Heating Element

[czartman]

I blew a heating element yesterday (at least I think I did).  Assuming that to be the case, are there other things that I should look at replacing or upgrading while I have it apart?  I have a DBS 4 Rack which is about 18mo old.  It gets used a couple times a month, year round, even during the Indiana winter.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[ghost9mm]

Hi CZ...
  I have had my DBS 4 rack for a few weeks, but reading through the forum, I decided to order a couple of elements and after looking what was involved in changing out the element, I also ordered a set of insulators, I figured these inexpensive parts would keep me from having a bad weekend, maybe some of the more experienced bradley users can add something more...

[TedEbear]

Assuming that to be the case, are there other things that I should look at replacing or upgrading while I have it apart? 

The dual element mod is a popular upgrade.  It takes a bit of time to do but there are several 'how-to' threads with pics that are easy to follow.  Preheat times on my OBS are now 15 minutes or less, even when the outdoor temp is below freezing.

If you add a second element you should also install a PID controller.  Controls the temp a lot better and makes things so easy to smoke when the temp fluctuations stay within 5 degrees or so.

[GusRobin]

If you add a second element you should also install a PID controller.  Controls the temp a lot better and makes things so easy to smoke when the temp fluctuations stay within 5 degrees or so.

You also need the PID to control the second element. Otherwise it is wide open all the time. Even if you install the switch and operate it manually, it is still a safety hazard not having a temp driven controller for the element. On the OBS, some have connected it to the slider. However, the slider components are designed for 500 watts system. While it probably has a safety margin on it, I wouldn't chance how long it can take 1000 watts.
just my opinion.

[czartman]

Thanks for the suggestions!  I will look into the PID for sure.  I haven't really had any issues with heat up to this point, so I'm not sure I want to tackle the second heating element right now, but I will keep it in mind as well.