MES 130B Temp and Smoke Issues

[Wavehopper62]

Hi All...
Newbie here from Northern Ohio, I’ve been lurking on here for a couple years and finally decided to post.
I bought an MES 130 back in November, it seemed to work fine thru the winter but the last couple of cooks it hasn’t seemed to be working great. Longer cook times and doesn’t seem to be burning thru the chips. I’ve read a lot on here, I know I probably need an A-Maze-n but I feel I have another issue.
It has a built in meat probe. I don’t usually use it, but I had hanging in the box while doing some ribs and I noticed it was showing 15-20 degrees lower than the control temp. I had never really tested it so I didn’t really trust it. The next day I tested it in ice water and boiling water and it was accurate. So I turned on the smoker to test the temp to 225 let it run for an hour or 2 and it consistently ran 7-8 degrees lower than control temp. I then set it to 275 and consistently ran 10-12 degrees lower. I’m still not sure I trust the probe, so I have an InkBird arriving today.
After this test I called Masterbuilt, they basically said 5-12 degrees difference is not uncommon. The rep said he didn’t think there was an issue with heating element, but they are gonna send me one anyway (but it’s on backorder). He also mentioned it could be the internal thermostat, but that’s not an exchangeable part on my model.
So this past weekend I did a pork butt I set the temp 10-15 degrees higher at 240, instead of 225 to compensate for the difference. It cooked fine, but it just didn’t seem to be getting any smoke. I know that’s a common problem on these, but it just doesn’t seem to be burning the chips at all. In 7 hours I only loaded chips once. Then I wrapped it. After 4-5 hours wrapped I still had chips in the tray. They were still pretty much intact and just blacken. Now that I look back that’s happened for the last 2-3 cooks. Any ideas??
I know there is tons of info on here about these smokers, but I haven’t really seen this problem, any help would be great!
Thanks!!

 

[PAS]

Where in N. Ohio? Keep in mind when the burner isnt on, no heat goes to the chip drawer. Buy the Amazen pellet tray and dont look back.

 

[Bearcarver]

Masterbuilt digital read-outs are usually not exact, like most other smokers, plus it depends on what area of the smoker you're measuring. The MES sensor is on the back wall, just below center, and if your meat is on the top shelf, why would we care what the temp was down below?
What you need to do is put a wireless digital therm near your meat, and measure the temp there. Then adjust your MES up or down until you get the smoking temp you want where your meat is.

As for why your built in chip burner seemed to work back in November, but not so great now???
Back in November it was cold out, and now it isn't. When it was colder out the MES heating element had to run more often & longer to keep the heat up, and that caused the chips to burn & smoke.
Now that it's warmer outside the MES heating element doesn't run as much, so the chips just sit there without burning & smoking.
That's what happens when the same heat source heats both the Smoker & the chip burner.

Like PAS said above, get an AMNPS from Amazing Smoker, and some Pellets & Dust.

Bear

 

[Jonok]

It will also run more with the vent open.

 

[Wavehopper62]

Thanks PAS and Bear. I live near Sandusky. I was kind of wondering if it had to do with the weather warming up, but it seemed like the element was cycling pretty regularly (I was trying to watch more closely this last time)... I just figured after 5-6 hours the chips would still burn up...Funny that the Masterbuilt Rep blamed my temp differences on only smoking in 60 degree weather. I guess that’s too hot to make smoke now... Haha...My new InkBird is out for delivery as I type, so I’m hoping I can get more dialed in with my temps. I’m might keep playing with the chips. I bought a bunch when I bought the smoker, but I see an A-maze-N in my future. Thanks again!

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks PAS and Bear. I live near Sandusky. I was kind of wondering if it had to do with the weather warming up, but it seemed like the element was cycling pretty regularly (I was trying to watch more closely this last time)... I just figured after 5-6 hours the chips would still burn up...Funny that the Masterbuilt Rep blamed my temp differences on only smoking in 60 degree weather. I guess that’s too hot to make smoke now... Haha...My new InkBird is out for delivery as I type, so I’m hoping I can get more dialed in with my temps. I’m might keep playing with the chips. I bought a bunch when I bought the smoker, but I see an A-maze-N in my future. Thanks again!

Yeah, I know how you feel about it--- 9 years ago, I kept trying to get my chip burner to work the way I wanted it to:
I used to open the door now & then to cool it down enough to force the MES to turn on long enough to burn chips.
When I started it up I used to take it up a little at a time to get it to run more often.

Then I got an AMNS, & then an AMNPS, and it's been Smokers Heaven for 8 years since!!!

Bear

 

[Wavehopper62]

Bear, that being said does just leaving the chip loader tube out help at all? Just giving it a little air to cool down.. So you don’t use the trip tray at all anymore??

 

[Bearcarver]

Bear, that being said does just leaving the chip loader tube out help at all? Just giving it a little air to cool down.. So you don’t use the trip tray at all anymore??

The only thing the chip loader is good for is:
With mine I can pull it out about 3", and rotate it 180°, to allow more air flow to pass through to keep my AMNPS going.
Those who can't do that can remove it completely, and it will help the AMNPS a little.

I have not put a chip or a chunk in my Chip Tray (drawer) for over 8 years, in any of my 3 MES units.

Bear

 

[Wavehopper62]

So I was working on a few things around the house today so I played around with it. I read somewhere on here about chips getting damp and not burning, so every set of chips I put in the microwave for a minute. I also played around with taking the chip loader tube out. I could see an immediate/noticeable increase in smoke when it was out. I even had the chips on fire at one point. I ran it for 5 hours I started at 240 and then about half way thru I lowered it to 225, just to see if I could keep em smoking. I had pretty steady smoke throughout, which is encouraging. But I understand why the AMNPS would be helpful just to not keep loading chips. I’ll probably get one once I run out of chips. One question I did have, what is the nickel sized circle on the left side, back wall of the box?

 

[Bearcarver]

So I was working on a few things around the house today so I played around with it. I read somewhere on here about chips getting damp and not burning, so every set of chips I put in the microwave for a minute. I also played around with taking the chip loader tube out. I could see an immediate/noticeable increase in smoke when it was out. I even had the chips on fire at one point. I ran it for 5 hours I started at 240 and then about half way thru I lowered it to 225, just to see if I could keep em smoking. I had pretty steady smoke throughout, which is encouraging. But I understand why the AMNPS would be helpful just to not keep loading chips. I’ll probably get one once I run out of chips. One question I did have, what is the nickel sized circle on the left side, back wall of the box?

The nickel sized circle is the high limit switch sensor. That should keep a runaway heating element from overheating.

The little thing that looks like a Toggle switch, also on the back wall, is the heat sensor that works with your control to keep your Smoker temp at your setting.

Bear

 

[sigmo]

As Bear and others recommend: Get an AMNPS or the tube pellet smoker for your MES. You'll be glad you did.

When you think about it, having the one and only heating element in a smoker serve both as the heater and as the smoke generator is a bad idea.

If you can only get smoke when the heater is called upon to get or keep the temperature up in the smoker, then when it's warm outside or you have good insulation in your smoker, you'll get less smoke than when the smoker has to work harder to get or maintain the desired temperature.

That's unacceptable.

The two functions need to be independent of each other. What if I want to cold smoke some cheese? What if I want to smoke something on a hot, calm day? Or what if I'm smoking on a cold, windy, winter night?

Why should the amount of smoke I get be dependent on these other conditions?

To be able to adjust the level of smoke to be what you want, the smoke generator system needs to be separate from the heating system.

So that's part one.

Now, since the MESs are designed to use their heater to also burn the chips, they had to design the temperature control to try to get the heater to cycle on full blast intermittently so it will get the chips smoking occasionally.

But that's bad, too!

To try to get the heating element up to red-hot occasionally, they have to set the temperature controller up to allow that. And the only way to make that happen is to allow the temperature in the smoker to cycle up and down over a considerable range. (The smoker temp has to be allowed to get quite a bit below the set point so that they can then switch the heater on full-blast for a long time in order to get the chips burning again.) So you get some large temperature swings in the smoker.

All of this is because they want one heater to do both jobs. It is far less than ideal.

Having a separate smoke generator solves part of your problem. Solving the poor temperature regulation requires modifications to the temperature control system.

Personally, I have had good luck with the original temperature control and using an AMNPS just like Bear does.

I plan on upgrading the temperature control system someday, but meanwhile, I am getting good results with the original temperature control and an AMNPS.

I have removed the whole chip burner, however, to get better burning of my AMNPS at the relatively high elevation here.

 

[dr k]

As Bear and others recommend: Get an AMNPS or the tube pellet smoker for your MES. You'll be glad you did.

When you think about it, having the one and only heating element in a smoker serve both as the heater and as the smoke generator is a bad idea.

If you can only get smoke when the heater is called upon to get or keep the temperature up in the smoker, then when it's warm outside or you have good insulation in your smoker, you'll get less smoke than when the smoker has to work harder to get or maintain the desired temperature.

That's unacceptable.

The two functions need to be independent of each other. What if I want to cold smoke some cheese? What if I want to smoke something on a hot, calm day? Or what if I'm smoking on a cold, windy, winter night?

Why should the amount of smoke I get be dependent on these other conditions?

To be able to adjust the level of smoke to be what you want, the smoke generator system needs to be separate from the heating system.

So that's part one.

Now, since the MESs are designed to use their heater to also burn the chips, they had to design the temperature control to try to get the heater to cycle on full blast intermittently so it will get the chips smoking occasionally.

But that's bad, too!

To try to get the heating element up to red-hot occasionally, they have to set the temperature controller up to allow that. And the only way to make that happen is to allow the temperature in the smoker to cycle up and down over a considerable range. (The smoker temp has to be allowed to get quite a bit below the set point so that they can then switch the heater on full-blast for a long time in order to get the chips burning again.) So you get some large temperature swings in the smoker.

All of this is because they want one heater to do both jobs. It is far less than ideal.

Having a separate smoke generator solves part of your problem. Solving the poor temperature regulation requires modifications to the temperature control system.

Personally, I have had good luck with the original temperature control and using an AMNPS just like Bear does.

I plan on upgrading the temperature control system someday, but meanwhile, I am getting good results with the original temperature control and an AMNPS.

I have removed the whole chip burner, however, to get better burning of my AMNPS at the relatively high elevation here.

This Mes 440S has four plug in probes and a separate 150 watt chip or chunk burner with 5 settings I believe. The element is now more centered and exposed and there are two top vents for even heating. It's $700 20077419 on Amazon and his little brother 30" 430S is $500 20076419. No thanks. I'm glad I flipped the element so It doesn't matter what side the top vent is on and and I can completely cover the element from grease. Since air comes in on the right I have three open rung spaces of the bottom rack open on the right and 1.5 spaces on the left for even heating right/left. Heat has no problem finding it's way up and I'm not roasting the insulation in the right rear corner. The PID sensor is on a rack by my food so I can butt the 11x15 disposable alum baking sheet against the back wall to move heat away from the back wall. There's a lot of space between the pan and door and the heat comes back over the food to the top vent and not block heat to the sensor since it's not fixed to the back wall. I lost the light function going to PID so I just ran a 16 gauge extension cord in the side of the smoker to the socket and took out the 15 watt OEM bulb and put in a 40 watter. I don't use the light much so I put a piece of foil over the lens to keep it clean till I need it for a night smoke. This Gen 1 40 all stainless steel door and cabinet ought to be around for many years. I love this smoker!

 

[chopsaw]

every set of chips I put in the microwave for a minute.

I ran mine on the chip loader for years . This is what I used to do . I would load some chips in the tray , then I would put the next amount of chips in the loader , but not dump . When the tray stopped smoking , I dumped the pre heated chips and put another batch in the loader . Had better results like that . You might try it until you get a tray .

 

[Wavehopper62]

I ran mine on the chip loader for years . This is what I used to do . I would load some chips in the tray , then I would put the next amount of chips in the loader , but not dump . When the tray stopped smoking , I dumped the pre heated chips and put another batch in the loader . Had better results like that . You might try it until you get a tray .

You know I was doing that for the first couple of cooks on it and it seemed to do pretty good. For some reason I got away from doing that. I’m going to start trying that again! Thanks!