Need some troubleshooting help!

gaspr · August 04, 2009, 04:32:25 PM

Hi folks

Need a little help here. The main heat element in the tower on my smoker has gone dead. I checked for power at the plug at the tower base...checks OK. Pulled the back off and checked for continuity through the high limit sensor..again OK. Then checked for continuity through the element...OK. Checked for continuity through the temp control with the slider turned to max...no continuity. Leads me to believe that I need a new board. I also have the infamous crack in the plastic front cover...may have let some moisture get to the board.

All help is appreciated.

Tiny Tim · August 04, 2009, 04:39:40 PM

Before you change the board, back the switch off from full right. On some switches, there's a dead zone at full right.

pnw-smoker · August 04, 2009, 04:40:34 PM

You might be experiencing the infamous "dead spot" in the slider switch. Move it all the way to the right an then back it off just a smidge and see if that fixes the problem.

Any word on why Bradley allows this well-known problem to go on without any real resolution? And the cracking front panel... I just replaced mine and it's already starting to crack again. Seems like there ought to be some fixes in the works for these well-documented flaws.

Up In Smoke · August 04, 2009, 04:41:59 PM

Dang you guys are quick.
they have you pointed in the right direction

gaspr · August 04, 2009, 04:49:32 PM

OK Thanks for the quick reply guys!

Bradley (Head Office) · August 04, 2009, 04:50:26 PM

Quote from: gaspr on August 04, 2009, 04:32:25 PM
Hi folks

Need a little help here. The main heat element in the tower on my smoker has gone dead. I checked for power at the plug at the tower base...checks OK. Pulled the back off and checked for continuity through the high limit sensor..again OK. Then checked for continuity through the element...OK. Checked for continuity through the temp control with the slider turned to max...no continuity. Leads me to believe that I need a new board. I also have the infamous crack in the plastic front cover...may have let some moisture get to the board.

All help is appreciated.

Hi Gaspr

You cannot test the the temperature control switch for continuity it is a rheostat type.

You can test it for voltage if you tell me the color of the wires going to the switch i can tell you what you should have for voltage on each.

Brian

gaspr · August 04, 2009, 05:04:27 PM

Thanks for the reply Brian. I just turned it on a few minutes ago and it now appears that all is well? Perhaps I had tripped the high limit when I was preheating the last time I used it and never waited til it cooled enough to reset??

Bradley (Head Office) · August 04, 2009, 05:14:31 PM

Hi

Good to hear you are up and working now

Yes if you trip the high limit out it will take some time for it to cool down enough to turn back on
You might want to check the temperature when it does trip off it might be turning off a to low a temp.

Brian

gaspr · August 04, 2009, 05:19:12 PM

OK I will check out the limit temp...Thanks again

pnw-smoker · August 04, 2009, 05:47:29 PM

At what approx. temp should the high limit cut power to the heating element?

Bradley (Head Office) · August 04, 2009, 06:12:25 PM

Quote from: pnw-smoker on August 04, 2009, 05:47:29 PM
At what approx. temp should the high limit cut power to the heating element?

It should be in the neighbourhood of 300 F

Habanero Smoker · August 05, 2009, 02:11:54 AM

Quote from: gaspr on August 04, 2009, 04:32:25 PM
Hi folks

Need a little help here. The main heat element in the tower on my smoker has gone dead. I checked for power at the plug at the tower base...checks OK. Pulled the back off and checked for continuity through the high limit sensor..again OK. Then checked for continuity through the element...OK. Checked for continuity through the temp control with the slider turned to max...no continuity. Leads me to believe that I need a new board. I also have the infamous crack in the plastic front cover...may have let some moisture get to the board.

All help is appreciated.

Here is an easy solution for the cracked face plate. In a couple of days I should have a picture of the added front feet with the washers.

Cracked face plate?

gaspr · August 05, 2009, 08:40:17 AM

I see that quite a few forum members are reporting problems with getting the heat in the tower to recover after adding their meat...maybe they are experiencing the same problem that I had...preheating just a little too much causes the limit switch to trip and then only the puck burner element is left to do all the work. Best way to tell for sure is to check if the light on the plastic panel is on or off...though it is kinda hard to see in bright daylight. Just a thought...

wagonmaster · September 06, 2009, 10:31:24 AM

Just found this forum. Interesting to see that other people are having problems. In my case, the main element is cold as ice no matter where the switch is. The indicator light on the main smoker is not lit up. The indicator light on the puck tower section is lit up and the puck heating element is working fine. Seems like I am not getting power to the main element or the main element is broken. Repair suggestions would be appreciated.

FLBentRider · September 06, 2009, 10:53:44 AM

W E L C O M E to the Forum wagonmaster!

Is it a new unit or has it worked for some time ?

If it is a new unit, plug and unplug the tower a few times, firmly.

If it is not, is it less that 1 year old ? Warranty should provide for a new element. If out of warranty, they are not expensive.