Tough start but a decent finish.....

[SmokyJoe]

Took my 6 rack camping a few weeks back with the plan to cook some chicken 1/4's and 2 racks of ribs for our group of 8 campers... Prepped all food the night before and planned to start the process at about noon the next day. I preheated the smoker to a nice 280 and readied the smoke.. Protein loaded, smoke flowing, heat recovering.. All is well I thought... I check back 30 minutes later and the temp is down to 160.. I check all connections, breakers, fuses, extension cord and can't find a problem..  Temp down to 140. I shut the unit down and restart but the temp is still going down... I take out the V tray and it hits me.. No glow!!!  Element shot.. >:(  Now what??? 
I gather my thoughts after a few cuss words, grab a beer and sit staring at the open door Bradley... May as well get some smoky flavor... I let the smoke run for an hour and the temp held at 130 ish.. I set up the old grill and finish them off low and slow saving the meal..
Back at home, I order the element and get it a few days after.. Make the swap and try it out.. Nothing... I check all connections and still nothing.. I come to the Bradley Forums and do a search and figure out what to check for.. I find my electrical tester and begin the process of elimination till I get to the RED wire with the inline fuse... No continuity.. Bingo, problem solved.. Make the call to Bradley customer service and order the wire as well as a new set of porcelain brackets for the element.. Items arrive in a few days, I swap the parts and we are back in business in time for our next camping trip... Glad to have these forums......thanks..

[tailfeathers]

As the saying goes, all's well that ends well! Back in the game.