No Smoke - Not Happy

[starzen]

third time using my bradley. Smoke generator wouldnt heat up. After playing with it for a while it would finally heat up but after 2 pucks or so it stopped again. Sometimes when i touch it it gets a little hot but not enough.

wasted 6 racks of baby backs today

Not very happy today

i opened up the box and couldnt see any loose wires. all looked ok

anything i can do ?

thanks

Mike

[classicrockgriller]

Sometimes the wires don't look loose.

You may have to manually push each connector to make sure it is seated.

Here is a link to FAQ on the recipe site that may help.

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?481-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s

[starzen]

thanks

i tried reconnecting all the wires. Also measured if there was a resistance in the element (had 130 ohms if i remember correctly)

i tried all kinds of things and no luck

later i turned it on again and the smoke started working again

problem is that next time i try to smoke something it may not work again

would be nice to find a specific problem so i could trust it working next time

it seemed to actually heat up to a point it almost hurt to touch but not enough

[classicrockgriller]

That is not a normal problem (work this time but not the next).

I would give Bradley USA or Bradley Canada a call tomorrow and
go over the problem with them.

They are great and will fix you up.

I hope you didn't ruin them ribs and that you found some way of
cooking them.

[viper125]

Just wondering. You running on an extention cord. Or a heavy loaded circuit?  If so try plugging it in alone on different circuit.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[DeeDubz - Smokin Bro #1]

Very similiar issue happened to me on my second smoke except mine wouldn't make smoke at all., luckily I found out before I put the meat in. After taking it all apart and inspecting, replacing the fuse in the back of the box, I ended up calling bradley. They were quite heplful and sent me out a new element, unfortunately they sent a replacement element for the cabinet. So I called them again, and still helpful he sent me out a replacement burner for the smoker which came quite quickly, about 10 min to install and put box back together. Got it working just in time for the batch of bacon I had curing and it's work perfect every since. 

Thanks to Bradley customer service who got it handled!

[TedEbear]

i tried reconnecting all the wires. Also measured if there was a resistance in the element (had 130 ohms if i remember correctly)

Normal resistance is about 27-33 ohms.  Did you disconnect the wire off one end before you measured?  Also, you didn't say anything about the cook chamber not getting up to temp, just the smoke generator.

[starzen]

cook chamber is working fine all the time

the issue i have is the heating element for the smoke (the one the pucks sit on)

i disconnected the plug before measuring.

it seems to be an intermittent problem. I did get it to smoke again. Problem is next time it will probably fail again

i saw the 30 ohm information but that was for the heating element in the cab. I coudlnt find any information on the heating element for the smoke

[TedEbear]

i saw the 30 ohm information but that was for the heating element in the cab. I coudlnt find any information on the heating element for the smoke

Ah, OK.  I thought you were talking about the cooking chamber heating element.  I don't know if anyone other than you has posted the resistance of the SG hotplate element.

[viper125]

When not working did you have 120 volts where heater plugs in. Could be heater or even a bad wire.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[Habanero Smoker]

This is a unique problem. Generally if the burner doesn't work the unit will trip the GFI; at least with the OBS. After you speak with Bradley customer service can you post the solution so I can add it to the FAQ's on the recipe site.

With this being a digital, it could also be a malfunctioning display panel.

[Alanfromwis]

  The 130 ohms is about right as the math on that is 120 volts divided by 130 ohms = just under 1 amp times 120volts = 120 watts. If I remember right smoker element is rated at 125 watts, right in the ball park.