Won't go above 220 with pid

[dAWGS]

I have a new black smoker that has 2nd element installed.  1st smoje went well.   Now im smoking pastrami ...i have the pid set for 250 but it settles at 220 and it won't go over.   I even set it for 300 to see but still levels out at 220

Any ideas?

[zueth]

Are both elements working? glowing red? is the puck burner on?

I installed a 900watt element and mine can easily go over 220

[tskeeter]

Dawgs, what I think is going on is that the smoker is trying to catch up to the temperature you set.

A Bradley is a relatively low powered device, even with a dual element mod.  It puts out fewer watts than hair dryer.  If your pastrami was large, and went directly from the fridge to the smoker, it will cool off you smoker dramatically.  Under those conditions, it could take several hours to get your cabinet temp up to where you set your PID.  The last time I smoked about 15 pounds of pork shoulder, the heavy load and low over night temps kept my dual element smoker below my 225F set point for 10 hours or more.

Another thought.  Are you using a large drip pan with water in it?  If so, the water is absorbing the heat.  Until the water evaporates, your temp will stay reasonably close to 212F.  If the only water is the smoker is in the puck bowl, that isn't enough water to affect the temp much.  But, a half size foil tray with an inch or two of water in it will really keep the temp down.