Melted smoker?!?

Sleepybull · July 28, 2007, 01:15:02 PM

Hi all,
I ran into some problem when I opened the door after 4 hours of smoke. Thi is the email I sent to Bradley just now. I'm hoping that someone might know the answer to this:

***
I was smoking something today (ambient temp ~ 70 degrees, thermometer read ~200 inside the smoker) and to my surprise, when I opened the door, the plastic piece (DSCN044.JPG) had melted and was kind of stuck to the smoker unit. Please note that the screws also fell out.

I looked at the smoker unit itself, and it appears that the plastic piece that houses the light, the temp control is also cracked around where the screws are (DSCN045.JPG).

Is there any way to fix this problem and not buy the whole unit?
***

the 2 pics I'm refering to are:
[deleted]

Thanks in advance for any help.

Eric

Arcs_n_Sparks · July 28, 2007, 01:17:05 PM

Sleepybull,

Looks like you had a major fire........

Arcs_n_Sparks

Sleepybull · July 28, 2007, 01:18:34 PM

well, the black stuff is just from years of smoking. There's really no other parts damaged except for the 2 spots I pointed out.

Habanero Smoker · July 28, 2007, 02:13:19 PM

Sleepybull;
Welcome to the forum.

I'm not sure what you mean by the plastic piece. Are you talking about the door seal? The plastic housing for the heat controls look alright.

If it is the door seal, and that is build up from years of smoking, and was not caused by a fire; then I would guess the seal didn't melt (it's silicon). My guess would be that after all that build up, the seal adhered to the door, and when you opened the door it pulled apart.

The BS doesn't need much cleaning, but the door seals need to be wiped down after each smoke, and any loose matter should be cleaned out of the cabinet, and not allowed to build up. You can purchase a new door seal, without have to purchase the whole door. You can order it from Bradley, or forum member Begolf25 may have them in stock.

La Quinta · July 28, 2007, 02:29:51 PM

Looks like you may have had a grease fire in there.

Oldman · July 28, 2007, 02:35:04 PM

Quote from: Habanero Smoker on July 28, 2007, 02:13:19 PM
Sleepybull;
Welcome to the forum.

I'm not sure what you mean by the plastic piece. Are you talking about the door seal? The plastic housing for the heat controls look alright.

If it is the door seal, and that is build up from years of smoking, and was not caused by a fire; then I would guess the seal didn't melt (it's silicon). My guess would be that after all that build up, the seal adhered to the door, and when you opened the door it pulled apart.

The BS doesn't need much cleaning, but the door seals need to be wiped down after each smoke, and any loose matter should be cleaned out of the cabinet, and not allowed to build up. You can purchase a new door seal, without have to purchase the whole door. You can order it from Bradley, or forum member Begolf25 may have them in stock.

Totally agree.. that second photo looks like a car engine that has not had the oil changed in it in 70K miles. Operator error. That seal being ribbed off is your own lack of maintenance.

Sleepybull · July 28, 2007, 03:02:12 PM

Yes, it is the seal that I'm talking about. I will get right on it to get that replaced.

The housing for the temp control is definitely cracked. Although nothing is loose right now, is it something that can be replaced?

Thank again for all the help.

Gizmo · July 28, 2007, 03:58:27 PM

Yes, there is replacement parts for the black plastic as well. Chez Bubba use to sell them. Try Bradley or one of the forum members that are dealers.

Habanero Smoker · July 29, 2007, 02:07:08 AM

You definitely want to get that replaced. Water may seep into that area where there are electrical components. In the mean time, you may want to seal that crack that applying some food safe silicon sealer. I believe DAP clear silicon sealer is a good one to use.

I had to replace my face plate. When you replace it, be careful not over tighten the screws, or you will crack the plastic. Just turn them until it is snug.