MES30 Heats as soon as it's plugged in and won't stop heating.

[hokiescott]

So I've had all kinds of fun with my MES30 over the last 6 months. I have one of the originals without the serviceable heating element. About 6 months ago, it stopped heating. I drilled out the rivets and found that one of the terminals had come separated from it's post. I put a new terminal on and it was fine for several months. The same thing happened on the other side a few months later so I repeated the process.

Everything worked great for awhile but now it won't stop heating now. Even when the controller isn't powered on. As soon as I plug the unit in, the heat comes on and won't stop. If I turn on the controller and set it to 200, it blows right past it.

Any suggestions as to what's going on? I've been wanting to upgrade to the MES40 for a while now, but can't justify the expense just yet.

Thanks much!

 

[daveomak]

Scott, morning.... Sound like it is time to bypass all the electronics, use the current heating element and install a new controller.... I would skip the timer function when doing this... it is handy but not necessary...  There are several controllers on the market.... ebay has some at discounted prices....

Several members on this forum have installed PID controllers to update their smokers... I have no knowledge on how to do this....

There are several threads on what they have done including parts and sites to order from.... and step by step instructions... 

If you enjoy working on stuff and making it a "new and improved" smoker, this may be the way to go... 

There is hope... here is one tutorial from another forum I got from a thread on this forum...  good reading and searching... learning new stuff can be challenging and rewarding at the same time.... 

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?315-PID-Controller&highlight=controller

Dave

 

[hokiescott]

Thanks much Dave!