Newbie with heating problem

[Simon1969]

I purchased a Bradley Digital Smoker yesterday and seasoned it ready for trial today. Preheated it to 220f this morning and all was good. I placed a pork butt in it and after 3hrs the temp has dropped to 129f and it won't get any hotter.

Any ideas as to what it wrong? Ambient temp here in the UK is currently 52f.

[ghost9mm]

First thing I would do is check all the plugs and connections and fuse, after that check the element and if the element is bad by checking continuity, you will have to replace the element, and if your Bradley is still in warranty they will replace it..and changing the element is real easy..hope this is of some help...

[Simon1969]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Can you tell me where the fuse is located? The element is not glowing and temp is now down to 97f, all lead connections seem fine. I am now warming my home oven to try and cook the joint. Very disappointed considering its only 24hrs old.

[mikecorn.1]

I copied this from another thread, it was posted by Habanero Smoker.  :) ;)

"Did you try plugging the cabinet directly into an outlet; you will need to swap out the short cord for a desktop computer power cord.

The in-line fuse is located on the wire that goes from the temperature sensor to the plug. It has a clear plastic tubing covering it, but you can't tell if it is blown by looking at it. You will need an electrical tester, or use a piece of 14 gauge wire to by past it to see if it is blown."

The fuse is in the back of the smoker. Just take off the small screws and take the back cover off.

Here is the whole thread, Heating element not working

[KyNola]

Simon, make certain the power cable that goes from the smoke generator to the tower is very firmly plugged in at both ends and I mean firmly.  Also plug and unplug the sensor jumper cable several times.  That bradley should be functioning just fine if it is only 24 hours old.  You may also want to open the smoke generator and check all of the connections in there.  You won't void the warranty by doing so.  Remove the generator from the tower, turn it upside down and remove the screws around the perimeter of the bottom(8 I think).  Don't remove the ones in the middle.  The generator will open clamshell fashion.  Check all of the connections in there.  Shipping and transporting could have jostled one or more partially loose.

[beefmann]

looks like othjers have set you  along the right track

[Smoker John]

Welcome to the boards. My smoke generator wasn't heating up when I purchased mine & tried to season it for the first time, like KyNola suggested I opened the SG checked & tightened all the connections & was up and running fine after that.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi;

Welcome to the forum.

The below is a link to some trouble shooting tips:
Bradley FAQ's

[Simon1969]

Thanks a lot everyone, I got my electrical tester out and narrowed the problem down to a faulty connection on the socket at the back of the smoke generator. Checked and tightened everything and all now appears to be working fine. Hope to test it again soon very soon :)

The Pulled Pork came out great in the end but the smoke flavour was still rifting on me this at 8am morning, I may try less smoking time with the next one lol.

[mikecorn.1]

Nice. Hopefully that is all that was wrong. Glad it's working now. :)


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[TedEbear]

The Pulled Pork came out great in the end but the smoke flavour was still rifting on me this at 8am morning, I may try less smoking time with the next one lol.

How many hours worth of smoke did you apply?  Usually, 2-3 hours is enough for pulled pork.  After that the meat surface is cooked enough where additional smoke doesn't get absorbed and is just wasted.

[Simon1969]

4hrs but as the recipe book didn't say how much to open the vent and because I had the heating problem I had it closed. I have since read the FAQ section and found it should always be open when cooking/smoking. I am a total newbie when it comes to smoking food, we bought the bradley after watching Man V Food and seeing all that lovely looking pulled pork and brisket on it lol.

[Habanero Smoker]

Glad to see you have everything resolved. Four hours of smoke is what I use on butts and brisket.

[watchdog56]

I have my vent all the way open on everything I do. IF you close it moisture builds up and then causes cooler moist air temp.

[ghost9mm]

Glad to hear things are up and running well...we also use 4 hrs of smoke on butts and briskets as do most people here on the forum...