Anyone try running their OBS on 20a circuit?

[redsol1]

I know I'm new to the forums but I had a thought about the lack of heat that I and others are getting from their heating element. Based on the advice that one member made to plug the OBS directly into the receptical without an extension cord I wondered if anyone had tried to run the OBS off of a 20 Amp receptical? THis might provide the element more power and allow it to get hotter. I'd be very interested in hearing what the resident Bradley rep on the boards think of that.

La'

Redsol1

[IKnowWood]

I used to have the smoker on a 15amp and now a 20amp.  No noticeable difference.  If you plug the box into the smoke generator, you should notice that there is a 10amp fuse in there.  So whatever you plug, it will down-step.

In the control switch I build, I have an 11amp fuse in the mix.  Still no difference.  Now replacing the bulb with a nice fresh one, that worked good.  Some other Mods to add other types of heat, or an extra bulb, now those will add to performance.  Just make sure to account for the added load.

my $0.02

[NePaSmoKer]

I run mine off a 20 amp gfi. I also use a PID for heat control.

nepas

[3rensho]

Assuming we're talking about a 115V US system here then a 15 amp circuit is more than adequate for a 650 (total) watt OBS.  Not sure what the DBS requires.  If you run a long extension cord then the IR loss could result less than optimal voltage at the smoker.  Here we have 220V for small appliances like a Bradley or hand mixer but 400V 3 phase for anything else like a clothes washer, power saw, dish washer, etc.

[Bradley (Head Office)]

Hi Redsol

The other members have answered that question for you, Running on a 20 amp circut will not give you more heat.

On that note when you say you are getting a lack of heat can you give me some more info.
What temps are you getting?
When do you get a lack of heat? IE: Smoker empty, full.
Are you using a long thin extension cord?
What voltage do you get from your receptacles?

Brian

[redsol1]

Brian,

        I've only smoked with my OBS twice since I received it for christmas this year. I had problems getting it up to the seasoning temp as the manual called for with the temp slider half way and ended up having to push it all the way up to get it up to temp. I haven't had time to try some of the tips I've read about on the board, so i'm very willing to give it a couple more trys before I start looking for "professional help", but I'm running on a 15a GFI on my front porch with an out door rated utility cord. I'll try again monday and report back. I truly appreciate your willingness to help and I'll keep you informed.

IKnowWood,

You're totaly right, I completely forgot about the 10a fuse ::)

La'

Redsol1

[Gizmo]

As the others have stated here, using an outlet fed with a higher rated amperage circuit breaker will not deliver more power.  You are not pulling 15 amps (or more) to begin with so having a higher rated circuit breaker will not have an effect.  As also mentioned, the length of the cable and size will affect the current losses as will light weight extension cords.  Now if the wire used on the higher rated circuit breaker is a larger gauge, then you may get less current loss. 

You mentioned having the slider only half way, you should start out with it all the way to the right and then backed off just a touch (to avoid any dead spots on the end of the control).  Once the box gets up to the desire temp, you start backing down the set temp to keep the temp where you need it.  Your food will absorb more of the heat in the beginning so you will have the slider to the far right for the first few hours especially with large loads. 

[Habanero Smoker]

There also could be another cause for the smoker not being able to get up to proper temperatures. This is the problem I had in the past prior to some renovations. If you are plugged into a circuit that also has other appliances drawing power you may be experiencing voltage drop.

The electricians on the board can explain it better. Basically the voltage is what carries the amps through the wiring. If there are a lot of appliances on that same circuit, it may lower the voltage to a point at which the amount of amps getting to your smoker is not sufficient to operate it properly.

After some rewiring, I saw a great improvement in the performance of my smoker.

[Oldman]

I run two units on one 50 foot 12 gauge extention cord with no problems. (20 amp outlet.)

[Roadking]

What type of heat are you talking about? Remember the Bradley Smoker is just that, a smoker it's not a cooker. My concern when I bought the DBS was, can the unit give me low-low heat to smoke products and that it does. If your looking for heats in the 225°-350° range then you should have bought a grill with a smoke box.

[West Coast Sausage Maker]

A 15 amp outlet connected to a 15 amp circut breaker is more than enough for the 600 or so watts the Bradley's draw. A 20 amp circuit breaker is not giving you as much protection from damaging your Bradley as a 15 amp circut. IE overheating the conductors, cords, plugs etc. Your appliance should be matched up with the appropriate breaker amps to protect your house from burning down.

[Roadking]

A 15 amp outlet connected to a 15 amp circut breaker is more than enough for the 600 or so watts the Bradley's draw. A 20 amp circuit breaker is not giving you as much protection from damaging your Bradley as a 15 amp circut. IE overheating the conductors, cords, plugs etc. Your appliance should be matched up with the appropriate breaker amps to protect your house from burning down.

15 amp. - 20 amp. circuit it doesn't matter. The circuit is not there to protect the appliance it's there to protect the sized wiring in the building. The Bradley has it's own protection built into the unit.
His problem is, I believe, he is expecting cook products like he cooks them in a househokd oven and the Bradley is not designed for that purpose.

[gregcantwell]

The calculations for power consumption and required amperage are pretty straight forward. The OBS has a 500 watt lamp. The voltage source is 120 volts.
Ohms Law states that Current (Amps)(I) "equal" Power (Watts)(P) divided by Voltage (V)     or I = P/V.
In this case it's Amps = 500 / 120 or 4.144 amps.  The use of a 100' extension cord could introduce some IR loss, but not enough to impact the OBS.

[Roadking]

The calculations for power consumption and required amperage are pretty straight forward. The OBS has a 500 watt lamp. The voltage source is 120 volts.
Ohms Law states that Current (Amps)(I) "equal" Power (Watts)(P) divided by Voltage (V)     or I = P/V.
In this case it's Amps = 500 / 120 or 4.144 amps.  The use of a 100' extension cord could introduce some IR loss, but not enough to impact the OBS.

That's the formula for direct current not alternating current. It would be true in AC if it were only a simple circuit (meaning only one source of resistance as one resistor). The Bradley is not a simple circuit.
Anyway, Welcome to the forum.

[ke4d]

Ohms Law doesn't care if you are dealing with AC or DC. The formula is still P=IE. Or if you are solving for amps its I=P/E. SO if the smoker is 500 watts then the formula becomes I (amps) = 500/115 or a bit over 4 amps.  No sweat on either a 15 or 20 amp circuit. 

As stated before none of the Bradley Smokers pulls enough current to worry about whether you have a 15 or 20 amp circuit.

John