melting door seal

[tjkozak]

Hey... I recently upgraded from a propane smoker to a Bradley.  On my 3rd smoke I am doing a long smoke at 200 been checking it every 2 hours.  The last time I checked it my door seal was melted and difficult to open the door.   The temp did spike up a bit to 225 but that shouldn't melt the seal... Am I wrong?  A bit disappointed that the seal is gone before 3 uses

[Orion]

Seems odd that the door seal would physically melt at those temperatures. Are you sure it has actually melted. Sometimes if the door seal isn't wiped clean of oils and smoke residue from prolonged smokes it becomes tacky and tends to stick closed. The integrity of the sealing between the door and the housing is lost and will become progressively worse as you continue to smoke.

I suggest you use some vinegar or mild dish soap and carefully wash the door seal completely. Use a rag and get all the seal folds clean and the mating surface on the housing. You may find that the seal is just gummed up with residue and a good cleaning will fix it up.

Are there any signs of the seal leaking smoke or warm air during the cook? If you find it has physically melted take some pictures and contact Bradley Customer Service. They will look after you I'm sure. It's a good idea to give the door seal and lands a good wipe after each use to maintain it.

[tjkozak]

No it melted.  This is only the 3rd time I have used it.  The first 2 were relatively short... 4 hrs or so.  I do wipe it down after smoking.  I had to peel the seal off with a knife as it was about 2/3 melted and stuck.  I was due to go out and check on the brisket and could smell the seal burning.  Glad I caught it as it doesn't seem to have affected the meat

[manxman]

Just one thought the v tray wasn't in upside down by any chance creating a ^ and diverting fat on to the lower part of the door seal? Any evidence of excess fat around the heater which is particularly dangerous?

If everything was where it should be and no chance the fat could have been diverted, aluminium foil can have the similar effect, I would talk to Bradley and send some pics? Hope you get it sorted quickly.