Electric Shock on Heat Bar

[iamsammy84]

Hey guys! I decided to use my Bradley Smoker today and I had to change out the fuse. After changing out the fuse I realize that the heat bar doesn't get hot. The last time I used it, I remember drippings from the meat overflowing the drip pan and onto the heat bar. The wood puck feeder works fine and get hot, but the heat bar doesn't. I decided to see if it was even getting a little hot so I went to touch it and received an electrical shock. I shut off the smoker, and unscrewed the heat bar and wires to clean it out a bit.

After 2 hrs, I am at 150 degrees temp. But I believe its at 150 because of the puck feeder and the weather outside.

Should I replace the heat bar or is it something else?

[TedEbear]

If you have a multimeter you can check to see if the element is good.  Remove one or both wires from the element and check the resistance across it.  A good element will show around 27-32 ohms.

Here's a brand new element, right out of the box:

[Habanero Smoker]

You should not have received a shock by touching the element. Even by chance the ohm reading is within range, I would replace the heating element.

The other issue you have is more serious - allowing build up on the drip pan to overflow onto the element. That can cause a fire inside your Bradley. If you are cooking a lot of fatty foods, with a sugar based rub; that can block the drip hole and vents during a cook, you should check the drip tray a periodically during the cook. When I cook a large load of fatty foods, I keep a 2" metal putty knife and frosting spatula to scrape away any build up during the cook. Also make sure no foods touch the back wall. That can cause grease to flow down the wall and onto the element.