temperature dilema

[backstrap]

My Bradley Original with added element and Auber PID is about 6 years old.  It has worked flawlesly until about a month ago.  Then in the middle of a smoke the temp dropped from 225 to 132.  The green light on the Auber was on indicating power was going to the elements.  I unplugged it & replugged it & temp went back to 225.  Tried a couple more smokes with same result only this time disconnecting didn't have any effect on the temp.

I contacted Auber and tried several tests.  When I ran the tests the smoker was empty and it ran fine.  I tried another smoke with ribs and had the same erractic behavior.  Went back to Auber and they had me run another experiment and it worked fine(once again without meat).  I then did another smoke with some butts and had the same erractic behavior.  Auber asked me to do another smoke and when the green light was on and the temp was dropping to unplug the box and check the current coming out of the plug.  i did and got 120 volts which meant current was going to the box but the elements were not heating.

This is a total mystery to me.  If it was an inline fuse I wouldn't be able to heat it at all but it jumps right up to 275 when I first turn it on.

Any suggestions????

[GusRobin]

to me it sounds like the elements. It sounds like they work initially and then stop if that is possible. That would explain not working with the load in it. Works harder with a load than without one. (But I am guessing, I am not sure if when it fails it fails completely or can operate intermittently.)

How did you wire the 2 elements? Did you connect them together (wire from one element to the other) or did you wire them like in the directions in the archives?

Maybe try disconnecting one element and see if the other works ok. If that works ok then try switching which one works.

Since the problems appear when you have meat in the cabinet, I would do my testing with some kind of load in the cabinet

[beefmann]

maybe a intermittent connection on the  pid some place,, or between the  pid and  the  heater,,,  check them all  out,, connections can come  loose over time

[tskeeter]

I wonder if Backstrap has something that is acting like a bi-metal spring.  Something in a component is broken.  When everything is cool, all the parts make contact, and you have a complete circuit.  As things get hot,  whatever is broken in one of the components starts to deform, and the circuit is interrupted.  When things cool back down, the broken component returns to it's normal shape, and the circuit is reestablished.  (We had this happen with a phone line in So. Cal.  Every afternoon, when it got warm, the phone would go out.  When things cooled down, we'd have service again.)

[Habanero Smoker]

I wonder if Backstrap has something that is acting like a bi-metal spring.  Something in a component is broken.  When everything is cool, all the parts make contact, and you have a complete circuit.  As things get hot,  whatever is broken in one of the components starts to deform, and the circuit is interrupted.  When things cool back down, the broken component returns to it's normal shape, and the circuit is reestablished.  (We had this happen with a phone line in So. Cal.  Every afternoon, when it got warm, the phone would go out.  When things cooled down, we'd have service again.)

It may be a faulty high temperature sensor.

Edited:
Earlier post was not clear on what temperature sensor I was referring to.

[Rider14]

Do you have cold meat rubbing against the temperature sensor? Make sure it's clear.

Had me scratching my head a couple times... I now use the dual probe Auberin PID AND a maverick remote thermometer with the oven temp sensor hanging from a rack clear of any food - have had wildly different temps, and realized the PID temp sensor was poking into my brisket...

-Dan

[backstrap]

i really appreciate all the comments. let me respond:

GusRobin - i wired the system according to instructions on the forum.  i ran a resistence check & both elements appear to be ok.
                  My system has been working for ~6 years without an issue.

Beefman:  i checked all connections and all seem ok unless its an internal connection in the PID. i haven't checked that.

Tskeeter:  it happens when the temp is up.  i ran it at 275 for 3 hours without a problem but the box was empty.

Habanero:  where is the high temp sensor?

Rider14:  I don't know.  i never checked if the temp sensor was resting on meat.  I do run it through the vent so thats a       
               possibility.  i will check that on my next cook.

The only thing thats consistent is this, i never have issues with temps/times when the box is empty.

Thanks guys,

[Habanero Smoker]

When you open the door of the cabinet you will see a disc about the size of a quarter, located on the left at about the level of the second self from the top. The high temperature sensor is designed to shut off the power when the cabinet get beyond a certain temperature. Once the cabinet cools, the switch should move back in the "on" position and restore power. If it is the sensor, you may be able to test it, though the testing does not always work. The next time the smoker shuts down, take an ice cube and place it on the sensor. The ice cube will cool the sensor enough to set it back to the on position. But this will not be a fix, since once it warms up again, it will switch to the off position. To remove and replace sensor, you will need to remove the back cover.