Second Element Failure!!!

[TonyL222]

Done!

Really QED. Bradley sent me the fuse in case it is somehow causing the elements to blow. I went ahead and swapped it, too. I'm a little apprehensive cause the new element looks like the same brand as the old one. But I'll see how it goes.


Sent from my Sprint EVO 4G using Tapatalk

[TestRocket]

Hey Tony,

Looks to me you have the high temp sensor and the inline fuse. The sensor is mounted to the back of the cabinet with the dime size silver part is on the back wall of the inside of the cooking chamber. The fuse is inline with the sensor and is connected to one side of the element. Other then the on/off slider control switch and the element there is nothing else to prevent the Bradley from getting hot. So pull the back off and replace the three new components and you should be back to smoking!

Here you can see the back of my OBS before I added the second element:


Here you can see the high temp sensor (left one is the original) on the back wall:


Habs types faster then I do! But maybe the PICS will help!  ;D

[TedEbear]

Here you can see the high temp sensor (left one is the original) on the back wall:

Why did you need to add a second high temp sensor?  With a dual element mod the chamber should not get any hotter than with a single, it just gets up to temp faster.  It might get a little hotter right at the two elements but the sensor is mounted higher up the wall and is shielded by the deflector tray and the bottom rack.

I'm nearly finished adding a second element to my OBS, along with an Auber PID controller, which is why I'm curious.  On mine I removed the stock 10A in-line fuse and replaced it with a 15A panel mount fuse in the smoke generator.  I kept the high temp sensor in the circuit.  I'm also adding a 45cfm circulation fan, which will be run off the high temp alarm output of the PID controller.  I'm having a lot of fun with my project.

[GusRobin]

Here you can see the high temp sensor (left one is the original) on the back wall:

Why did you need to add a second high temp sensor?  With a dual element mod the chamber should not get any hotter than with a single, it just gets up to temp faster.  It might get a little hotter right at the two elements but the sensor is mounted higher up the wall and is shielded by the deflector tray and the bottom rack.

The high temp sensor is not for reading cooking temps, it is for safety. It shuts off the element when it reads that the temp is getting too high in the cabinet (don't remember what temp - think 360 or something but don't quote me). It is to prevent a "runaway element" among other things). The way the instructions are for installing the second element, the sensor would only shut off one element. Thus the second sensor to shut off the other element.

[TedEbear]

The high temp sensor is not for reading cooking temps, it is for safety. It shuts off the element when it reads that the temp is getting too high in the cabinet (don't remember what temp - think 360 or something but don't quote me). It is to prevent a "runaway element" among other things). The way the instructions are for installing the second element, the sensor would only shut off one element. Thus the second sensor to shut off the other element.

Yes, I know the high temp sensor is to protect against extreme heat in the chamber.  However, if you wire both elements in series to the original sensor there is no need for a second sensor.  I installed my second element by drilling holes in the shield.  I then wired it in parallel with a couple of short 14ga high temp wires to the first element.  I then had a 'bank' of heating elements with one wire on each end of the original element going out the back wall of the chamber.

Where I used to work we had huge IR ovens (10' tall) with banks of heating elements, where the individual elements in each bank were wired to each other in parallel with short loops of high temp wire.  Then on the last element two longer wires ran back to the terminal block in the cabinet.  That's where I came up with the idea for wiring my project the way I did.

[Habanero Smoker]

How it is wired depends on the individuals comfort level. Some members have wired the elements the way you did, and I believe they have not had any problems doing it that way, or have not reported any problems. I have an OBS; though I wired my elements separately I didn't add the second temperature controller or in line fuse. I wired them separately, because I wanted to take the precaution of not having 1000 watts being drawn through my temperature controller.

[TedEbear]

I wired them separately, because I wanted to take the precaution of not having 1000 watts being drawn through my temperature controller.

As far as that goes, I use an SSR to switch the load to the elements.  The current flow through the PID is just for triggering the 25A SSR and is rated at 30mA.

[GusRobin]

I believe the folks that add the second element the way Habs outlined are the ones that use the second sensor and fuse. I did it that way but didn't add the sensor and fuse becasue I didn't realize how easy it was. I may add it later. I wired the way Habs did because I wanted to be able to control the second element via the an added on off switch. I am glad I did because when I broke the PID temp sensor I was able to shut off the second element and cook without the PID while waiting for a replacement probe. Also, my PID went out a couple of weeks ago and was able to shut off the second elelment and still cook while waiting for it to be fixed and returned. For safety reasons I prefer not to use the second element without a PID controller. Not sure if it is overkill but makes me comfortable.