may be out. I don't know what to do. I have wasted the money on the smoker, $100 pucks, $200 in wasted meat, seasonings, and the negative glares from a wife who can't believe I wasted over $500 to ruin meat.
I'm about to put it out with the garbage with a sign explaining how a brand new Bradley Smoker can't work right.

I have the original generator so I may try to take it apart and fix myself. I just don't know what to do????


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[KyNola]

Welcome to the Forum Paulie!  The fact that your smoker won't heat above 150 degrees despite 2 new heating elements tells me that the short jumper cord that runs from the smoke generator to the tower that supplies power to the heating element may not be properly plugged in at one end or the other or both.  Try unplugging it and reseat the cord very firmly.  Many times people think their element is not working when in fact the plug was not seated firmly enough to make a good connection.

[thefuzzman]

I speak from experience here. I have the same setup you do. I damn near had a batch of ribs go south because I thought my element was done after three smokes. All these guys on the forum had me checking connections. Lo and behold, the last time I moved my smoker, when it started to rain, the oven cord came unplugged just enough that I couldn't tell yet my element wouldn't work. I couldn't believe that little click was all it took. The guys put me onto bricks in the bottom to help with heat as well. Expert advice all over this forum. Good luck, bud. Don't give up.

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[paulie_p.]

Thanks guys. I've tried playing with the plug. Even tried a deferent one.


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[Habanero Smoker]

Hi paulie_p;

Welcome to the forum.

It's not clear if you have the 4 rack digital or original model. If you go to the below site you may find some useful tips.

Bradley FAQ's