Purchasing in the U.K?

manxman · January 12, 2005, 03:15:05 PM

I recently acquired a Stainless Steel Bradley smoker at the back end of 2004, predominantly to smoke fish but have already progressed to chicken, cheese and one or two other items.

Came within a whisker of a scam purporting to be from Ebay when purchasing and only a last minute "sixth sense" prevented me losing several hundred pounds to a "Second Chance" bid offer which to all intent looked genuine. [:(!]

Fortunately I was lucky in this instant and avoided being ripped off, not only that but the genuine trader who was also an innocent party came to my rescue, giving me a very good deal, upgrading me to a Stainless BS smoker and providing excellent service to boot.[:D]

So anyone looking for a BS in the U.K should perhaps take a look at what Sean has to offer at:

www.ultimatefishing.co.uk

There is also a range of fishing tackle available.

p.s great forum.[:D]

Manxman.

SMOKEHOUSE ROB · January 12, 2005, 03:35:43 PM

manxman welcome to the forum.

MAKE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE GIVEAWAY!! GO HERE.http://www.bradleysmoker.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=991

nsxbill · January 12, 2005, 10:13:56 PM

Welcome to the forum

Bill

oguard · January 13, 2005, 03:57:43 AM

manxman welcome to the forum [:D]
these guys are a wealth of info[8D]

keep on smokin
oguard

SMOKEHOUSE ROB · January 13, 2005, 04:55:57 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Sauce Bauce
 617

I'm sure that's the number.
I hope that's the number.
Pleeeeze be the number!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
sauce bauce you need to re post this in the give away fourm. look below [:D]

MAKE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE GIVEAWAY!! GO HERE.http://www.bradleysmoker.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=991

JJC · January 13, 2005, 05:08:43 AM

Welcome, Paul! Please be sure to share your recipes and epxeriences with us. We're starting to get pretty international now . . . Canada, England, Norway, US, others?

John
Newton MA

manxman · January 13, 2005, 10:29:43 AM

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the warm welcome to the forum. Have a bit of an issue with my BS that I have contacted the company about but would also appreciate any comments from forum members.

Several people have mentioned that their unit fails to get up to the maximum temperature of 160degC so I did a little experiment with mine. I switched it on and slid the heater control to maximum heat, running the unit with no briquettes. I set up a separate temperature control with the probe sitting alongside the probe from the in situ temperature sensor in the door of the BS.

Everything went well initially, as the temperature climbed both sensors registered within 5 - 7 decC of each other and reached a maximum of 160degC on the in situ probe and 165degC on the standalone unit.

It was at this point things were not so good. After maintaining a temp of 160degC for about 5 minutes the heating element went off, presumably due to some sort of thermostat mechanism? This in itself didn't concern me as I assumed a temp drop of say 5 - 10 degC would lead to the heater cutting in again to maintain a temperature of say 150/155 - 160degC.

However, the temperature continued to drop to 120degC over the next 15 - 20 minutes and at 120degC the heater element kicked in and bought the temperature back up to 160degC over the next 15 - 20 minutes. Another 5 minutes at 160degC and the element went off, I could view it clearly through the vent which was half open and with no smoke it was easy to monitor.

This cycle was repeated over the next 5 hours, each time the temperature dropping to 120/121 degC when the heater element kicked in and bought the temperature back up, each complete cycle taking around 45 minutes.

I have not tested this at any other temperatures (say with the slide controller half way across), but this variation seems much too big!?

Perhaps some of you guys could offer some advice? I am aware of the add on temperature control units available (guru/raptor?) but would still expect better temp. control on the BS itself. Am I expecting too much?

Manxman.

JJC · January 13, 2005, 07:06:29 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by manxman
 Hi Folks,

Thanks for the warm welcome to the forum. Have a bit of an issue with my BS that I have contacted the company about but would also appreciate any comments from forum members.

Several people have mentioned that their unit fails to get up to the maximum temperature of 160degC so I did a little experiment with mine. I switched it on and slid the heater control to maximum heat, running the unit with no briquettes. I set up a separate temperature control with the probe sitting alongside the probe from the in situ temperature sensor in the door of the BS.

Everything went well initially, as the temperature climbed both sensors registered within 5 - 7 decC of each other and reached a maximum of 160degC on the in situ probe and 165degC on the standalone unit.

It was at this point things were not so good. After maintaining a temp of 160degC for about 5 minutes the heating element went off, presumably due to some sort of thermostat mechanism? This in itself didn't concern me as I assumed a temp drop of say 5 - 10 degC would lead to the heater cutting in again to maintain a temperature of say 150/155 - 160degC.

However, the temperature continued to drop to 120degC over the next 15 - 20 minutes and at 120degC the heater element kicked in and bought the temperature back up to 160degC over the next 15 - 20 minutes. Another 5 minutes at 160degC and the element went off, I could view it clearly through the vent which was half open and with no smoke it was easy to monitor.

This cycle was repeated over the next 5 hours, each time the temperature dropping to 120/121 degC when the heater element kicked in and bought the temperature back up, each complete cycle taking around 45 minutes.

I have not tested this at any other temperatures (say with the slide controller half way across), but this variation seems much too big!?

Perhaps some of you guys could offer some advice? I am aware of the add on temperature control units available (guru/raptor?) but would still expect better temp. control on the BS itself. Am I expecting too much?

Manxman.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Hi Manx,

A couple of us have had similar problems, and when I contacted Bradley in Canada, they were very helpful. You are correct that when 160C is reached, the unit automatically cuts off the heater to prevent a fire. My understanding is that it is suppposed to kick back on after a modest drop (say, 10-15C), so a 40C drop seems too large. It may be a problem in the temp controller--I just received a new one from Bradley 2 DAYS AFTER CALLING THEM!!! That's British Columbia to Boston MA in 2 days . . .

Anyway, I would contact your local Bradley rep or send the Bradley folks an e-mail describing your problem. I bet you get a quick resolution to the problem.

John
Newton MA

JJC · January 14, 2005, 05:44:59 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by manxman
 Hi Folks,

Thanks for the warm welcome to the forum. Have a bit of an issue with my BS that I have contacted the company about but would also appreciate any comments from forum members.

Several people have mentioned that their unit fails to get up to the maximum temperature of 160degC so I did a little experiment with mine. I switched it on and slid the heater control to maximum heat, running the unit with no briquettes. I set up a separate temperature control with the probe sitting alongside the probe from the in situ temperature sensor in the door of the BS.

Everything went well initially, as the temperature climbed both sensors registered within 5 - 7 decC of each other and reached a maximum of 160degC on the in situ probe and 165degC on the standalone unit.

It was at this point things were not so good. After maintaining a temp of 160degC for about 5 minutes the heating element went off, presumably due to some sort of thermostat mechanism? This in itself didn't concern me as I assumed a temp drop of say 5 - 10 degC would lead to the heater cutting in again to maintain a temperature of say 150/155 - 160degC.

However, the temperature continued to drop to 120degC over the next 15 - 20 minutes and at 120degC the heater element kicked in and bought the temperature back up to 160degC over the next 15 - 20 minutes. Another 5 minutes at 160degC and the element went off, I could view it clearly through the vent which was half open and with no smoke it was easy to monitor.

This cycle was repeated over the next 5 hours, each time the temperature dropping to 120/121 degC when the heater element kicked in and bought the temperature back up, each complete cycle taking around 45 minutes.

I have not tested this at any other temperatures (say with the slide controller half way across), but this variation seems much too big!?

Perhaps some of you guys could offer some advice? I am aware of the add on temperature control units available (guru/raptor?) but would still expect better temp. control on the BS itself. Am I expecting too much?

Manxman.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Here's an update to your problem. According to Bradley, when the shutoff kicks in at 160C, the heating element may not come back on until the temp has been lowered by up to 60C. This does seem like too much of a safety factor, so I've queried them on whether it's possible to work around this problem (e.g., unplug the unit for a minute after it hits 160C, then plug it back in).

For what it's worth, my new heating element and temp controller hit exactly 160C on my Maverick probe, then shut off until the heat dropped to 127C, then kicked back on again. I'll let you know what I hear from Bradley about any work-around they might suggest.

John
Newton MA

manxman · January 14, 2005, 09:49:20 AM

Hi John,

Thanks for that information, very useful. [:D]

The UK agent has emailed Canada for an explanation, he did say they have come across it in the UK before and treated it as a manufacturing fault. If I get any additional information to what you have got I will post it.

One problem is that the temperature slide control on my BS hits 160degC when it is about 85-90% deployed so it can be inadvertantly set to maximum temperature and the heater then will shut off unexpectably, not good if actually cooking food.At least if the temp. slide control unit was calibrated to hit maximum temperature only when fully deployed it would enable customers to just set it slightly below fully deployed to get a temp. slightly below 160 degC hence the heater would not shut off. Either that or the temp. control unit could be set by the manufacturer so that max. setting does not equate to maximum temperature on the heater hence the unit would never reach the stage where it has to cut out?? Maybe a bit of tape on the temp. control unit to limit the setting will suffice, dunno, I am new to this game!!
In any case, a 40 - 60 degC drop in this situation to me is unsatisfactory. Maybe all BS's do this?

Manxman.

nsxbill · January 14, 2005, 01:01:25 PM

Guru Raptor or not, I have never cranked mine up to find out how hot it will go. My whole purpose in getting the smoker was to cook at lower temps for longer periods. If I need bigger temps, I use the oven in the house.

I have a picture of my speedo at 188 in my NSX...something I had to do when I was younger. Wanted to know what it would do after I loaded it up with some modifications, but I only did it once...I think the police would frown on that type of banzai run on a regular basis. I think the Bradley might take a dump on you if you attempt those kinds of temps on a regular basis.

Why the high temps anyway?

Bill

manxman · January 14, 2005, 02:16:45 PM

Hi Bill,

I originally intended to just test the BS to 160degC as quite a few posts have been related to (lack of) temperature control and the inability of some smokers to reach maximum temperature, better to get these things sorted out under warranty! This was my prime concern.

It also seemed a good way for a newbie such as myself to get a feel for the thing!

Also partly came of sitting on a (big) rock in the middle of the Irish Sea midway between England and Ireland on a wet and VERY windy night that was unfit for actually cooking anything!!

Bradley advertise the smoker for use up to and including 160 degC so can't see how they could dump on someone for actually using it at that temp, whatever their reason for doing so! By all accounts they seem very reasonable people from the numerous positive comments on this forum, however, there also seems to be a considerable number of people who have problems with the smokers themselves as well and I just want to make sure mine is working as it should.

thanks for your reply. [:D]

Manxman.

BigSmoker · January 14, 2005, 03:12:47 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by nsxbill
Guru Raptor or not, <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Bill(and everybody else),
Dosen't the raptor overide the Bradley slide bar allowing you to set the temp at basically what ever you want? If it does and you ran the Bradley at its highest temp for an extended period of time could you damage your smoker? I never plan to do this just wondering.

Jeff
//www.bbqshopping.com

[/url]
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

JJC · January 14, 2005, 07:14:52 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by nsxbill
 Guru Raptor or not, I have never cranked mine up to find out how hot it will go. My whole purpose in getting the smoker was to cook at lower temps for longer periods. If I need bigger temps, I use the oven in the house.

I have a picture of my speedo at 188 in my NSX...something I had to do when I was younger. Wanted to know what it would do after I loaded it up with some modifications, but I only did it once...I think the police would frown on that type of banzai run on a regular basis. I think the Bradley might take a dump on you if you attempt those kinds of temps on a regular basis.

Why the high temps anyway?

Bill
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Hi Bill,

My reasons are pretty much the same as Manxman. I like to get a feel for the unit, and though I can move things to the oven to finish cooking, it's nice to know what the capabilities are. To me it's no big deal what the max is, or how big a drop I get if it does hit max as long as it doesn't drop below 230-240F. I'm planning to use it well below 320F, and running it for extended periods at 320F would probably shorten the life of the unit, just as you suggest.

John
Newton MA

JJC · January 14, 2005, 07:27:37 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by manxman
 Hi Bill,

I originally intended to just test the BS to 160degC as quite a few posts have been related to (lack of) temperature control and the inability of some smokers to reach maximum temperature, better to get these things sorted out under warranty! This was my prime concern.

It also seemed a good way for a newbie such as myself to get a feel for the thing!

Also partly came of sitting on a (big) rock in the middle of the Irish Sea midway between England and Ireland on a wet and VERY windy night that was unfit for actually cooking anything!!

Bradley advertise the smoker for use up to and including 160 degC so can't see how they could dump on someone for actually using it at that temp, whatever their reason for doing so! By all accounts they seem very reasonable people from the numerous positive comments on this forum, however, there also seems to be a considerable number of people who have problems with the smokers themselves as well and I just want to make sure mine is working as it should.

thanks for your reply. [:D]

Manxman.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Hi Manxman,

Your reasons are very similar to mine, but I wouldn't extrapolate the problem rate from the Forum to BS units in general. A disproportionate share of problems are likely to show up on the Forum because that's where newbies would go for advice if they had a problem. Bradley has sold more than 20,000 smokers. The Forum has 700 total members, of whom maybe 50-75 or so are reasonably active. More experienced members may want to chime in here, but if you look are other smoker equipment forums, their problems are an order of magnitude greater than here. It's the same with car forums--if you look at any car forum--even the best made cars--you would think almost every car made was full of defects. It's not the case of course--it's just that the small percentage of problems get concentrated on a Forum like this. Hope this provides a useful perspective[:)]!

John
Newton MA