max heat on the 6 tray smoker

[chuckb]

Hi,

what is the max temp you have gotton, during smoking or when you initially heat it up?  The best I have gotton is 210 degrees F.  And this temp is 35 degrees higher that internal temp on the racks as measured with a thermometer.  So actuall temp on the rack is 175 degrees F.  Is this normal?  Has anyone esle experienced this??  I as because the spices/recipe I have for jerky says to do it at 200 F and this smoker will not do it. 

[Tenpoint5]

Chuck, How long is the extension cord your using? A long cord for some reason holds the temps down.

[Wildcat]

Vent being closed could also keep the heat down.  I have the OBS in SS and until I attached the PID to it I had a hard time keeping the temp below 210.  Make sure your heating element is working.  The smoke generator alone can give off some pretty good temps if the weather is not too cold.

[Habanero Smoker]

Like Wildcat I have the OBS. There could be several reasons, the Bradley Smoker FAQ's may be helpful. And there are plenty of six rack members that will be providing some assistance.

[chuckb]

Was reading the FAQ's and it said it is designed to operate between 200-250.  Will never get there.  Thought about putting in another element for heat.  Thought about another 500 watt like what is in there.  Just put it on a switch, and then let the other element do the control.  Has any one done this??

[Gizmo]

I have the 6 rack digital and typically preheat the box (empty) to 270 deg before loading it up.  Empty and leaving it running longer, the temp would probably go higher but 270 deg usually does it for me.  I preheat with the set point at 320 (max), and the vent closed.  I open the vent, load the box and leave the set point at 320 until the box reaches 200 to 210 degrees at which time I start lowering the set point by 20 degrees to keep the box temp at 200 degrees.  I measure the box temp with an external digital thermometer, not the reading on the smoke generators digital display.

[Habanero Smoker]

chuckb;

You haven't mentioned the ambient temperature.

Give Bradley a call. If you used the tips on how to achieve high temperatures and that didn't help then there is either a problem with your unit, and/or you may not have enough voltage getting the outlet.

There are several members who have made that modification. The most recent is beefman, do a search under his name.

[chuckb]

I have been smoking in the shop at a temp of 16-20 deegrees C.  I have a vent going out the window.  Thanks for the tip of looking at beefmans post.  Very informative.