My OBS konked out ... UPDATE x 3

outdoorsfellar · January 16, 2010, 11:21:26 AM

I've been waiting for a month to go to a planned party this evening. In preparation for that, I planned on doing ABT's & Moinkballs. Imagine my surprise when I went to turn on my OBS for preheating & only the smoke generator heated up ! The heating element is stone cold. The power light indicator does work. I've tried unhooking & bypassing my PID as well with no results. I had just used this, this past week. Ughhhh ! It's under warranty, but what piss poor timing. I'm doing my food in the oven just the same.

Has anyone else run in to this ???

Now that I think of it, I WAS loosing heat rapidly last time I used this... at 2 am, so I just figured the outside 5 degree temps had some play into it.... perhaps not now.

FLBentRider · January 16, 2010, 11:34:58 AM

Bummer.

I'll assume that you have made sure that the plugs are in nice and tight.

Sounds like a fuse issue.

Do you have a multimeter ?

I would check for A/C on both ends of the element.

Mr Walleye · January 16, 2010, 11:37:41 AM

You will probably have to narrow it down anyway so I would do a few things...

If you take the plastic cover off the temp slider, you can easily bypass the slider to see if that is your problem.

You can also remove the heat element and test it for continuity which will tell you if it is bad.

Other than that it would have to be the thermal cut-off or the thermal fuse which are both in the back of the tower about midway up. You could check these for continuity as well.

Mike

outdoorsfellar · January 16, 2010, 11:38:39 AM

The fuse is ok & no I don't have a meter, so I'll just have to call bradley Monday.

Tiny Tim · January 16, 2010, 03:16:09 PM

Your slider didn't happen to get bumped all the way to the left, some how, some way, did it? It can happen without you knowing about it.

Just a thought, it happened to me once.

outdoorsfellar · January 16, 2010, 08:46:20 PM

Quote from: Tiny Tim on January 16, 2010, 03:16:09 PM
Your slider didn't happen to get bumped all the way to the left, some how, some way, did it? It can happen without you knowing about it.

A lot of things happen without me knowing it, & this wasn't one of them...lol. I'll just try messing with the temp slider & go from there as mentioned.
On a side note, my ABTs & Moinkballs recieved a lot of compliments, but knowing the difference between oven cooked & smoked food makes me wish all that were there could have experienced what we here all know, just the same ;D

outdoorsfellar · January 18, 2010, 12:41:39 PM

UPDATE ...... I had planned on taking this over to my brother who's an electrician so he could use his meter to check a few things out as had been mentioned to do. Just for the heck of it, I did call Bradley today just to see what they may suggest doing as well & the answer I got was that, since my face plate is cracked in a few places, they're telling me moisture got down underneath & is causing the outage. That was never mention here as a possibility, so I was quite surprised with that & the guy was pretty sure that's the issue. This is still under warranty, so time will tell if it really is the culprit when my replacement plate arrives. Seems like a easy fix, so that'll be all the better !

classicrockgriller · January 18, 2010, 12:45:09 PM

odf, glad you call Bradley and hope they get you up and running quick.

I think there is a fix on helping to keep the face plate from cracking.

FAQ
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=481

Mr Walleye · January 18, 2010, 07:52:42 PM

Quote from: outdoorsfellar on January 18, 2010, 12:41:39 PM
That was never mention here as a possibility, so I was quite surprised with that & the guy was pretty sure that's the issue.

Outdoorsfellar

In my post my first suggestion was "If you take the plastic cover off the temp slider, you can easily bypass the slider to see if that is your problem." This would tell you if the circuit board for the temp slider is fried as suggested by Bradley.

Mike

Gamefish · January 19, 2010, 01:10:00 AM

Quote from: outdoorsfellar on January 16, 2010, 11:38:39 AM
The fuse is ok & no I don't have a meter, so I'll just have to call bradley Monday.

So just out of curiousity why do people post up there gripes before ringing Bradley, I would dear say most end up felling pretty stupid once there problems are dealt with so promptly

Just my observation that is all!!!! ::)

Habanero Smoker · January 19, 2010, 02:44:24 AM

Quote from: Gamefish on January 19, 2010, 01:10:00 AM
Quote from: outdoorsfellar on January 16, 2010, 11:38:39 AM
The fuse is ok & no I don't have a meter, so I'll just have to call bradley Monday.

So just out of curiousity why do people post up there gripes before ringing Bradley, I would dear say most end up felling pretty stupid once there problems are dealt with so promptly

Just my observation that is all!!!! ::)

Bradley does have an excellent product and customer service, but most have their problems during evening hours, or weekends when one finally gets a chance to smoke; and it can be frustrating when things go wrong. Unfortunately that is when Bradley office hours are closed. Members are seeking immediate answers to what may be an emergency situation, and that can be dealt with promptly so they can get back to their smoking. Also there is a good chance that Brian may be on the board. No one should feel stupid for seeking help on this board, or expressing a little frustration.

KyNola · January 19, 2010, 06:28:36 AM

Well said Habs!

KyNola

outdoorsfellar · January 19, 2010, 09:17:09 AM

Thanks for all the replies !

#1 ... I wasn't griping, I'm smarter than that. I know my problem would be taken care of in due time, but as mentioned, I was merely looking for ideas & to see what others may have experienced as that itself MAY have been a quick solution just the same.
#2 ... Yes the slider was mentioned, but still moisture ... being a contributing factor, didn't come to mind just the same ... ok, so I'm NOT that smart. ;D

I'm willing to bet that as long as these cracks continue to plague the smokers, this type of problem can happen at one point or another & for new owners of the sort ( like me ) that did not even think of this possibility ( I never did see this exact issue posted here ) may now be aware all the more so due to my experience.

I too can now atest the great customer service Bradley offers ;D

classicrockgriller · January 19, 2010, 10:18:15 AM

Quote from: outdoorsfellar on January 19, 2010, 09:17:09 AM
Thanks for all the replies !

#1 ... I wasn't griping, I'm smarter than that. I know my problem would be taken care of in due time, but as mentioned, I was merely looking for ideas & to see what others may have experienced as that itself MAY have been a quick solution just the same.
#2 ... Yes the slider was mentioned, but still moisture ... being a contributing factor, didn't come to mind just the same ... ok, so I'm NOT that smart. ;D

I'm willing to bet that as long as these cracks continue to plague the smokers, this type of problem can happen at one point or another & for new owners of the sort ( like me ) that did not even think of this possibility ( I never did see this exact issue posted here ) may now be aware all the more so due to my experience.

I too can now atest the great customer service Bradley offers ;D

Glad all is being taken care of.

Get that thing fixed and get back to Smokin! ;D

outdoorsfellar · January 22, 2010, 10:00:48 AM

Well, I recieved my faceplate replacement rather quickly, so the 1st this this morning, I did the replacement & whaa la... nothing ! The indicator light did come on, but still, no heat. Yes, everything was hooked nice & snug. The hook up is easy to do, BUT ... how mine was originaly hooked up & what the instructions showed, were two different things, but no biggie. The bottom holes of the faceplate do not line up, so I could see myself trying to force it & making a mess all the more, so I just let it go. For some reason, I thought I'd be recieving different front leg supports, but that wasn't the case, so I'll just use the support I made. The telephone receptionist when I called, more or less insulted my intelligence on telling me how easy it was to do the hook up & that I must have done it wrong. She transferred me to Brian, who apparenty was on another call, so when I called back, she said that he said I had it hooked up wrong .... >:(
Anyway, so now they're sending me a heating element .... only after I prompted her on what to do next. So, this is why we come on here asking for alternative tips when we have a problem ... it's not a given that you'll get 'em from Bradley if you call.

Stay tuned in for the next update....lol