Just picked up a used MES 30 Model 20071514 - surface rust question

[MikeR5634]

Just joined the site. Hope I am posting this to the correct forum.

Used "only a few times" and very clean. They upgraded to a bigger smoker. Might be telling the truth, it is in very good shape. Being used I wanted to clean it thoroughly and look for any rust that needs to be dealt with .

Pulled all the racks and trays out and ran through the dish washer.
Removed the "wood chip lid" assembly so I could clean and get a good look at the floor.

My question is what to do with the bits of surface rust on the floor of the smoker, in the corners especially, the random spots on the drip pan, drip deflector, water bowl and grease tray?
See pics.

Reading through old threads it sounds like I need to scrub with scouring pad or sand paper to remove rust, clean and then wipe on a cooking oil. (I have coconut oil and my own lard) Then re-season it.

This the way to go?

Thanks, Mike

 

[Winterrider]

Sounds like a solid plan ! That little amount of rust isn't anything to worry about. Get the main surface rust, oil it and foil the drip tray. I only change foil about every 10 smokes or so.

 

[chopsaw]

Yeah , start slow . Don't go crazy with sand paper or you could cause it to rust faster .
Like said above get the loose stuff off and oil it up . The run it to dry it out . Looks like it had water sitting in it .
Have you tried to fire it up yet ?

 

[Fueling Around]

Nice find.
I would also use a scrub pad (not sand paper) on the heating element to get the burnt residue removed. Residue creates hot spots that lead to element burn out.

Once you get a chance to look around to see the many forum topics for posting you will find the electric smoker group

Electric Smokers

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[JLeonard]

Sounds like great advice above. And welcome to the forums!


Jim

 

[MikeR5634]

Thank you all for replying so quickly. Cleaned up the rust, oiled and re-assembled.

This morning I powered it up and followed the manual to season it. Set temp to 275 F and time to 3 hours. Watched it warm up and then level off at 182 F. At that point it cycled off and on floating between 176 and 182.

Is this a potential safety limit switch causing this or something else?

I will assume (correct me if wrong) that the safety limit switch's only job is to kick in at the upper limit. The temp you set to "cook at" is run by another temp sensor? If so, it could be one or the other?

I have read through the instructions on cutting into the back panel to access the limit switch. Going to do that now and test.

The ceramic replacement on Amazon is temporarily out of stock. Is this short lived or has it been out of stock for a long time? Yes, no one may know that answer.

uxcell A13092400ux0093 5 Piece NC Ceramic Temperature Switch Thermostat 155 Degree Celsius KSD301 Gold Tone Terminal: Industrial Basic Switches: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

uxcell A13092400ux0093 5 Piece NC Ceramic Temperature Switch Thermostat 155 Degree Celsius KSD301 Gold Tone Terminal: Industrial Basic Switches: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

Back to the garage.

Mike

 

[chopsaw]

Set temp to 275 F and time to 3 hours. Watched it warm up and then level off at 182 F.

That's common with these , mostly the newer ones .
Use a remote therm to watch the temps . Don't go by the read out on the smoker

I will assume (correct me if wrong) that the safety limit switch's only job is to kick in at the upper limit.

The limit switch is designed to cut power in case of a run away temp . In this case probably around 300 degrees .
EDIT : Not saying it can't be a problem at lower temps .

All kinds of info on this stuff on here . Do a search and before you get to carried away ask some questions . Someone will answer .

I would start by using a trusted therm inside the smoker and do a recheck . So how the temps compare .

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Make a ball of foil and clean it, dont use steel wool with any chemicals. dont worry about seasoning it with oils or lard.

 

[bcbialiy]

Make a ball of foil and clean it, dont use steel wool with any chemicals. dont worry about seasoning it with oils or lard.

I’m having the same issue with a MES40. Clean what exactly? There is the thermostat (size of a nickel) and the nipple probe. Both on the back of the chamber.

If the thermostat is faulty, does anyone have specs on a replacement?

 

[bcbialiy]

Thank you all for replying so quickly. Cleaned up the rust, oiled and re-assembled.

This morning I powered it up and followed the manual to season it. Set temp to 275 F and time to 3 hours. Watched it warm up and then level off at 182 F. At that point it cycled off and on floating between 176 and 182.

Is this a potential safety limit switch causing this or something else?

I will assume (correct me if wrong) that the safety limit switch's only job is to kick in at the upper limit. The temp you set to "cook at" is run by another temp sensor? If so, it could be one or the other?

I have read through the instructions on cutting into the back panel to access the limit switch. Going to do that now and test.

The ceramic replacement on Amazon is temporarily out of stock. Is this short lived or has it been out of stock for a long time? Yes, no one may know that answer.

uxcell A13092400ux0093 5 Piece NC Ceramic Temperature Switch Thermostat 155 Degree Celsius KSD301 Gold Tone Terminal: Industrial Basic Switches: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

uxcell A13092400ux0093 5 Piece NC Ceramic Temperature Switch Thermostat 155 Degree Celsius KSD301 Gold Tone Terminal: Industrial Basic Switches: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

Back to the garage.

Mike

Having the same issue. Display says 275, trusted thermometer rests 160-170.

 

[normanaj]

tallbm is great source of info on the MES.

One option to consider is the simple rewire and add an Auber PID.

 

[chopsaw]

There is the thermostat (size of a nickel)

That's the high limit switch

the nipple probe

That's the Thermostat .

 

[tallbm]

While talking with B bcbialiy in private messages I came across this MES replacement thermostat:

https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Masterbuilt-Temperature-Compatible-9907180092/dp/B09MQVKNRR/ref=asc_df_B09MQVKNRR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=652414467985&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17520706163665654410&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026954&hvtargid=pla-2066808695497&gclid=CjwKCAjwpJWoBhA8EiwAHZFzfmSsrsGBWD8kDkQ_ImWRf_2Gtipp2LyvH25hMBPpE57T2H422EDOMBoCEmQQAvD_BwE&th=1

Looks like they also have replacement Top Controller units for various MES models as well:

YAOAWE: FOR MASTERBUILT

Replacement parts for Masterbuilt Grill Accessories

www.amazon.com

Good to see someone picking up Masterbuilt's slack since the pandemic, though I don't know the quality of the products.
I'm quite positive Yaoawe is a Chinese company/brand after doing a quick bit of searching about them and finding them on aliexpress:

So, quality is probably no worse then the crap Masterbuilt provides out of the box (which is also likely from China).

Masterbuilt's website did have a listing for MES lower circuit boards but I think it's been reported that they have the listing and when trying to order they take weeks to basically then tell you they don't have the parts, so it's not actually a real listing until it's real lol.

Anyhow figured sharing some of this info will help as we know people are always asking about MES parts and the last few years the answer has been "good luck finding them if they aren't available at ApplianceFactory".