Masterbuilt not working properly

[gruelurks]

I'm tearing mine down tonight so I took a large hi-res pic of the affected connections. Click on the pic for a super large 2800 x 2100 pixel version of it if you want.

 

[gruelurks]

Also, when you are removing the screws for the wood chip tray and brace, if it won't come out easy after you get the screws out, make sure you actually removed the chip loader first.

 

[gofish]

I could see the frustration building at this point! Hang in there.

 

[scubadoo97]

Wow, that's a lot of corrosion. How old is your smoker?

 

[nozzleman]

Well 7 months and 8 or 9 uses into it's life my MES failed last night with the Turkey about 3 hours into the smoke. Thank goodness for the Maverick thermometer that alarmed to the dropping temps. The bird was pulled and finished off in the oven, looks like I will have to attempt the drill and repair routine.

 

[coyote-1]

Yep, them electric smokers sure are convenient

lol

One thing I never have to worry about with an offset coal/stick burner is a malfunctioning element. Long as I have fuel, I can smoke!

 

[rickw]

You do have a point

. With all the electrical problems going on with these smokers isn't any of the owners worried about an electrical fire.

 

[gruelurks]

My MES is not even a year old but it sat outside on my back deck in the elements. I'm planning on buying a offset firebox grill this week if I can get one on sale. Still love my MES though, and I will continue to fix/mod it until the damn thing falls to pieces. (Which will probably be early spring lol.)

 

[tender loins]

Is there any way to use the MES without the digital control box on the top? I have a stainless one that they sent a main box as a warranty repair and still have the old defective stainless box I transferred all my stuff from to the new box. So it is JUST a stainless box. Maybe someone would like to buy it to update their black painted smoker to stainless.

If all else fails, I'll be the only one with a stainless steel tomato planter!

 

[ronp]

You can use it as a cold smoker.

 

[tender loins]

Hi Ron. Hope your TG Day finally materialized. Thanks for all your help & advice in the past too.Are you talking like a hotplate in the bottom or an external/side firebox? Any ideas how you'd do it? Through the chip loader hole? What can I cold smoke besides cheese? Nobody here likes fish.

 

[ronp]

Well you could do that or get a smoke daddy. You can cold smoke sausage, and jerky.

 

[nozzleman]

$7 bucks and a little time and mine was back up and running again. The connectors they use on the end of the wire are so light weight that it gets loose and causes it to overheat and fail. Just cut it off and replace with some heavier duty connectors. I got to mine before it had hurt any of the wiring, just lousy connectors.

 

[scubadoo97]

my before and after pics. Did the upgrade before a burn out.



High temp wires and connectors removed from an electric stove waiting for disposal at appliance shop. Good source of free wires and connectors





Replaced the wires where I could get to both ends and spliced and soldered the one I couldn't.

 

[gruelurks]

I finally got around to finishing mine tonight. I don't have any further pics to contribute but I did also notice a more rapid rise in heating time with the heavier gauge wire replacements. I didn't find any Teflon coated wire, just some oven range stuff similar to what scubadoo97 depicts. I'm going to continue to use this one for a while to ensure it holds up, then I'll probably put in in the storage unit as a backup to my new one. (Which will be more protected in the elements this time around. )

 

[reichl]

Looks like I am going to have to do this too. The thing that really gets me is that I have been waiting for the weather outside to warm up so I could smoke something, now I have to use the oven.

 

[tender loins]

I'm assuming everyone's MES is out of warranty?

I ask because mine lost temp last year and wouldn't get hot. Luckily it was when everything was done and I was just gonna dry/smoke some hot peppers--the temp sank from 225 to ambient temp slowly but surely.

I called Masterbuilt and they actually asked where I got it (Cabela's), serial #, etc.

Within a week, they sent me a new or refurbed smoker "shell" which was the main case (my was the stainless version), LESS the door, grates, display, wood chip chute, drip pan, etc. I just transferred all my parts to the replacement. You don't even have to send the old one back!

If yours is within a year old, try it. Or even if it's rarely used, try it.

 

[tubby]

LOL, "Robertson Screws ", as soon as I seen that, I looked to make sure you were in Canada. For some reason those really great screw heads, have yet to catch on in the states.

Brian we have been using a square headed robinson for years in the states mostly as a galvanized deck screw


jim

 

[jlb]

I need to paint my MES yellow, so it looks like a lemon!!

I have owned it four months, and have never liked one thing cooked on it!!!..........

192 is the hottest it has got in six hours today..........

According to my Polder temp gauges.

I have the ribs in the oven, I give up on the MES!

I do not plan on calling Masterbuilt for a replacement, I am going to get $199 worth of fun stomping/kicking this pitiful thing in the dump!!

Rant over..............

 

[spg1]

Sorry to hear that, I just did a batch of beef short ribs and twice baked potatoes tonight and they were great. Mine is the newer version that just came out a few months ago.