burner leaving pucks half done

[william8421]

I have an old 4 rack smoker that I use inside.  I am noticing that some of the pucks in the water dish are only charred on one side and up the edges.  It looks like about 2/3 of the puck is charred.  Does the puck burner wear out in time ?

[william8421]

I forgot to add:  unit is the only load on a 20 amp circuit, Vent is open, puck advance timing appears stable, interior temp is between 150 and 225 (as run progresses).
I smoke 1-3 times a month, year round.

[tailfeathers]

Inside as in in the house?


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[UncleAl]

How cold is it where your at? I have noticed the same thing in cold weather.

[Salmonsmoker]

Over time the burnt resins from the wood will coat the puck burner with some hard char that keeps the pucks from making good contact and therefore a partial burn. I occassionally use a 100 grit sanding sponge to clean up the burner.

[Saber 4]

Over time the burnt resins from the wood will coat the puck burner with some hard char that keeps the pucks from making good contact and therefore a partial burn. I occassionally use a 100 grit sanding sponge to clean up the burner.

x2, I use a 1" putty knife to scrape mine after every smoke as part of my clean up.

I have noticed that humidity, both outside and the amount of moisture in the meat effect the amount of burn I get from some wood types more than others. Also cabinet temp has a big effect on how much the puck burns, I don't get nearly as much of the puck burned up when I cold smoke as when I smoke at 220-230.

I am one who believes that any heating element can get warn out over time without actually going out, thus not giving you the same amount of heat as you were getting originally.

[pensrock]

Like the others stated, it is important to clean the gunk (a technical term)  off the puck burner plate, I clean mine before every use. Also make sure to preheat the puck burner the same as you preheat the smoker. Some woods do char more than others so that also may be some of what you are seeing.  I am not sure what exactly the puck burner is made from, if it is a wire element then it is likely to remain fairly consistant heat wise during it's life span, if it's made from a material like the ignition ignitors for stoves and furnaces then those will tend to fade as they age. I would not think one would cost much to change out to see if it helps, and then you would have the old one as a back up if the new one were to fail at some time in the future.

[william8421]

Inside as in in the house?

As in right next to my Stove and Jenn-Aire.
I took a length of aluminum dryer vent and positioned it about 1" over the vent on top and then bent it around so the other open end lies on the Jenn-Aire downdraft vent.  By covering more/less of the remaining Jenn-Aire vent I can adjust the flow so I capture the smoke without pulling it out of the cabinet.

Ok, I am a wuss, but I cook for long times and really don't see the advantage in going outside many times to check/reload.

[william8421]

How cold is it where your at? I have noticed the same thing in cold weather.

Not a problem.  It is 10 degrees outside, but inside with the smoker it is 68.

[william8421]

Like the others stated, it is important to clean the gunk (a technical term)  off the puck burner plate, I clean mine before every use. Also make sure to preheat the puck burner the same as you preheat the smoker. Some woods do char more than others so that also may be some of what you are seeing.  I am not sure what exactly the puck burner is made from, if it is a wire element then it is likely to remain fairly consistant heat wise during it's life span, if it's made from a material like the ignition ignitors for stoves and furnaces then those will tend to fade as they age. I would not think one would cost much to change out to see if it helps, and then you would have the old one as a back up if the new one were to fail at some time in the future.

Thanks, I will get out my gunk (tm) remover as suggested above.
Does anybody know if the burner is available as a replacement part ?

[ragweed]

Yes.  Yard&Pool has them.  $57.99.

[TedEbear]

Yep. Bradley Smoker Replacement Bisquette Burner

[pensrock]

I suspect if he has never cleaned his puck burner before that is the problem. Do that first then test it out. You may be surprised.

[william8421]

Yep. Bradley Smoker Replacement Bisquette Burner

Thanks for the link