Uh-Oh, My OBS is not heating beyond 100' F, Advice PLEASE

[Doc BBQ]

Happy Belated Turkey Day Everyone:
I have had my OBS for about 4 years, and it resides inside in the kitchen. When I use it, I vent it thru the exhaust hood over the stove. I have not used it in a few months. This morning I plugged it in and I don't know if only the smoker box is heating up, but I don't see the coils in the smoker turning orange. It has been on for over an hour. The adjustable temperature control is slid all the way to the right (high). Is there anything I can attempt to fix? I am going to leave a turkey breast in there for about an hour, then finish it in the oven. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Mike

[KyNola]

Try pushing in the power cord jumper that goes from the generator to the tower to make sure it is properly seated.  You could also try plugging the tower directly into an outlet and see if the heating element begins to work.  Lastly, it is possible that you may have one of the older units that had a dead spot on the slider when moved all the way to the right.  Try backing the slider off about a half inch and see if the element begins to work.

Hope one of these "fixes" cures your problem.

[Doc BBQ]

KyNola - Thanks for the tips. Sadly, when I plugged the power directly to the back of the smoker there is no change. The slider control half way also had no effect. Any idea what to look for in the wiring guts of the smoker? Since the pucks properly smoked, I figure it has to be the main unit. One of my neighbors is an electrician. I did not want to impose, but perhaps that may be the best (only) reasonable alternatives remaining.

[devo]

If you have a ohm meter check to see if you have 28 and 32 ohms between the two ends of the element. If not than the element needs to be changed out.
Also take the back panel off. There is a fuse back there that might have blown.
Good luck

[beefmann]

Doc, ky and devo have you  pointed in the right direction. also check the disk on the   back wall of the cabinet with an  ohm meter it may also be  bad,,, if any of the heater, fuse or thermoster ( or what  ever it is called ) is bad  the element  wont heat up

[Habanero Smoker]

If the pilot light by the temperature slide works and lights up, your element is bad. If that light doesn't work, then the problem is a break in the circuit. As already mentioned that could be the inline fuse, or a faulty temperature sensor, or simply a loose wire.

There are other troubleshooting tips;

Bradley FAQ's

[Doc BBQ]

Hello again everybody. Great news. my smoker just needed a new element. Wanted to follow up and let other fellow smokers don't be afraid to ask questions on this forum. The help I received was quick and in-depth. A sincere thank you for the help.

[Habanero Smoker]

That's great news!

Thanks for following up, and posting the solution to your problem. That helps others who may have a similar situation.