Questions about Bubba Pucks and the advance pucj system

[Smoke_Lover]

I just recieved my 3 Bubba Pucks from Chez Bubba.  Ordered Friday recieved Monday, Can't beat that. Thanks.  I have been having some problems with puck advance since I bought the DBS and have not yet used the Bubba pucks.  Here is the problem:

  I have not used a timer or stop watch but after an hour or so, sometimes, I notice a lack of smoke.  I look and the puck is in cinders and half the next puck is burned.  I advance a puck using the puck advance button. I sometimes have to press it 2 or 3 times to actually get a puck to advance, although, I here the mechanism moving.

Once I have gone through this during a smoke it seems to work okay from that point on, or does it?

Will the extra weight of the Bubba Pucks repair this problem or make it worse.  Is this something others have been through and finally should I be contacting Bradley to get this fix?

Any advise will be helpful
J

[Tiny Tim]

When you hear the mechanism working, does the bisquette stack shake, then drop by one?  If not, I'd say the interface between the motor and the shelf/pusher is not entirely together.  Before you "fix" it, are there any other bisquettes in the bowl?  Do you load all the bisquettes into the tube, then advance them with the button at the start of your smoke?

[Gizmo]

This may be redundant information for what you already know but for the puck advance, you will need to push the advance button 3 times to get the first puck on the burner (providing the smoke generator unit was turned on without any pucks loaded).  Every 20 minutes there after you should automatically get a cycle and a new puck pushed through.  The digital readout will be your indicator for when the next puck drops as it only cycles in the 20 minute inrements and any adjustments to the time always get an even 20 increment setting (20, 40, 1hr, 1hr20, etc).  When the clock reaches one of those numbers in the count down, the cycle will happen.

If you system does not do this, you can post some further observations and we can help or you can call Bradley and they will help you real time over the phone.  They have great customer service.

The Bubba Pucks should not interfer with a properly opperating smoke generator.  Kummok invested a lot of test time on the original and years of usage by hundreds of people have given him a great track record to reference.   

[Habanero Smoker]

With the feeder tube empty, look into the tube so that you can see the slide mechanism that pushes the bisquettes. Then push the advance button, several times (letting generator cycle through each time before pushing the button). The slide should first draw back, then move forward. Does the mechanism work properly each time? If not there may be something loose, and you should call Bradley.

Other possibilities that can cause this problem:
Are your bisquettes uniformly shaped, or are they or at least some seem much thicker on one end, or just thicker then others?

Is the feeder tube straight and fully seated in the generator?

Are all bisquettes loaded properly, so they are flat and none are at an angle (even one at the slightest angle will jam the feeder)?

If not they will not feed properly.

[Smoke_Lover]

Thanks TT and Giz;

I have been leaving pucks in the all the time. I would alaways have a couple in the tube just to make sure they would advance.  Now that I have the Bubba Pucks I will start using one puck per 20 m
inutes, then topping off with the BPs. 

That is helpful info about the pucks advancing on the 20 min markers. That will make it easier to monitor. 
When I have had the problems the pucks would move around but not drop down and push the ashes.  I would have to push the button 1 or 2 sometimes 3 more times<letting it  finish making its attemp to move a puck before pressing again> to get a puck to advance.

I will monitor with the new info and  BPs, I hope I will learn something new, so I can explain better, if I have to contact Bradley it will be helpful ;). 

[Gizmo]

Habs may have the answers for you on the feed tube and or proper feeding of the puck.  Someone posted a short while ago they were having a problem with the feeder and if my memory serves us correctly, it turned out the tube was at an angle and prevented proper operation.

I would add to Hab's recommendation on the visual advance without pucks by recommending pulling the feed tube out to verify proper operation.  Then just drop a bubba puck to see if it will feed correctly.  I was able to run them through with and without the feed tube inserted (I did one at a time).

[NewToSmok]

I had the same issue with my DBS.  I called bradley.  They are really helpful.  They give you the same advice here.  Check tube position, check to make sure the pucks are not sitting at an angle, make sure the track and tube are clean (if you do not vent correctly the track can become sticky and clogged with smoke residue).

Well I checked all that and still had an issue and they gave some advice on how to fix the issue. Having to do with oiling down the slide mechenism and making sure a control arm was hitting a switch correctly.  My advice is call them.  Its free in the US and Canada, they are nice and very helpful and there was no hold time  :D

[NewToSmok]

Oh my issue was happening with regular pucks and bubba pucks, so I never assumed it was a Bubba Puck issue and did not bring that up with Bradley.

[Smoke_Lover]

 ;D Thanks For all the advice.  I did just as Habs said and found that the piece that slide back and lets a puck drop in then pushes it out was only sliding back 1/3 of the way. I contacted bradley via email and they said they were going to send a new unit out to me.  She called to verify if I had a 4 or 6 rack unit and told me it would be sent out.  The smoker unit only I assume. :D

Great customer service. I will feel better when it gets here and I hope this is not an inherent problem.  I have only had it since June so I would not think it would be a grunge proble.  Never know though.  So far it is well worth the money and you can't beat the customer service.

Thanks Again everyone ;D ;D