PROBLEMS WITH 900 WATT HEAT ELEMENT UPGRADE!!

[cas222]

Howdy from Wyoming ---

I'M PULLING MY HAIR OUT!!

I can't get heat out of the newly installed 900 Watt element!  ---   IT DOESN'T GET HOT!!

I've bought and installed a new fuse housing....new Temp. adjust Control Slide .... replaced all wiring with the 14 Ga. heat resistant wire.

Putting a volt meter across the 900 Watt heating element contacts, I get about 79 volts w/ the Temp. control slide on Low ---- and about
102 Volts w/ the Temp control slide on full High all the way to the right.

    How much voltage should I get on the 900 Watt element??

What are your thoughts??

Cas in Wyoming

[Orion]

Your voltage readings appear to be what one would expect. I don’t think you have a problem with the voltage or temperature sensor because of the 107 volts when selecting full heat.

The only thing I could suggest is to take an ohms reading across the element and compare that to factory specs.

Is the element brand new? If so , it wouldn’t be the first time one is faulty out of the box. Can’t guarantee it however it’s possible .

Lots of people running 900 watt elements so someone should be able to provide you a resistance reading of a known good element.

[Edward176]

Food for thought guys. A couple years ago someone had a similar issue and later discovered that the 900 watt heating element was actually for 220 volts and not 110. Maybe.....

[cas222]

WOW!

Well... I pulled up my amazon order and here is the element that I purchased and installed:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IB014Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It says its a 120 Volt element.

               How much voltage should I be reading from the power wires DISCONNECTED from the heating element??

Cas in Wyoming.

[cas222]

Hi guys ---

The 900 Watt element IS brand new.

I only ordered a new Sliding Temperature Control because my old one had the plastic adjust slide piece broken off, so in order to adjust temp, I had to slide it by slipping a knife blade in the slot to slide it.  When the Bradley gal shipped the New Temp Control to me--- she just put it in a plastic padded envelope WITH NO BOX NOR CRUSH-PROOF PROTECTION!!  Blew me away.

I didn't SEE any damage to it, but who can tell?

Anyone know what a proper Ohm reading should be between each end of a DISCONNECTED 900 Watt Tempco heating element??

Cas in Wyoming.

[TedEbear]

What you ordered from Amazon and what you received in the box could be two different things.  Does the actual element (not the box it came in) have any markings that indicate that it is a 120V element?

Also, the power going to the element should measure at around 115-120V at the ends of the wires.

[cas222]

Thank you SOO MUCH for weighing in on this.

OK I looked at the Tempco element--- it IS marked 900 Watts/ 120 Volts ON the element --- so it IS the proper element.

I removed the two power wires on left and also right --- and from the ends of the power wires I get the SAME reading that I did then they Were connected tot he new heating element ---

 ---  On LOW Temp I get 80 Volts and on full High slider all the way to the right I get 103 volts.

What are your thoughts??

Cas in Wyoming

[Orion]

Do you have the original 500 watt element in working order? If so, temporarily wire it in and set to high. See what it does. It’s possible your 900 watt element has zero or minimal resistance and does not create heat as voltage passes through it.

[cas222]

Yes I have the original.
   
What Should my Ohm reading me across the  Disconnected 900 Watt element??

What should my Ohm reading be across my Disconnected  original element??

Cas

[Orion]

Never owned a 900 watt do don’t know resistance value,
500 watt between 28 and 32 ohms ballpark .

[cas222]

OK this is BIZARRE!

I put my Ohmmeter set to "200" across my old original (Disconnected) 500 watt Bradley heating element, and I get 29 Ohms.

I then removed the Tempco 900 Watt heating element from the smoker and put my multimeter (set to "200") on Ohms and I get a reading of ZILCH!

BUT! ---  there are some kind of washers at the bottom of the screw post stems where the nut screws on that are of unknown material -- I don't know how conductive they may be ----  when I torque down both nuts on these washers a bit, my ohm meter tells me now 17 Ohms!!

These screw posts can actually BE UNSCREWED OUT OF the heating element, thus just leaving the hole where they were screwed into.

What are your thoughts??

Cas in Wyoming.