A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker pellets dont stay lit.

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Hillbilly Jim: Another thermometer nerd! Yeah, baby! :)

I've cold smoked cheese a number of times with the AMNPS in my MES-40 (which is smaller than yours, and insulated, too). The temperatures stayed just fine, but I have always done it when it was cold outside. Once, it was -20 for most of the smoke. I had to manually cycle the heater in the smoker on periodically to keep the temperature high enough (I like it around 60 degrees).

You can't set the controller on my MES-40 that low. Modifications may be in order. ;)

But at ambient temperatures near 30 or 40, just the heat of the AMNPS burning the pellets kept the smoker at a nicer, higher temp. So it probably is a matter of the size, insulation, and airflow, too, that determines whether or not the AMNPS's heat is enough to raise the smoker's internal temp.

Since it is usually very dry here in the winter, the pellets have burned nicely for me during those cold smokes in winter.

But I would like to be able to do cold smoking in summertime, too.
So a mailbox mod of some sort may be in my future.


Not to derail this thread, but I've been a real temperature control nut for many years. Have you seen the Reference Thermapen?

I recommend it highly as an affordable calibration thermometer.

Tabbed in.
Cold smoking in Summer----Fill a couple jugs 3/4 full with water & keep in freezer for such occasions. Frozen water in jugs won't add humidity to smoker like Ice in a pan does.

Bear

 
Sigmo! Gimme a read out! :-))



Here's a trick for ya' to keep your box above freezin' without it glowing red: Put a controllable hot plate on a rack below the AMNPS and start with the low setting. Adjust as required until you get to 50 to 60 in the cabinet. The heat rising from the hot plate will draw a draft in for the AMNPS and help keep the pellets dry and burning. And it will keep the box above 32 so you don't ruin ya' cheese.


I may have to try that. I have a couple of old-school hot plates around here someplace!

But I also love electronic tinkering, and revamping the temperature controller on the MES is a project
I may want to do for a number of reasons. And if I do, I will just set it up to allow setpoints down tonvery low temperatures.


Hillbilly Jim: Another thermometer nerd! Yeah, baby! :)

I've cold smoked cheese a number of times with the AMNPS in my MES-40 (which is smaller than yours, and insulated, too). The temperatures stayed just fine, but I have always done it when it was cold outside. Once, it was -20 for most of the smoke. I had to manually cycle the heater in the smoker on periodically to keep the temperature high enough (I like it around 60 degrees).

You can't set the controller on my MES-40 that low. Modifications may be in order. ;)

But at ambient temperatures near 30 or 40, just the heat of the AMNPS burning the pellets kept the smoker at a nicer, higher temp. So it probably is a matter of the size, insulation, and airflow, too, that determines whether or not the AMNPS's heat is enough to raise the smoker's internal temp.

Since it is usually very dry here in the winter, the pellets have burned nicely for me during those cold smokes in winter.

But I would like to be able to do cold smoking in summertime, too.
So a mailbox mod of some sort may be in my future.


Not to derail this thread, but I've been a real temperature control nut for many years. Have you seen the Reference Thermapen?

I recommend it highly as an affordable calibration thermometer.

Tabbed in.

Cold smoking in Summer----Fill a couple jugs 3/4 full with water & keep in freezer for such occasions. Frozen water in jugs won't add humidity to smoker like Ice in a pan does.



Bear




That's a great idea. I have thought about modifying an old fridge that we're going to throw away at work and make a cold smoker out of it. But the frozen bottles will be easy and get a guy going right away!

Tabbed in.
 
Can't remember who it was, but another guy posted a pic of using bulldog clips on the cross braces. He took the little handles off after clipping them on.
 
I ALWAYS had to dry my pellets at 275 for 2 hours before using them... Not any more...  I think the better air flow solves a lot of problems..




Around the corner used to be a problem...  Test burn "around the corner"......  NO PROBLEM.......   I don't remember who started this "elevate the AMNPS" but they are genius as far as I'm concerned...   I installed 3 legs for stability.....  or so it says in fine print....


 
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I ALWAYS had to dry my pellets at 275 for 2 hours before using them... Not any more...  I think the better air flow solves a lot of problems..

Around the corner used to be a problem...  Test burn "around the corner"......  NO PROBLEM.......   I don't remember who started this "elevate the AMNPS" but they are genius as far as I'm

concerned...    I installed 3 legs for stability.....  or so it says in fine print....
I have to agree with you on the importance of good air flow. I think that has a lot to do with some guys needing a MailBox & some not.

I have never had to dry any pellets to get my AMNPS to work in any of my MES units, but mine seem to have the air flow needed.

Also: I would have to say Todd started the "Elevate the AMNPS", because he designed the AMNPS to fit on the support rods in the MES 30 Gen #1, so it could get the benefit of the air flow, instead of sitting on the floor like the original AMNS (6 X 6 and 6 X 8) had to sit because of their width. And yes-- I believe he is a Genius.
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Bear
 
Im using the A-Maze-N pellet smoker now with the mods and its been flawless with the smoke tasting better too that its consistant.
 
[/quote]
DaveOmak has a post on the benefits of adding legs under the AMNPS for trouble free operation in a mailbox mod. Well worth the read!!!! Works VERY well.

Gary

In my MES-40, 1st gen, there are a pair of rods that were intended for some other purpose, and I just set the AMNPS on those bars, and that elevates it up about three or four inches above the floor of the smoker. It's good to get unrestricted airflow up from the bottom. I also clean the grid out between smokes to make sure it hasn't gotten clogged up with soot and stuff. Gotta have that airflow! :)

I ALWAYS had to dry my pellets at 275 for 2 hours before using them... Not any more...  I think the better air flow solves a lot of problems..








Around the corner used to be a problem...  Test burn "around the corner"......  NO PROBLEM.......   I don't remember who started this "elevate the AMNPS" but they are genius as far as I'm concerned...   I installed 3 legs for stability.....  or so it says in fine print....




If you don't have the bars at the bottom of the smoker to set the AMNPS up on, I do think the idea of adding some bolts for legs is most excellent, indeed!

I have to agree with you on the importance of good air flow. I think that has a lot to do with some guys needing a MailBox & some not.

I have never had to dry any pellets to get my AMNPS to work in any of my MES units, but mine seem to have the air flow needed.


Also: I would have to say Todd started the "Elevate the AMNPS", because he designed the AMNPS to fit on the support rods in the MES 30 Gen #1, so it could get the benefit of the air flow, instead of sitting on the floor like the original AMNS (6 X 6 and 6 X 8) had to sit because of their width. And yes-- I believe he is a Genius.Thumbs Up


Bear

Well, see. There you go! :) It's a good mod for people without something to set the unit up on. Thumbs Up
 
DaveOmak has a post on the benefits of adding legs under the AMNPS for trouble free operation in a mailbox mod. Well worth the read!!!! Works VERY well.

Gary
I was in Sam's Club the other day, and they had a Masterbuilt smoker that comes with legs already!  It also had a huge window.  And, the vent was on the top where it should be.  :)

Is this a new model?  I haven't been shopping for a new one, so I may be out of the loop.  But it seems like they either felt that people don't want to get down on their hands and knees when using the unit or they already had in mind something like the mailbox mod!

Using a set of those steel shelves with the adjustable shelf positions would let you set things up to be just the way you want, though.

I'm just now smoking a batch of nuts.  I pre-dried the pellets in the convection oven at 250° for a few hours and kept them sealed in a mason jar until just before firing things up tonight.  They lit so much easier than ever before.  In fact, I had a hard time getting them to go out when trying to blow out the actual flames.

I also used a mapp gas torch, and man, that baby will heat things up.  So that was a lot faster, too.

Then I used a small computer fan held in my hand to blow on the cherry and that, too was faster and easier than blowing on them "manually".  In fact, they re-ignited with open flame as soon as I took the fan away, and I had to blow them out again.

It's rained today, and the humidity is high, so that's why I'm being very careful with everything this time.  Humidity in the pellets is not good at this elevation.

So far, an hour into the smoke (at 225°) they're staying lit very well with a nice bunch of TBS issuing from the top vent of the MES-40.

The unit draws pretty well at 225°, so that's a big help.  It's lower temperature operation that seems to give me trouble because there's just not enough convection to keep the airflow up through the smoker.
 
Well. The pellets went out!

I normally never have this trouble, but in this case, the humidity was very high, so I can only conclude that the pellets absorb moisture from the incoming air as the smoking proceeds, and then die out once the dampness reaches a certain level.

The combination of humidity and the elevation here must be a serious problem.

Usually it's very dry here, and things work vey well.

Clearly, doing this right after a rainstorm doesn't work for me here. :)

Still, I got more than an hour of good smoke, and the nuts came out OK.

Tabbed in.
 
Hi all!!

It's been a coons age since I posted anything on this forum!  I've made lots of great stuff in my self built smoker.  I am using a home built off set smoker.  You can find pics of it in this post -- http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/173546/smoker-design-advice/20.  The only changes I've made to my smoker is I have permanently sealed up my firebox and I added a baffle inside the smoker.  

I just got 2 ANMPS's.  I cleaned each of them with liquid dish soap and hot water.  I then threw them into my Webber for 20 minutes after a cook session and am now using them to assist in smoking a turkey for XMas Day.  I live at 3800 ft elevation.  We have no humidity.  Today it happens to be about 15F out and we have snow cover on the ground.  I am not using any water in the pan in the smoker.  I'm using the pellets that came with the ANMPS.  I have tired adding more holes in my smoker box just above the ANMPS for ventilation.  I'm smoking at 130 /140/170 using the offset for heat.  I use charcoal for my heat source.  I have not tried elevating the ANMPS on bolts yet.  I'm assuming I'm having an air flow issue or possibly humidity issue from the moisture from the snow.        

Anyhow, my New Years resolution is to participate more on the forums I love.  This being one of them. :-)  

I just got  a new heavy duty sausage stuffer and I have 20 lbs of elk to grind and turn into Summer Sausage.  I also got a new action cam to capture some video of making sausage too.  SO I'll be smoking and posting. :-)

If I'm completely off the rocker here on that ANMPS not working properly, please let me know.  

Cheers!!

Joe Gill

Townsend, MT
 
If the AMNPS is sitting on a flat, non ventilated surface, like a steel plate, air flow could be the problem....   I had issues when the AMNPS was sitting inside a mailbox mod...  constantly went out...   then I installed legs and I no longer had to heat the pellets and it hasn't gone out since the legs were installed...    3800 ft. is not extreme BUT any help you could give the pellets to get more air would be beneficial and "maybe" your headache would go away...    

Also, fill the tray really full, to the top of the alleys, so there is more heat generated in the rows to keep them burning...   Exhaust open to facilitate good air flow...  intakes open also for the same reason...    Cherry wood does not burn well and needs an easier burning wood mixed in to help with that situation, OR don't use cherry...   use alder, maple, hickory etc...  a wood that burns easier.... 

Each persons situation is a little different and not giving up should bring you great rewards... 

Lastly, dry the pellets really well....  May I suggest 275 deg. F for a couple hours to force the moisture out of the pellets...    worked for me before the legs were installed....

 
I know I am late on this but what I found out is that when there is a slight wind outside, my AMNPS burns better due to a nice draft coming thru the chip loader and exiting the damper at top. To fix that I bought a small desk fan and attach it to something so it blows towards the pulled out chip loader. It works, however I have had issues keeping mine lit and I have done every single solitary thing on this thread....


I bought the A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker preset with hickory pellets. It seemed to burn for a long time when I used it the first time on Ribs. But now when I try to smoke with the A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker in my 40 MES, they dont seem to stay lit long. I microwaved them, opened the side chip loader a bit, i use a torch and let them smolder for 15 mins. I just can't get them to stay lit for very long and im not getting any smoke ring. I know I saw some posts in the past about this but I cant find them. Any ideas guys? Thanks.
 
Thanks for the advice! My issue was resolved by moving the AMNPS's offset to my baffle. This resolved the issue! It burned steady for about 10 hours until I took the bird out for the oven. In fact it was burning so well it flared up. I'm still going to do the leg mod. I can't wait to get a pork belly and make bacon!!

Cheers,

Joe Gill
Townsend, MT

 
Thanks for the advice! My issue was resolved by moving the AMNPS's offset to my baffle. This resolved the issue! It burned steady for about 10 hours until I took the bird out for the oven. In fact it was burning so well it flared up. I'm still going to do the leg mod. I can't wait to get a pork belly and make bacon!!

Cheers,

Joe Gill
Townsend, MT

Looks great Joe. I am over here NE of Billings. Your turkey looks delicious.

One step that has helped allot of us to keep the pellets stay lit is to microwave them for a couple of minutes before lighing, the micro drys out moisture in the pellets.

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Sorry to reply to this so long since the original post, but Maze goes out consistently half-way through the cook.  I can turn it around and re-light and finish my smoke, but I have discovered this several hours into the smoke.  Also, I probably should have replied to http://www.amazenproducts.com, but the SELF IGNITING PROPANE TORCH, only worked for the first four smokes. Very dissappointed. 
 
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