Door replacement

[BrianW]

I just bought a new door for my 6 rack digital, is there anywhere I can find information on how to properly change the door out with out damaging any other parts in the process?
Also the bottom trim piece on the cabinet itself.

[Habanero Smoker]

I've replaced the door on the Original but not the digital.  Below are the instructions I posted some time ago. Sorry; there are no photos. So ignore any references to look at photos.

Door Installation/Removal For Original Bradley Smoker BTIS1
From Habanero Smoker

NOTE: I know these instructions will work of the Original Bradley Smoker (OBS). I'm not sure for the other models. Click on photos to enlarge.

Well after almost 10 years, two falls (one from a height of 3 feet and another from a height of 6 feet), a gust of wind almost ripping my door off; it is now time to replace it. The final straw came when on a very cold morning I open the door too quickly and the magnetic seal tore away from part of the top of the door. Over the years the seal had become stiff and twisted and could not be put back into place.

Because of previous damage to the old door, I have had to take it off and reinstall it a few times, so I figured installing a new door could be done in no time flat. The old version you basically remove an E Clip washer, just open the door, lift it so the top and bottom pins clear the hinges and pull the door towards you. Well I was wrong. When I received the new door, the first thing I noticed was the top hinge pin was longer, much longer. I have an earlier model, and smokers manufactured after a certain date have a much longer top hinge pin.

Here is a side by side comparison. Though the old door is damaged, and the pin is slightly misaligned, you can easily see the difference in length between the two.
Photo#1

Please fully read these instructions before attempting to remove or install the door.
Since the door didn't come with instructions, I didn't know where to begin. At first I thought I would have to remove the magnetic seal, to install the door, but quickly noticed that would not help; then I figured out another way. Which will be covered later in this write-up.

The new door only comes with the magnetic door seal, so you will have to use some parts from your old door.

Parts:
New door with magnetic seal
Thermometer plus nut and washer from old door
Bottom hinge pin from old door
*If the bottom hinge pin is missing or if you need a new door thermometer they can be ordered for Yard & Pool

Tools:
Needle nose pliers
Pliers
Adjustable wrench or 12mm wrench
Small Flat-tip screwdriver
#2 Phillips screwdriver
Small plastic mallet or light hammer
Flashlight or headlamp (optional)

Directions:
When your new door arrives, check it for any defects, such as cracks in the plastic, bends, and dents etc. When my door arrived I was surprised as to how well it was packaged for shipping. A truck would have had to run over the box to cause any damage to the door. 

To begin, open the door of your smoker about half way, and used the 12mm wrench (or adjustable wrench) to remove the nut and washer holding the door thermometer on. Removing the thermometer now will help prevent any possible damage to it, once the door is removed. If there is a lot of residue built up on the nut, you can use the flat blade screwdriver to scrap off the buildup, and a small piece of rag soaked with isopropyl alcohol. Once the thermometer is off, reattach the washer and nut to the thermometer, and set aside. This would be a good time to clean the door thermometer probe and fasteners. I find that using isopropyl alcohol and a piece of Scotch Brite pad works very well.

At the top left corner you will see the hinge that is attached to the cabinet and the hinge pin that is part of the door. Take note of the type of pin you have. That will determine how you will remove and install the door. As you can see, my old door had the short hinge pin.
Photo #2

At the bottom of the door there is another hinge. You need to check the bottom hinge pin to see if there is an E Clip washer, or some other type of locking washer that locks the hinge pin in place. If there is an E clip or some other type of locking washer it will be attached to the bottom hinge pin just below the hinge. To remove it, use the small screw driver and needle nose pliers to pry and pull it off. Place the washer aside, you will need to reattach it later.
Photo #3

As mentioned earlier, your door could have a different pin length. It could be short or long. Later models and replacement doors have the long pin.
If your door has the short top hinge pin, continue with these instructions in this paragraph. If you have the long pin skip to the next paragraph . Once the E clip washer is off, you only need to lift the door up until the top hinge pin and the bottom hinge pin clears the hinges. Once you cleared the hinges, move the door out towards you. Set the door aside.

If your smoker has the long hinge pin, there are a few extras steps you need to take. It will be easier to remove the door if you lay the smoker on it's back side on a table. So you will need to detach the generator, and remove the short jumper power cord. Position yourself at the bottom of the smoker. If you haven't already done so, with the door closed, remove the E Clip washer off the bottom hinge pin. Next you will need to partially remove the bottom hinge. The bottom hinge is attached with two bolts. Using a Philips screwdriver remove the screw on your left, making sure you do not lose the locking and flat washers. Put these aside. Next loosen, but do not remove the other screw. Now partially open the door, and pivot the bottom hinge downward. This will provide enough room when you move the door upward, and it will clear the bottom hinge.
Photo #4
Once the bottom hinge pin is freed; with the door in the half open position; move the door upward (towards the smoker's top) until you cannot not move it any further. At this point, the top pin will still not clear the top hinge. Now slowly and very carefully, swing the bottom of the door the outwards towards your right and slightly upward, while readjusting the position of the top so the pin continues to slide out of the hinge, without resistance. If you feel the slightest resistance back off and shift the top of the door around until no resistance is felt, and continue to move the door upward. Again, there should be no resistance, and may require some shifting of the top of the door as you swing the door upward. I repeat, remove the door slowly and carefully to avoid bending the pin, and/or cracking the plastic housing. By the time you get the top pin free from the hinge, the door will be almost perpendicular to the cabinet, as pictured below. Once the pin is free of the hinge slide the door off the hinge.
Photo #5

This photo shows the position at which the pin should be freed from the hinge, and you can now slide the door off the hinge. The arrow indicates the direction you need to move the door outward, in order to free the pin. The doors with the long pin can be removed with the smoker in the vertical positions as shown, but it is much easier to lay the cabinet on it's back side.

After you get the door off, you will need to remove the bottom hinge pin, and install it in the new door. The pin can be easily remove by using a pair of pliers to grasp the shaft of the pin, and you should be able to pull it right out. If there is some resistance, use a twisting/wiggling motion. Once off set it aside. If your magnetic seal is still in good shape you may want to remove it and set it aside for a spare, but unless you have another use for the old door, you can now discard it, there are no more useable parts.
Photo #6

To mount the bottom hinge pin into the new door, fit the pin into the hole at the bottom of the new door and push it in by hand. Once the pin is properly aligned, using the mallet (or light hammer) lightly tap it in the rest of the way until it is fully seated.
Photo #7

Your new door is ready to be installed. If the door has the short pin or you are reinstalling a door with the short pin; the procedure is fairly easy. With the door in a partially open position, align the top and bottom hinge pins on the door, with the holes in the top and bottom hinges of the cabinet. Lower the door, inserting the pins into the hinges, and reverse the steps outlined in #3a & #2. After the door is installed, skip to step #7.
The new door will most likely have the long pin. If you have the long top hinge pin, and you didn't partially remove the bottom hinge, you need to do that now. Refer to step #3b, and photo #4.

To replace the door, you need to attach the top hinge first. If you did not detach the generator, and remove the short jumper power cord as instructed in step #3b, do that now. Lay the cabinet on it's back, and locate yourself at the bottom of the cabinet. Positioned the new door as it is in the photo below. Resting the top edge of the door on the cabinet will give you more control. Once you have the door in this position you can slide the top hinge inside the door
Photo #8
The position of the Bradley cabinet is laying back side down on a table.

After the hinge is inside the door, the pin will be resting sideways on top of the hinge. Align the bottom of the pin with the hole in the top hinge. Here is where a headlamp or flashlight comes in handy (if using a flashlight have someone else hold the light). Shining a light in that area makes it much easier to see, and makes the alignment less difficult.

Once you have the pin aligned with the hole, slowly and carefully rotate the bottom of the door towards you. While rotating the bottom of the door towards you; you will also need to readjust the positioning of the pin to make sure it remains aligned with the hole. There will come a point at which the alignment of the pin and hole will allow the pin to drop down into the hole in the hinge. I repeat; do this carefully. You should not have any resistance. If you try to use force, you may crack the plastic housing or bend the pin.
Photo #9 - This photo shows the top pin fully inserted in the top hinge.

After the top pin is fully inserted in the top hinge, align the bottom pin with the hole in the bottom hinge. Secure the bottom hinge by replacing the bolt, flat washer and lock washer, do not fully tighten. Check the door for alignment, the bottom hinge can be adjusted a little. Next tighten both bolts, making sure the hinge is secure, and reattached the E clip washer. If the magnetic seal does not fit properly, after a few uses it should conform better with the cabinet. If you live in an area of colder climate, and you are doing the replacement in the winter, it may take several uses until the seal fits properly.
The final two steps are to replace the door thermometer, and seasoning the door. From the inside of the door, use the Philips screwdriver to poke a pilot hole through the insulation. Looking at the front of the new door you will see that the insulation has been carved out so the thermometer can be recessed into the door. Remove the washer and nut from the door thermometer, and set the washer and nut aside. From the front of the door, using the pilot hole as a guide, push the probe of the thermometer through the pilot hole, and continue to push through the insulation, until the threads clear the inside panel of the door.

Once the thermometer is seated, check to see if it fits flush against the door. Mine didn't, so I had to use a butter knife and scraped out some insulation until the thermometer would fit flush against the door. When the thermometer is flush against the door, check the dial to make sure it is in the correct position, reattach, the washer and nut. Using a 12mm wrench or adjustable wrench, tighten the nut until snug.

To season and burn off any residual manufacturing oils, use the same method you used when you first seasoned your smoker. Refer to your manual or go to Seasoning Your Smoker, for more information. After seasoning, check the magnetic seal to see if it uniformly fits and make a good seal. If there are area where the seal does not fit snuggly, while the seal is still warm grasp the seal in that area and gently stretch it outward. The seal doesn't have to be a perfect fit. Some small amount of smoke leakage for the seal is alright.

Additional Installation Steps:
After installing the door you may come across some other issues. One in particular is a badly deformed magnetic seal. For whatever caused it, my seal didn't come close to sealing the cabinet. In the photo below, the area of the seal in the red box was overly expanded compared to the area just above it, the area in the blue box was overly contracted, and the area in the green box was the same thickness as the seal at the top. The other side of the door the seal was shape exactly the same. Because it was so severely misshapen, and I was doing these repairs during winter; that after seasoning and running the smoker for an additional four hours, the seal remained in the same condition.
Photo #10 - This is not an illusion. After seasoning and running the smoker for another 3 hours, there was no improvement. You can see through one side of the seal out through the other side.

What I ended up doing was to use a tie down strap to lightly compress the expanded area of the seal, so that it was more uniformed in thickness with the top and bottom of the seal. Being careful not to compress the seal any more then I had to. I then ran the smoker at 225°F, for 4 hours.
Photo #11

After 4 hours, I notice that the compressed area expanded, and the seal has a more uniform shape. I removed the strap, and you can see the seal now conforms properly to the cabinet.
Photo #12

[BrianW]

Thank you for the detail information..I got it. And like you,the door doesn't seal properly.  I guess I need to season the new door and see what happens after that

[Habanero Smoker]

Glad to see you have it on. Replacing the door is a pain in the shorts. My seal was really badly warped. With the door closed, and looking form the side you could see from one side threw the another. 

It works best when you strap the door shut. Not too tight, but enough to make a good seal, and run it at around 250°F. If at first you can't make a good seal; after strapping it, get it the best you can then as the seal becomes more flexible from the heat continue to tighten the strap. After running it for awhile, loosen the strap to see if the seal is tight. If not tighten the strap again, and keep running the Bradley. Repeat as often as necessary. 

[watchdog56]

I did this about 5 years ago and it is still working great.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=35567.0

[Habanero Smoker]

I'm not sure who you are directing your post towards.

[Newant]

I never liked to install the doors myself, so I always contacted the specialists. Just after the case when I ordered an expensive door for the wardrobe (it looked unrealistically cool) and broke it, when I tried to fix it myself. Even when I ordered  for example, a regular door to the living room, I asked to have it installed. If a person doesn't know how to handle tools and doesn't understand anything about the topic of repair, as I, then it is better to entrust this case to the professionals. In your case, I would.

[TedEbear]

I never liked to install the doors myself, so I always contacted the specialists. Just after the case when I ordered an expensive door for the wardrobe (it looked unrealistically cool) and broke it, when I tried to fix it myself. Even when I ordered  for example, a regular door to the living room, I asked to have it installed. If a person doesn't know how to handle tools and doesn't understand anything about the topic of repair, as I, then it is better to entrust this case to the professionals. In your case, I would.

^^^Me thinks a spam bot you are.   :D

[Demoratics]

It's great that you're planning to replace the door on your 6 rack digital oven! Changing the door on an oven can be a tricky process, so it's important to follow the proper steps to ensure that you don't damage any other parts of the oven in the process.

    1. First, consult the user manual for your oven to find the instructions on how to remove and replace the door. This will be specific for your oven make and model, follow the instructions carefully.

    2. Make sure to turn off the power to your oven and disconnect it from the power source before beginning the process.

    3. Remove any screws or bolts that are holding the door in place. This will likely involve removing the handle and the hinges. Be careful not to damage any of these parts while you're working.

    4. Carefully remove the old door from the oven. You may need to wiggle it a bit to get it out, but take care not to scratch or damage the oven frame in the process.

    5. Make sure to clean all the parts and the frame of the oven before installing the new door. Take a close look at all the seals and gaskets, and make sure they are in good condition and clean.

    6. Gently place the new door into the oven frame, making sure to align it correctly. Replace the hinges and screws, and reattach the handle.

    7. Before you turn the oven back on, you want to check the seal of the door and make sure that it is tight and sealed properly.

    8. Finally, consult your user manual again and go through the startup process or locksmith in barbican, the door should work properly once the oven is powered back on.