Quality issues ?

[oakrdrzfan]

Are they open on Sundays?  I sent them an email, the web site says that they are not open for calls on Sunday.

[moodyfisherman]

No loose wire for me....there was liquid in the heater slide controller from the crack. I took apart the heater faceplate and saw the control board failed (overheated at heat sink area).....toast...my Auber PID was beeping as the heater came on and off and then failed....will call Monday as I had to put 2 fat pork butts into the freezer till next weekend after new part is installed... :o

[JT-MO]

Liquid can get into that electronics regardless of crack or not. There shouldn't be liquid around that area when in use, but I can see some getting there.
Examples would be you spilled some when putting water in and out of the bottom bowl. Or maybe dripping from around the door gasket cause the top vent closed all the way, etc..
To many examples to list.

Honestly I think if mine ever fried the heater control board and it was out of warrenty I would just bypass it since I am using the aurber anyways to control the temp. I would wire the plugin in the back of the cabinet directly to the element and at that time put a second element so it heats up faster. I see a lot of modifications that can be done to this little box.

[oakrdrzfan]

Liquid can get into that electronics regardless of crack or not. There shouldn't be liquid around that area when in use, but I can see some getting there.
Examples would be you spilled some when putting water in and out of the bottom bowl. Or maybe dripping from around the door gasket cause the top vent closed all the way, etc..
To many examples to list.

Honestly I think if mine ever fried the heater control board and it was out of warrenty I would just bypass it since I am using the aurber anyways to control the temp. I would wire the plugin in the back of the cabinet directly to the element and at that time put a second element so it heats up faster. I see a lot of modifications that can be done to this little box.

Is bypassing the control element easy to do?  I have an auber and dont really need the OBS slider controller for anything.  Anyone have instrutions for this?

[Quarlow]

Yes it can be done easy and someone who knows how will be along to tell you how.

[Mr Walleye]

Here's a link to a little information about bypassing the slider on the OBS. This shouldn't be a problem if you are running a PID.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12617.msg146918#msg146918

Mike

[Old_Sarge]

Faceplate cracked again after replacing in late January. Time to call customer service.

Wish I knew why this was happening...I don't overload my smoker, or move it around. The most meat I think I've ever put in there was about 14 pounds, evenly distributed on the shelves.

I caught the tip about asking for a set of rear feet to bolster the front. Guess I'll ask 'em to send me a set.

[JT-MO]

I got my new face plate, but weather isn't letting me put it on yet.

Anyways when I look at the cracks I got they look like brittle cracks like old plastic, and not a stress crack. It's kind of hard to explain, but that is just my observation and what I think which can be entirely incorrect.

[ArnieM]

I hate to say it ...

I haven't used my OBS in about a week.  But after seeing this thread again I wend and checked the faceplate.  Yep, a crack from the center mounting screw.  It's hard to see but I can feel it with my fingernail.  This is the second faceplate in less than seven months.

Annoying  :( :(

[smokeNcanuck]

I hate to say it ...

Ditto on that, checked my OBS tonight and guess what.... the face plate is cracked and so is the trim along the
bottom of the door.  I do not move it around so ??????  Guess I'll have to call Bradley tomorrow.
Not worried as I have full faith in them the to correct my problem. :D

[Bradley (Head Office)]

Hello Members

I would just like to take a minute and inform you all
that we are aware of this problem with the face plate and door plastic cracking

We are in contact with the engineers and have three of our staff going to the factory this month
to meet with them

We have not been able to nail down 100% why this is happening as it does not happen on all smokers

I will keep you informed of any updates when I get them.

Brian.

[ArnieM]

Hi Brian,

Nice to hear from you again.  I know you monitor the forums and respond whenever you can with whatever info you have.  These problems have to be costing Bradley a lot of money.

I (we) appreciate you and the job you're doing - kinda caught between a rock and a hard place.  I've never had better customer service.  You can send this to your manager.

But, we need a resolution.  I needn't mention Toyota.  The OBS is a great little box but it has to hold together.

I truly appreciate your efforts and your spirit but continually replacing parts just ain't gonna hack it.

We all still love ya Brian.

[Bradley (Head Office)]

Hi Arnie

This problem is not that wide spread as it may seem by the postings on this forum. this does not happen on all the smokers
its random.

Worst thing is trying to figure out what is causing it we have a few engineers in the factory plus our R&D dept here all
with a differant opinion on the root cause (no offence to any engineers here  ;D)
We have looked at metal vs plastic expansion, size of the whole for the screws, mounting points, loading on the front feet, design of the face plate, etc etc etc
all with differant results.

We will get this resolved but like all things it needs a little time

Maybe its time for a total redesign on the Black Smoker  ;) ;) ;)

Thanks for everyones patience on this matter

Brian

[smokeNcanuck]

Brian,
Does this mean we should wait to get replacement parts?
Or should I go ahead and call to get a new face plate?

Thanks
sNc

[Bradley (Head Office)]

Hi SNC

I would call and get repalcement parts now

I have no idea what the fix is even going to be yet.

Brian