bisquette advance button sticking

[gotta cravin]

 ???
Hi folks
some might remember me as wannabe, at last I no longer wanna be, I am a proud Bradley smoker owner. This is my first smoke today,yipee. I am doing a smoked shoulder. Had some issues when I first got going. My advance button stuck completely on and lost a few bisquettes to the pool. I managed to get it going by really gently pushing the button, is this normal, its seems unlikely?
when I am done I will post the results, could take a while as it is -2 outside.
thanks for all the info on this forum, I cant wait for all this good food to come.
Gotta Cravin :D

[3rensho]

 >:( >:(  Do a search on the forum.  There was a thread on this topic not too long ago.  Forget what the fix was.

Tom

[aha638]

Keep a pair of pliers or a knife at hand to "pop" the button back out.
Al

[gotta cravin]

thanks I'll check out the search. Smokin 2 hours and temp won't go above 110, right in the danger zone. Is the - 2 degree temp outside the problem, can you not smoke in the winter?
cheers
G C

[gotta cravin]

okay
so I giggled the cords and the temp is risen, always check the power source dummy.
more news later
GC

[pensrock]

gc,
    From reading your post, I felt your main heat source was not operating and of course the first thing to try would be to check the connections on the smoker. Looks like you have that taken care of.
   Are you using a digital or the original smoker? I cannot say I have ever heard of the digital unit puck advance sticking. I have read on the forums that on occasion the button for the puck advance on the original may stick. Hopefully some others here that have had the problem will be stopping in and will be able to help you out.
   Good luck on your pork shoulder.
pensrock

[Gizmo]

Habs glued a red plastic push pin to the button.  He cut off the pin part and glued the small part to the button so the large part was available to pull out the button. 

[Habanero Smoker]

Habs glued a red plastic push pin to the button.  He cut off the pin part and glued the small part to the button so the large part was available to pull out the button. 

I don't know why some buttons stick and some don't, but Gizmo is right. For a permanent solution I had to glue the top of push pin on the button. Lubricants and silicon sprays will work short term, but they are not an immediate fix. As mentioned above, if you don't have any fingernails, needle nose pliers will work. On my generator enough of the button protrudes that the pliers will grip it. But gluing on the push pin as a knob, you don't have to fumble around picking up the pliers. I've lost too many bisquettes, reaching for the pliers and trying to pull the button out. ;D

[iceman]

I've run into this a few times up here and found the hole cut in the metal was to small causing the button to stick. I removed the button and filed the hole out a bit and that solved the problem. Just another thing to check out for the sticking problem.