How long does it take to heat the unit to 150deg F?

[b0dhi]

Hey everyone,

I just bought my DBS4 and am trying to season it... The first time I tried it, the unit only got up to 90deg F by the end of the 1 hour... ???   

I've read some posts that people say their temps reach 190F in 20 mins.. so.. just wondering if I may have an issue with mine... I did use a long extension cord the first time, and will remove it this next try... (the extension cord is a heavy one that I use for my lawn  mower)...

I am wondering if I should of pre-heated the oven temp?  It doesn't say to do it in the manual, but wondering if this should be done...

thanks for reading :)
Akira

[RAF128]

That sound exactly like what my 6 rack did last fall when I brought it home.  The only heat you're getting is from the smoke generator.  There very well may be a loose wire inside your smoke generator.   It was  an easy fix.   Take the bottom off the smoke generator and if there's a loose or disconnected wire you'll see it right away.   To take the bottom off undo the outside screw and leave the center ones alone.

[RAF128]

I should have asked are you sure you turned on the generator and the heat for the tower.   Before you open up the generator, take a look inside your tower and see if the element is glowing,   If not then my fix is the solution.   If it is then look else where.   

[b0dhi]

It doesn't look like the element is working... I just turned on the Oven, and set the unit to 320degF... There's no heat coming from it..

I opened the generator unit, and can't see any lose wire or disconnected wire.. I may have to look again...

[RAF128]

Mine had one wire completely off and it was obvious as soon as I opened it.    Maybe wiggle them to make sure they're making contact.   If that doesn't help check your connection at the back of the tower.

[b0dhi]

got it!  Element is glowing now and is heating up nicely.. going to go through another seasoning round...

I noticed that one of the connections to the power connector was not connected properly.. if you look at it, it looks "okay" but upon closer inspection, it wasn't making a complete connection.. Refastening this connection seemed to do the trick..

Much appreciated RAF! Thank you!!

[RAF128]

Your welcome.    What I noticed in mine was the way the wire was routed past the motor.   Every time I put it together it would pull itself apart.   Re routed and it was fine.    Happy smoking.

[Habanero Smoker]

Akira;

Welcome to the forum.

This site may be useful to you in the future.

Bradley Smoker FAQ's

[classicrockgriller]

WElcome to the forum Akira and glad you got your problem solved.

RAF, you the man!

[Rich_91360]

Per Suyi - Auber Sales sent me this in regards to a question I had on my PID.  Not exactly on point but provides an idea as to how long to get to a certain temperature with only smoke generator.

"The heater of the smoke generator can rise the temperature of the tower  by 70 F (2 hours, in the shade with damper open). That means when the ambient temperature is at 70 F, the smoker can be heat up to 130 F in 2 hours by the heater of the generator (without using the heater in the smoker). So, if you leave the smoke generator on, our controller can't control the temperature [NOTE: I have a DBS6] if setting is less than 70F above the ambient. In that case, you need to shut down the smoke generator, or introduce the smoke by a pipe.
Thanks,
Suyi"