Should my Bisquette Burner Glow

[KoyoteBonez]

I've been having issues with my bisquettes not burning through.  I've contacted customer service as well as having searched the forums. 

Should my burner in the smoke generator glow red hot after warming up?

[manxman]

 Welcome to the forum. 

The pucks do not burn completely through and should provide about 20 minutes of “clean cool” smoke before being pushed in to the water bowl. This avoids the production of acrid smoke that could taint the food.

The burner obviously gets hot but not red hot.

Occasionally faulty burners have been reported when the pucks either don’t burn at all or a significant portion remains not burnt with no or reduced smoke output but if the puck is largely but not completely burnt through this is normal.

[TedEbear]

Here's an answer that's in the FAQ section of some archived information.

Bradley Smoker FAQ's - Answers
Submitted by: Habanero Smoker

Q. Bisquettes do not burn completely. Is this normal?

A.  After the bisquette is burnt, is should retain its shape, but noticeably be reduced in size. If you break one in half it should have a blackish color throughout. If not you may not have preheated the burner, or the burner is not getting enough power, or the burner may have a residue buildup, or your generator may not be cycling your bisquettes at regular 20 intervals, or worse – any combination of the four.

If only the first couple of bisquettes show signs of partial burning, that is a good indicator that you did not preheat the burner, or did not preheat it long enough. Turn the generator on and preheat the burn at least 20 minutes prior to loading the feeder tube. I don’t load my feeder tube until I am ready to start smoking, so I turn my generator on when I preheat the cabinet.
If you do this with the digital you will have to reset your smoke time when you load the feeder tube.

If all bisquettes consistently or intermittently show signs of partial burning; it could be caused by a dirty burner plate. You will need to clean the face of the burner plate off. The best way to clean it is to use a wire brush, and gently brush off any residue buildup. The use of denatured alcohol helps with the tough areas; just make sure your burner plate is cool. Also several have reported that this happens when they are cold smoking, so the cabinet temperature may have some control over how the bisquettes burn.

Consistent or intermittent signs of partial burning could also be a sign that the burner not getting enough voltage. Check to see if other electrical equipment is plugged into the circuit. The smoker should be plugged into its own dedicated wall circuit. If not try unplugging or not running some appliances that share the same circuit; if that is an option. If you are using an extension cord, use the shortest cord possible, and make sure it is at least a gauge 12.

If your generator is not cycling the bisquettes properly click on  “My bisquettes advance, but are not cycling every 20 minutes?”.

If the problem persists contact Bradley customer service.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi KoyoteBonez,

Welcome to the forum.

Just one other thing to the excellent information provided in the previous posts.

Just as a fun project. If you have an infrared thermometer, you can measure the heat radiating from the burner pad. It is best to do this test in an enclosed area, where wind won't be a factor. First detach the generator from the cabinet, or take out all the racks and remove the drip tray, so you can take the temperature of the burner. Follow the instruction for your infrared thermometer to take the temperature.

From various posts; the temperature recorded can range from 525F to close to 600F. When I test my Original it ranges from 550F to 565F. Even at the lowest temperature reported, that member stated that his bisquettes burnt completely. I believe that the range of temperatures reported is due to the amount of voltage flowing through the circuit, and maybe variances in the heat resistors.