Cleaning Smoke Generator

smok4fun · December 05, 2006, 04:34:23 PM

I've used my new Bradley Original a couple of times now and both times the horizontal tray that the pucks slide over on the way to the hot burner gets pretty gunked up. I'm using Bubba pucks and they definitely help keep it cleaner.

Both times I ended up scrubbing the top of this feeder tray with S.O.S. pads to get off the gunk. I'm hoping there's a better way to clean this. I'm a little afraid of letting any gunk build up on the tray because it might not let the pucks easily slide out onto the burner. I thought I'd ask you experts if what I'm doing is necessary or if there's a better way to clean this feeder tray?

I have another question about the surface of the puck burner. Mine isn't very smooth. It has lots of raised bumps. Is this ok or is it supposed to be smooth? Thanks.. Larry

Wildcat · December 05, 2006, 07:29:28 PM

Mine is relatively smooth. Others on the forum have indicated to clean after 2 to 4 smokes. I personally clean mine every time to prevent a build up. I found it easy to scrape the thick stuff off with something solid like a puddy knife, then I smooth it out with those green (non-detergent) pot scrubbers. I also take the exhaust vent off each time and give it a thorough cleaning. Be sure to rub down the door seal each time.

West Coast Kansan · December 05, 2006, 07:48:21 PM

Just concerned about why it is getting so gunked up. Be sure you have the drip pan ( V shaped) in place to catch and direct the drippings away and into the water bowl.

manxman · December 06, 2006, 01:28:06 AM

QuoteJust concerned about why it is getting so gunked up.

As WCK says the horizontal feeder tray should not be getting gunked up, the heater plate itself gets residue from the burnt pucks which may be noticeable on the very end of the feeder tray but no more than that.

I scrape this residue off every few smokes and use a clean dry paint brush or canned air to get rid of the bits of wood. My heater plate is pretty smooth.

Any idea what the gunk is..... is it fat/food or residue from burnt pucks?

Habanero Smoker · December 06, 2006, 02:20:43 AM

I agree with WCK, and Manxman. There is something unusual that is causing the plate getting junked up. If the V pan is in correctly and fits properly, make sure that when you load the BS that food is not touching the side of the cabinet the plate enters through.

Wildcat · December 06, 2006, 04:33:40 AM

I'm not sure about smok4fun, but it is only the burner plate getting residue from the pucks that gets any build up on mine. I have found it easier to maintain if I clean the burner plate each time. Besides, it gives me enough time for another brew.

smok4fun · December 06, 2006, 10:02:37 AM

Thanks everyone for your help with my question. I need to let you know that the drip pan is doing its job of catching the drippings and draining them into the water bowl. In addition, the food wasn't touching the walls of the smoker.

The "gunk" buildup on the end of the horizontal feeder tray seems to be a combination of smoke and burned puck tar. It's my understanding that the puck next to the puck on the burner plate gets ignited by the puck on the burner. The leading end of the next in line puck then burns before it gets pushed onto the burner. The gunk on the very end of the horizontal feeder tray is about the size of a half puck. So I suspect it's caused by the ignited front half of the puck that's getting ready to go onto the burner plate. In addition, this "gunk" also gets burned onto about half of the bottom of the second Bubba Puck that's sitting in that position at the end of my smoke. It's fairly hard to clean off the "gunk" that is on the very end of the smooth feeder tray and the bottom of the Bubba Puck. It sounds like other folks don't get this burned on "gunk" as much as I do. It makes me wonder if I'm doing something different or if my smoke generator somehow causes more pre-ignition of the next in line puck??.

My bumpy burner plate is another issue. It sure has a lot of bumps or pimples on its surface. Since several folks have commented that their burner plates are pretty smooth, I'm beginning to think that there might be something wrong here. Maybe this is affecting how the wood pucks burn or how easily they can get pushed off the burner plate into the water bowl. Maybe this is somehow causing more pre-ignition of the next in line puck? The bumpy burner plate might be something I should call Bradley about.. Larry

iceman · December 06, 2006, 12:45:40 PM

A call to Bradley couldn't hurt. Sounds like it might be a defective casting if it is real rough. This might also cause a higher burn temp which could possibly cause your second puck problem. I have the temp specs somewhere on the burn plate temp. If need be I can find them for you. :)

LilSmoker · December 06, 2006, 12:48:03 PM

Hi smok4fun, i also get a bit of build up on the delivery plate, it's only really at the edge, but i guess if it's left too long between each clean up, the area of build up will become bigger.
I used to clean mine thoroughly after each session, but i soon came to realise that this was overkill, i've found that even with a build up of burnt stuff, the pucks still move along ok so i don't worry too much. I usually clean the plate and burner about every 3-4 smokes, although i always blow the generator out with compressed air every time.
Btw my burner plate also has small raised bumps, but as of yet this hasn't caused any probs, so i wouldn't worry too much about it.

Regards.............LilSmoker

manxman · December 06, 2006, 12:51:53 PM

Are the pucks getting exchanged every 20 minutes or so? Just a thought that if the pucks were burning much longer than this you could get the situation you describe??

Wildcat · December 06, 2006, 12:55:00 PM

With regards to the Bubba Pucks, I use a Brillo Pad (Pot Scrubber with soap) and rinse thoroughly. It has always been easy to clean. Easier that anything else.

smok4fun · December 06, 2006, 01:45:47 PM

Thanks again for your help with my questions. Manxman, I'm going to time the smoke burner to see if it advances pucks every 20 min. If it's a lot longer than 20 min., that could be the problem. I think I'll also check with Bradley about whether my burner plate is too rough. Iceman, thanks for the offer to look up the temp spec for the burner plate. If all else fails, I might need that spec. though I'm not really sure how to measure the surface temp of the plate. Wildcat, I scrubbed the Bubba puck for a heck of a long time with an S.O.S and finally got the burned "gunk" off the puck. Maybe Brillo pads are coarser and can scrub it off easier. LilSmoker, sounds like your burner plate is a little rough and you're maybe getting a little "gunk" also.

If I can get to the bottom of this, I'll let everyone know. This forum is great.. there's a lot of knowledge on it and it's nice that folks are willing to share.. Larry

West Coast Kansan · December 06, 2006, 08:40:34 PM

Manx is likely onto something. Be sure the unit actually advances or uses a new puck each 20 minutes (not just cycles).

tsquared · December 06, 2006, 09:20:25 PM

My pucks dropping downhave become intermittentduring the last 2 smokes. I blew it out with compressed air but I'll have to take it apart as it still is not reliable. This is the first time in 2 years it's given me any grief, tho.
T2

LilSmoker · December 19, 2006, 02:42:12 AM

Well after a smoke session a couple of weeks back, i decided to give the generator a good strip down clean, i gave the internals a good clean up, and blew the whole thing out with a compressor.

I thought while i'm at it i'll give the burner plate and and the advance ramp a good clean also.

After cleaning, i took a closer look at the raised bumps on the burner plate, well i gently filed them off, and finished with some emry paper, and gave it a light polish with a dremmel. It's now smooth as a baby's a$$!

Ok next smoke seesion, i did a little test, i timed the pucks, and mine burn for 21 minutes plus a few seconds, no big deal i think?.

After the session was finished, i inspected the burner plate, and ramp, i really didn't see any difference from when the raised bumps were there?.

The edge of the ramp still had a bit of burnt gunk on it, which i would imagine every BS gets?, because of the fact that the burning puck is always in contact with the puck that's pushing it, i can't see how some staining of the ramp can be avoided?

Obviously the longer the ramp is left in between cleaning, the bigger the build up will be.

smok4fun, is yours burning/staining really bad, or just at the edge?, would be interesting to know what everyones puck burning times are?

Personaly i don't think the raised bumps are an issue, i filed mine off just to find out, and as i say i see no difference.

Regards..........LilSmoker